INFO 1998: Trends in Modern Web Development
Fall 2024
Course Website: https://webdev.cornelldti.org/docs/introduction
Learn to build and deploy scalable, modern full-stack web applications using best practices and the industry's most-used technologies. This is a student run course by Cornell DTI
Faculty Advisor: Kyle Harms
Email: kyle.harms@cornell.edu
Instructors:
Chris Chen
Email: cc2785@cornell.edu
Simon Illincev
Email: sci24@cornell.edu
We also have four amazing TAs — Oscar Wang (ow39@cornell.edu), Kevin Ram (kmr232@cornell.edu), Hannah Zhou (hyz4@cornell.edu), and Andrew Qian (ajq22@cornell.edu).
Office Hours Schedule
The instructor and TA office hours schedule is as follows:
- Chris Chen: Thursdays 9:30am-10:30am in Phillips Hall 318
- Simon Ilincev: Thursdays 6pm-7pm in Goldwin Smith 348
- Oscar Wang: Saturdays 10am-11am in Upson 146
- Kevin Ram: Mondays 12pm-1pm in Hollister 362
- Hannah Zhou: Wednesdays 12-1pm in Hollister 368
- Andrew Qian: Tuesdays 5pm-6pm in Rhodes 655
Please note that some schedules may be subject to change; always check the latest comments under the pinned OH thread or the course website for the most up-to-date information.
Credits and Credit Hour Options
1.0-credits, S/U
Time and Location
This course meets once a week for 9 weeks for a total of 9 lectures.
We will meet weekly on Wednesdays, from 7:30pm to 8:45pm in Upson 222. The start of the class will start on Wednesday, September 25.
Course Description
This class will teach students about modern web development technologies, practices, and industry standards to better equip them for academic work, research, interviews, internships, and full-time employment. By the end of this course, you will gain key experience in designing systems on both the frontend and backend using today's popularly applied technologies, including TypeScript, React, Firebase, and more.
Pre/Co-requisites
Formally, there are no pre-requisites for this course:
Pre/Corequisites: None.
However, we highly recommend that you have taken CS 1110, or have equivalent programming experience.
Course Application
Apply here by September 24th at Noon (12pm). It includes a general information questionnaire so we have the information necessary for enrollment, as well as a preassessment you must complete (see Pre-Course Assessment below).
We will be distributing enrollment/permission pins soon after the application period closes.
Pre-Course Assessment
Please complete the pre-assessment here. It should take less than an hour! This is not meant as a test, but rather a way of ensuring that you are familiar with the foundational material in the course.
Upload your submissions as a zip to your application here.
This preassessment is mandatory; those who do not submit it will not be admitted in the course.
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, a student will be able to:
- Develop dynamic, interactive web applications using frontend frameworks and server side rendering
- Utilize standard API calls and traditional HTTP requests to transmit and retrieve data through the web
- Design and implement various data models and utilize data manipulation techniques to represent data in web applications
- Implement each aspect of a web application from frontend technologies to backend technologies and how to utilize middleware to communicate between the two
- Develop and implement proper authentication methods to encrypt user data
Course Materials
We highly recommend that you have a computer capable of running a modern web browser and text editor, as well as access to a stable internet connection.
Assignments
Assignments are released after each lecture! There are 5 assignments total, which includes a final project spanning the last few weeks of the class.
You are allowed max 3 slip days (out of 6 total for all assignments and the final project) per an assignment. Please note that you are NOT allowed to use slip days for the final submission of the final project.
The class is scheduled to finish well before finals week.
| Assignment | Topic | Due Date |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment 1 | JavaScript Fundamentals | Oct 2 by 11:59pm |
| Assignment 2 | TypeScript Fundamentals | Oct 9 by 11:59pm |
| Assignment 3 | React Fundamentals | Oct 23 by 11:59pm |
| Assignment 4 | Frontend Capstone | Oct 30 by 11:59pm |
| Assignment 5 | Final Project | Dec 3 by 11:59pm |
More details regarding the final project will be released upon starting the course.
Method of Assessing Student Achievement
Basis of Grade Determination
First, we will determine your numerical grade. This will be done by the following:
| Assignment | Percentage of Grade |
|---|---|
| Attendance | 20% (based on weekly lecture forms, can miss 1 of 9 without penalty) |
| Filling out Feedback | 10% |
| Final Project | 30% |
| Assignments | 40% |
Your final grade will be determined by your numerical grade calculated above:
Satisfactory (S) - 70% or higher
Unsatisfactory (U) - 69% or lower
Keep in mind that the class is S/U, and that a numerical score of a C- (70%) or higher would allow you to pass with an S grade.
Grading Scale
Web Development is a creative process, one that depends heavily on current technologies and how students decide to utilize them towards an end. Because of this, it is unnecessary to assign letter grades to students in this course. Rather, we will assign Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grades. For a student to receive an Unsatisfactory grade, their numerical grade must be at or below 69% according to the numerical determination outlined above. Otherwise, they will receive a Satisfactory grade.
Course Management
For the following sections, the word "us" refers to the course staff.
When in contact with us, contact with either of the two primary instructors (Sarah Young and Sophia Pham) is sufficient to qualify as contact with us.
The contact information can be found above in the "Instructors" section.
Academic Integrity
Each student in this course is expected to abide by the Cornell University Code of Academic Integrity: http://cuinfo.cornell.edu/aic.cfm
Under the provisions of the Code, anyone who gives or receives unauthorized assistance in the preparation of work at home or during tests in class will be subject to disciplinary action. A student's name on any piece of work is our assurance that they have neither given nor received any unauthorized help in its preparation. Students may assist each other on assignments by answering questions and explaining various concepts. However, one student should not allow another student to copy their work directly. All University policies with respect to cheating will be enforced. A student who is found to have cheated on an exam, or any other graded assignment, will receive a "U” in the course.
SDS Accommodations
Students with Disabilities: Your access in this course is important to us! Please request your accommodation letter early in the semester, or as soon as you become registered with Student Disability Services (SDS), so that we have adequate time to arrange your approved academic accommodations.
Once SDS approves your accommodation letter, it will be emailed to both you and us. Please follow up with us to discuss the necessary logistics of your accommodations using the contact information provided in this syllabus. If you are approved for exam accommodations, please consult with us at least two weeks before the scheduled exam date to confirm the testing arrangements.
If you experience any access barriers in this course, such as with printed content, graphics, online materials, or any communication barriers, reach out to us or SDS right away.
If you need immediate accommodation, please speak with us after class or send an email message to us and SDS at sds_cu@cornell.edu.
If you have, or think you may have, a disability, please contact Student Disability Services for a confidential discussion: sds_cu@cornell.edu or visit sds.cornell.edu to learn more.
Mental Health and Well-being
Your health and wellbeing are important to us.
There are services and resources at Cornell designed specifically to bolster undergraduate, graduate, and professional student mental health and well-being. Remember, your mental health and emotional well-being are just as important as your physical health. If you or a friend are struggling emotionally or feeling stressed, fatigued, or burned out, there is a continuum of campus resources available to you: https://mentalhealth.cornell.edu/get-support/support-students.
Help is also available any time day or night through Cornell’s 24/7 phone consultation (607-255-5155). You can also reach out to me, your college student services office, your resident advisor, or Cornell Health for support.