| CODE | LAS3009 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Web Development Foundations: A Pragmatic Approach | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | H - Higher Level | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Centre for the Liberal Arts and Sciences | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The web has become deeply integrated in our everyday life. The advent of web and mobile technology has pushed users to demand fluid user experiences with a native-like feel. JavaScript once relegated to minor visual changes on web pages has been promoted to the language of choice in providing rich responsive interactive applications. This Unit provides a pragmatic approach to essential front-end web technologies, including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, focusing on building functional and attractive web pages. The course includes an introduction to Node.js, offering a glimpse into server-side programming and how to apply the latest frameworks in order to implement real world applications. Emphasis will be made on differentiating which technologies and architectures to use in various scenarios. The Unit will aim to cover these subjects: - Introduce students to the fundamental principles and practices of front-end web development. - Core principles that drive a Build First approach and the different processes and flows that can be setup. - Build systems such as Grunt and Gulp and how to use these systems to compose build flows. - Modularization of JavaScript in large-scale applications. - REST API Design. - MVC/MVVM architectures and frameworks in a web context. - Testing code in order to ensure code quality and learn about continuous integration. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the Unit the student will be able to: - List the benefits of a build first approach. - Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of front-end web technologies and their role in creating web apps. - - Identify the main difference between the various frameworks and learn how to pick a framework to address a particular problem. - Explain the importance of a continuous integration system. - Explain the fundamentals of responsive web design and how it enhances user experience across different devices. 2. Skills: By the end of the Unit the student will be able to: - Create solid restful APIs. - Create a build system and learn how to compose the relevant build flows. - Properly modularize code. - Employ Node.js for back-end tasks, illustrating an understanding of full-stack development concepts. - Integrate and manipulate third-party APIs within web applications. - Create tests to ensure code quality. Main Text/s and any Supplementary Readings: The course pedagogy involves practical study units and most of the background required to understand the module will be provided during the lectures. We recommend that these publications supplement the material taught during lectures. - HTML and CSS: Design and Build Websites. Jon Ducket; https://www.amazon.co.uk/Web-Design-HTML-JavaScript-jQuery/dp/1118907442 - Learning JavaScript Design Patterns - Addy Osmani; http://addyosmani.com/resources/essentialjsdesignpatterns/book/ - JavaScript: The Good Parts – Douglas Crockford; http://www.amazon.com/JavaScript-Good-Parts-Douglas-Crockford/dp/0596517742 - JavaScript Patterns – Stoyan Stefanov; http://www.amazon.com/JavaScript-Patterns-Stoyan-Stefanov/dp/0596806752/ - JavaScript Application Design: A Build First Approach – Nicolas Bevacqua; http://www.manning.com/bevacqua/ |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-requisite knowledge, skills and competences: - Basic knowledge of JavaScript - Basic understanding of HTML |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Practical | ||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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