This course shows students how to use Visual Basic .NET to create web applications Most especially, students learns how to create web apps that access a database in SQL Server. The main goal of the course is to reach the point of creating a basic e-commerce application.
This is an elective course for CIS majors. The course is also open to non-majors with sufficient background. It is intended to provide students with the ability to create simple e-commerce applications that are implemented using Visual Basic .NET. In the process of doing this, students will learn a fair amount of Visual Basic .NET as well as the basics of databases in SQL Server.
CS 205 is listed here so that students will have some knowledge of web pages, HTML tags, and object-oriented programming. Students who have this background but do not have CS 205 can most likely take this course and should consult the instructor for permission to do so. No prior knowledge of Visual Basic .NET itself is actually needed as a prerequisite for this course.
The text is a Visual Basic .NET text and is not specific to web app development. It will be used to provide a good background in VB .NET. It has one chapter of helpful database background and one chapter on developing web applications. The instructor will supplement the text with additional examples and material, especially on the creation of web apps with VB .NET.
These goals will be assessed through in-class activities, quizzes, and homework assignments. The homework assignments will generally involve programming and application development using VB .NET. Informal discussions with students provide additional feedback.
Lecture, class activities, and class discusson are used to assist students in mastering the course material. Homework assignments (including programming projects) and various hands-on activities are designed to allow students to grow in their understanding of the topic.
Homework assignments will be collected and graded. Homework assignments will generally be programming assignments. The larger assignments will be called projects and will be weighted at least twice that of a normal homework assignment. (Ask the instructor for the weight on each project if it is not given in the directions for the assignment.) The lowest two grades in the quiz category will be dropped at the end of the semester. This is intended to cover absences due to minor illnesses and the like; it is not intended to indicate that one should skip two classes! Letter grades will be assigned according to the scheme found in the current College Bulletin. Quizzes will be open book, open notes in nature unless otherwise specified. Cell phones and pagers should be turned off and put away during quizzes.
Attendance is expected. Normal attendance for a course is to miss a total of at most 1 week's worth of classes during the semester. Student performance is bound to deteriorate when classes are missed. In order to emphasize the importance of attendance, the policies outlined below will be used. Do your best to improve your grade: attend class, do the homework, ask questions, and try to answer questions in class! If you begin to feel lost, consult a tutor, see the instructor, or work through the difficulties with the help of another student in the course. Do not get behind as it is difficult to learn a large amount of technical material at the last minute!
Be sure to read and follow the CIS Department Policies statement, available under the CIS Department Web Page. (This statement covers especially the proper use of departmental computing facilities, overall course policies, policies concerning web pages, etc.) In addition, read the Regulations section of the College Bulletin (which covers such things as grading, academic honesty, etc.) and the Student Handbook.
Students with documented disabilities should meet with the college's disability counselor and the course instructor at the beginning of the semester to find reasonable accommodations.