IT - Web Development and Design Specialist AAS

Program Outcomes

  1. Implement a front-end user interface.
    • gather business requirements
    • develop responsive design
    • analyze solutions to meet user requirements and specifications
    • design graphics
    • develop graphics
    • optimize graphics
    • meet accessibility standards
    • display user data
    • display web API data
    • Reflection Statement: What went well in the teamwork for this class was that everyone did their part of the work for the most part. When I have worked in teams previously, I had to do more work than others, or my voice was never heard. This team made me change how I feel about working with groups. Everyone was able to put in their input, I was able to pick which part of the work I wanted to complete, and everyone had their work done on time. I don't feel anything needed improvement. Overall, it was a great team. If someone wasn't able to complete their part, someone else stepped in and got it done. In this class, if someone did not do their part, there are no repercussions except some points off of their grade. That is a personal decision they make. As far as the next team, I guess if someone did not do their part, I would step in and complete it. I will be more open in the next team and try to be more involved in the meetings. I did talk a lot in our team meetings but that was because everyone got along so well and we made a great team. I will miss that. I gained a lot from this class, not only enjoying working with a team, but also the workflow of development. This was just the class I needed. I have always wondered how they come up with the different concepts and plans for how they are going to design and the order in which they do it. I was able to learn all the different parts of the workflow. As I was performing my assignments, I was making notes of the things I would want to use in my personal workflow. I think the class has a great balance of coursework. It covers all of the steps of the design process and lets us go through the whole process. I really learned a lot. I also did a lot of reading and researching when I did my coursework. Also, I liked the fact that I could look at previous classes websites. That definitely helped in all my assignment. I really enjoyed this class and I will use the knowledge I gained to implement my own workflow.
    2. Design/Implemnt/Maint Workflow Class Project: Mystique Nouveau Wine
    Reflection Statement: Before beginning this project, I had never completed a nonporfit website. I completed a lot of research on templates and what other nonporfits were doing. I also looked at the websites of other nonporfits. Since it was a website redesign, I was able to get some inspiration from their current website. I thought it would be best to complete a WordPress website for this project. I used the experience I gained from the Content Management class to create the website. I mainly used the classic WordPress editor to complete the website, so I created many of the major components. I really enjoyed working with this client. They gave me all the pictures and content for all of their pages. I was able to take their website requirements and coded the website to their specific requirements. I was able to use the skills I learned in several of my courses to complete the website through all the phases of the web design process.
    Freelance Internship Project: Friends of Gottfried Prairie & Arboretum
  2. Implement a back-end web application.
    • gather user requirements
    • identify problem statement(s)
    • identify web applications requirements
    • analyze solutions to meet user requirements and specifications
    • validate web application design against user requirements
    • deploy content management system
    • Reflection Statement: Before this class, I did a few technical reports, but nothing like the Ecommerce and Online Marketing Website Project. I learned a whole lot about the web design and development process and especially WooCommerce. It has so many free plugins and tools to use to promote and support your website. I was able to make some templates to use in the future. I will continue to learn and restructure the plan based on my clients' needs. I gained skills in SEO, marketing, traffic building, payment systems, shopping carts, and ethics and taxation. I was able to include all the skills I learned to produce the ecommerce class project website. We used the website from the Design/Implemnt/Maint Workflow class and enhanced it for ecommerce. I wanted to learn as much as I could so I redesigned the entire website. I learned how to use WooCommerce to create a shopping cart and payment system in WordPress. I also learned how to use the WooCommerce plugins to enhance the website by including promotions, a newsletter, wine club, and a feedback form.
    3. E-Commerce-Design/Market Website Class Project: Mystique Nouveau Wine E-Commerce Website
  3. Apply customer experience guidelines.
    • Implement analytics in web application
    • Search engine optimization
    • Incorporate unified brand identity
    • Apply marketing strategies
    • Reflection Statement: Before this class, I made a few business websites. This project was a website redesign for a tech company. They had the same website for the past 20 years. They wanted their website updated to include new services and web pages. I decided to code the website with Bootstrap since it was mainly a static website. Customers can fill out the contact form so I make the form secure using PHP. I decided on the layout and content from looking at similar websites. I used a new unified brand identity and focused on content SEO. This is my favorite internship project because I had full control over the design and I am happy with the results. After the website is moved to its permanent domain, I will incorporate Google analytics. This business does not get clients from internet searches. I am going to see if adding the meta tags and SEO increases their organic web traffic.
