[Web4lib] An ACRL E-Learning Seminar - January 25 - February 10, 2010 "Designing Usable and Accessible Web Pages: Needs Analysis, Design Planning, XHTML and CSS Standards, Accessibility Validation, and Usability Testing (beginners)"

Wed Jan 20 15:23:42 EST 2010

Designing Usable and Accessible Web Pages:  Needs Analysis, Design 
Planning, XHTML and CSS Standards, Accessibility Validation, and 
Usability Testing (beginners)

An ACRL E-Learning Seminar - January 25 - February 10, 2010

Registration is now open! - 
http://www.acrl.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/events/elearning/courses/webdesign.cfm

Course Description:

This hands-on course focuses on the basics of Web site planning, design 
and content development. The course will also examine Web standards, 
usability, and accessibility. XHTML and CSS (external) will be 
introduced. The course begins with XHTML/HTML basics tutorials and a 
practice activity to make sure everyone has the basic skills. Students 
will plan and design a representative site during the course.

This is a primarily asynchronous seminar, allowing participants to work 
through course material at times convenient to them. The instructor will 
provide feedback to all completed work via email. Participants may also 
choose to schedule online chat time with the teacher, as they feel 
necessary.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

     * Plan and design a Web site for Usability and simple Accessibility 
for selected users/groups.
     * Understand and apply Web Standards
     * Develop basic Web site contents for selected users/groups.
     * Use DreamWeaver (MX2004 or higher preferred) or a text editor to 
create usable, accessible, and interesting Web pages. You may use 
Microsoft Expression (was FrontPage) or other HTML editor if you already 
know what you are doing with it.

Participants will end the session with a draft Web site plan, design, 
and a Web page (or pages) that will allow minimal accessibility 
validation and usability testing.

Weekly Schedule

         * Week 1: User Centered Design: Needs Assessment and Design 
Planning
         * Topic 2. HTML/XHTML (XHTML Standards)  Basic Concepts: 
Creating a Basic Web Page
         * Week 3: CSS for Style and Layout (External CSSLevel2 Standard)
         * Week 4: Accessibility Validation and Usability Testing

This seminar will be delivered through ACRL's Moodle.

Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this course, you will be able to:

     * Understand and apply Web Standards
     * Plan and design a Web site for Usability and Accessibility for 
selected users/groups.
     * Develop basic Web site contents for selected users/groups.
     * Use DreamWeaver or a text editor (MX2004 or higher preferred) to 
create usable, accessible, and interesting Web pages. You may use 
FrontPage if you already know what you are doing with it.

Participants will end the session with a draft Web site plan, design, 
and a Web page (or pages  )that will allow minimal accessibility 
validation and usability testing.

Course Materials:

All of the required readings and activities for the course will be 
available on-line but it will be useful to have available the references 
in the Recommended Materials listed below.

     * Graph Paper for laying out CSS design.
     * Lynch, Patrick J., and Horton, Sarah. 2009. Web Style Guide: 
Basic Design Principles for Creating Web Sites, 3rd. Ed. New Haven:Yale 
University Press. http://www.webstyleguide.com/index.html
     * Freeman, Elisabeth and Eric (2005).  Head First HTML with CSS & 
XHTML*. O'Reilly. ISBN: 0-596-10197-X
     * Niederst Robbins, Jennifer (2006). Web Design in a Nutshell , 3rd 
Ed. O'Reilly. ISBN: 0-596-00987-9
     * Meyer, Eric (2007). CSS Pocket Reference, 3rd. Ed. O'Reilly. ISBN 
10: 0-596-51505-7 | ISBN 13:9780596515058 (9.99 list price)
     * Bickner, Carrie. (2004) Web Design on a Shoestring. New Riders 
Publishing: Boston ISBN 0-7357-1328-6
     * Norman, Donald (any edition).. The Design of Everyday Things. 
Basic Books ISBN: 0-385-26774-6

*Strongly recommended for those students who come to class with no HTML 
experience.

Audience:

Librarians and other information specialists who want to learn to design 
usable, accessible, standard Web pages that will attract the intended 
users and encourage and invite them to persist and return to the site.

Experience working with the academic library patrons in any subject area 
chosen is assumed. Level of instruction is intermediate in regard to 
academic library experience, beginner in regard to XHTML/CSS and Web 
design experience.

Participants must understand paths -- directories or folders and where 
files are saved -- in a Windows or Mac OS environment. FTP or other 
experience uploading Web pages to a Web server will be expected. Some 
basic assistance will be provided.

Instructor:

Diane Kovacs, Kovacs Consulting - http://www.kovacs.com

The instructor has been teaching Web Design and related topics for more 
than 14 years including LIS590LWL Designing Web Sites for Organizations 
for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign GSLIS LEEP program. 
She is the author of The Kovacs Guide to Electronic Library Collection 
Development: Essential Core Subject Collections, Selection Criteria, and 
Guidelines (Neal-Schuman, January 2004) and The Virtual Reference 
Handbook: Interview and Information Delivery Techniques for the Chat and 
E-Mail Environments by Kovacs, Diane K. Neal-Schuman Publishers (2007) 
published concurrently in the United Kingdom by Facet Publishers (2007)

More information on Diane Kovacs

Course Requirements:

Your participation will require approximately three to five hours per 
week to:

     * Read the online seminar material
     * Post to online discussion boards
     * Complete activities, which will result in a basic draft academic 
library oriented Web site
     * Complete a seminar evaluation form

Registration - 
http://www.acrl.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/events/elearning/courses/webdesign.cfm

ACRL member: $150
ALA member: $195
CACUL member: Can $205 (charges will be made in U.S. dollars)
Nonmember: $205
Student: $65

-- 
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Diane K. Kovacs - Web Teacher http://kovacs.com
AIM&  Yahoo:  SaintsMrsDi - MSN - diane at kovacs.com - GTalk - diane.kovacs at gmail.com - Di Wind on Second Life
_The Kovacs Guide to Electronic Library Collection Development: Essential Core Subject Collections, Selection Criteria, and Guidelines_, 2nd Edition (2009)
http://www.neal-schuman.com/bdetail.php?isbn=9781555706647
_The Virtual Reference Handbook: Interview and Information Delivery Techniques for the Chat and E-Mail Environments_ (2007)
http://www.neal-schuman.com/bdetail.php?isbn=1555705987