Curriculum

(Listed here is an overview of the curriculum for this program. To download a detailed curriculum guide click here.)

Term 1

The first term of studies begins with the very basics of commercial website development technologies and concepts. By the end of the term, students have acquired the skills necessary to build solidly designed and functional websites.

From the start our approach is integrated. It's a holistic strategy where programming and design are not split, but are provided to students in an integrated manner that requires them to interweave design, coding, programming and theory at each step.

Besides instructor-led classes each day, students in Term 1 work with small business clients for whom they are required to build websites as their major term projects. These clients pay regularly scheduled visits to students according to a project management timeline that is core to the learning a student must achieve. The objective of Term 1 is for students to understand and implement current coding practise complemented with good design and navigation.

• Computer Basics
• Database Design and Management
• Design Concepts I
• Design Integration
• Illustrator
• Internet Marketing
• Search Engine Optimization
• XHTML
• CSS
• Introduction to Flash
• Photoshop
• Programming Concepts / PHP I
• Javascript I
• Project Management I

Term 2

Term 2 focuses on the application of design and development concepts. It is expected that students understand how the software and its tools are used to achieve particular goals. The additional focus introduced in Term 2 involves the applied approach to programming and scripting; a challenge that can best be compared to learning a second language to an intermediate level in 12 weeks.

By the end of Term 2 students are required to apply their programming skills towards the development of a custom programmed Content Management System (CMS) for their client projects.

• Advanced Graphics
• CSS II
• Database Basics
• Design Concepts II
• Javascript II
• PHP II
• Project Management II
• XML

Term 3

In Term 3, while the learning components remain the same as those in the previous terms, the level of achievement and the sophistication of the work a student is expected to accomplish is significantly greater. Students are expected to apply their knowledge of PHP, MySQL, Ajax, Javascript, JQuery, etc. into the creation of custom data-driven websites for their clients.

The other major milestone for Term 3 is for students to develop their portfolios where, by the end of the term, they will be able to display all of the work they have accomplished together with the three client projects they have completed across the first 3 terms.

• AJAX
• Interface Design and Commercial Web Graphics
• Introduction to 3D
• PHP III
• Project Management III
• Typography
• Video for the Internet
• XML II

Term 4

The goals of Term 4 are to finish and polish, to inspire, and to allow the students' creativity to emerge in more powerful, meaningful, and professional ways. In addition to preparing students for the rigors of a freelance career, Term 4 also prepares the students for the future by assisting them in the conceptualization, planning, marketing and creation of a web application and web-based business.

The final result is to prepare students for the career possibilities or choices they might make upon graduation.

• Portfolio Development
• API's and 3rd Party Apps - Mashups
• Design Concepts III
• Internet Business Development
• CMS - Content Management Systems
• Freelancing
• Promotional Videos
• Advanced Programming