    4. Freelance Internship Project: Current Solutions Inc.
  4. Integrate web data technologies.
    • design a data model
    • interpret a data model
    • query data
    • verify query results
    • manipulate data using code
    • identify web API data model
    • Reflection Statement: Before this class, I learned HTML and CSS through some online courses. I knew how to create websites but I never planned how to plan how to design websites. The main skill I gained through taking this class was learning how to use Dreamweaver. I also learned how to construct a privacy policy, how to set up site definitions, how to upload my website to my server account, and how to use all the debugging tools in Dreamweaver. It was interesting learning how to plan how to create a web site. I incorporated all the skills I learned in this class to create the class project website. I used the code to create a form to enter data and send the data to my email. I included a privacy policy to let users know what happens to any of the data they enter on the website. I also used the debugging tools to make sure my website was working properly.
    5. Web Site Design Class Project: Web Design Agency Website
  5. Build web-based software applications.
    • code client-side languages to create web-based applications
    • code server-side languages to create web-based applications
    • debug web-based applications
    • test web-based applications
    • deploy web-based applications
    • demonstrate proficiency using web developer tools
    • implement strategies for developing secure web applications
    • Reflection Statement: The experience I had in this class was very educational. I was able to work on subjects that I was interested in but never got the chance to code. I also was able to work on and learn about some new topics that I did not know about, like PWAs. It was fun to learn about these new topics, especially WebVR. The only difficulties I had was trying to export my code from the software project. I made a web app using Flutter but I did not see how to show it on a website. For this reason, I decided to use Bootstrap Studio as a software project. If I had more time, I would probably try to improve on the projects I have already completed. I would also add more projects to try to reinforce what I have already learned. I made a sample portfolio website to add this website to, along with some of the other classes I had projects in. What I plan to do to expand my learning on the topics covered in this class is to keep building websites, apps, and PWAs. I am always trying to find something to code that is different from what I usually work on. I would like to gain more advanced knowledge of these topics. The plans I have to expand into topics we didn't cover but I would like to, is to try to learn at least one new trend or software a month. I feel that will give me an opportunity to find more topics of interest and increase my skillset. I would also like to try more of the resources that were presented in the discussions. I found some to be very valuable, and some were new to me.
    6. Emerging Web Tech/Trends Class Project: Website Portfolio Project
  6. Develop project documents.
    • create mock ups
    • develop wire frame models
    • implement technical specifications
    • write comments about code
    • Reflection Statement: Coming into this program, I did not know anything about developing project documents. I was mainly creating websites through tutorials. In completing this program, I have learned about how to create all kinds of project documents, from the creative brief, to the invoice. I have learned how to create mockups, develop wireframes, implement technical specifications, and write comments about code. I have also learned about documents like the creative project proposal and scope of work documents, which are very important in the web design process. I have demonstrated the outcome by completing the documentation for all of my clients' websites. I have four internship clients and I have completed a majority of the documents I have learned about in the web development process. I have learned how to use the timeline to organize my time so I can complete the tasks for my projects. I was able to manage all four of my clients without any conflict, and complete all of their tasks on time. This process has helped me prepare for starting my own web development business and being able to create documents for all of my clients.
    7. Design/Implemnt/Maint Workflow Class Project: DevWeb Designs
    Reflection Statement: Before beginning this project, I had never completed a personal website, especially for a personal trainer. I completed research on personal trainers and how they work. I also researched templates to use. This was the only client I completed a Creative Brief for. I used it to figure out her competitive positioning and to see how her brand would be portrayed. I decided to use WordPress for this website because eventually, she wanted to add an ecommerce store where she could sell her own products. I incorporated a booking form so clients could book an appointment right on the site. The website is also going to have a monthly newsletter after she starts getting clients. This project gave me the most issues because I use the classic WordPress editor and it was hard to create some of the components I wanted. For some reason, Elementor did not allow me to make the headers and footers the way I wanted. I was able to figure things out by coding the blocks myself.
    Freelance Internship Project: Fitness Flow