Designing Web Sites and Pages Checklist

These are the starting analysis questions you can begin with as you create the checklist for your section of the DSA website. You’ll need to rephrase them, because they’re written from the perspective of someone making a site. You’ll probably end up adding some questions of your own as well.

Designing Web Sites and Pages

Did you

  • create informative headers and footers? (p. 169)

  • help readers navigate the site by including a site map, a table of contents, back-to-top links, and textual navigation buttons? (p. 170)

  • include extra features your readers might need, such as an FAQ, a search page or engine, resource links, a printable version of your site, or a text-only version? (p. 170)

  • help readers connect with others through links to interactive portions of your site and to social-media sites? (p. 172)

  • design for readers with vision, hearing, or mobility impairment? (p. 172)

  • design for multicultural audiences? (p. 173)

  • aim for simplicity in Web page design by using conservative color combinations and by avoiding decorative graphics? (p. 174)

  • make the text easy to read and understand by keeping it short, chunking information, and writing simply? (p. 174)

  • create clear, informative links? (p. 174)

From page 175 of Markel

 

Tentative Presentation Dates

As you're planning your schedule for your group's project, you need to know tentatively when the presentations will be due in class. Here is the plan;

11:15 MWF class: Presentations will be Dec 6, Dec 9, and Dec 11.
2:30 MW class: Presentations will probably be Dec 9 and 11 only. 

You'll be able to sign up for your presentation slot in class on Monday 11/18. 

#4: Oral Presentation Project

The fourth assignment for the course is posted under the Assignments tab in Scholar, or under the Assignments menu above. Please be sure to read the entire assignment so that you are aware of all the documents your group needs to produce as well as the details on how the assignment will be evaluated.

Be sure that you review the details on the importance of being in class and working on the project from this point on in the term. If you are not in class, you cannot contribute to your group's work. 

I'll answer any questions about the assignment in class on Wednesday, 11/13. Remember that from this point on in in the term, your group sets the schedule for what you work on in class. The remaining sessions in the course (from 11/11 to 12/6) will be in-class work sessions. The final week of classes will be dedicated to the oral presentations. 

Homework for 11/11

Before class on Monday, 11/11, please work through “Designing for the Web: A Tutorial.” We will talk about the tutorial on Monday, 11/11, and the information in the tutorial will be used for the In-Class Writing for 11/11.

On Monday, we will also go over the Group Oral Presentation, which will involve analyzing a website and making recommendations for its improvement.

Spring 2014 Courses

Spring course request is open, so I wanted to share the classes that I'm teaching next term. You won't need the tech writing course, but if you're working on a professional writing minor or just want to learn more about writing online, you might be interested in the Writing and Digital Media course. I've pasted in the course descriptions below with the times that I'm teaching.
Traci

English 3844: Writing and Digital Media (3:30 TH)

This course provides both a theoretical and a practical introduction to writing with and for digital media, including content management systems and social media platforms. The course will cover information organization, search engines, and basic HTML and CSS. You will learn to identify, analyze, and respond to the theoretical assumptions underpinning the development and use of digital media. You will also learn how to navigate, set up, and optimize social media sites for developing and distributing digital content, including digital images, video, and audio. 

EDIT: English 3844 does not meet the requirements for any specific CLE area. It is a required course for Professional Writing majors and minors from spring 2015 on however.

3764: Technical Writing (9:05 MWF, 10:10 MWF, and 1:25 MWF)

In this writing-intensive course, you will explore how to communicate technical information to a variety of audiences, ranging from those new to a topic to those who have experience with technical subjects. Assignments will include job application materials, technical descriptions, instructions and documentation, formal reports, and oral presentations. All work for the course will be submitted and graded electronically. You will write during every class session, so please be prepared to bring your laptop or tablet.