Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE CIS1053

 
TITLE Principles of Web Application Architecture

 
UM LEVEL 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL 5

 
ECTS CREDITS 2

 
DEPARTMENT Computer Information Systems

 
DESCRIPTION This study-unit introduces core web programming principles, including:
- Fundamentals of HTTP (from a web developer’s perspective)
- State and session management
- URLs
- Domain management and hosting
- The Browser
- Debugging and developer tools
- XML, XML Schemas, XHTML and HTML5
- Styling mark-up (XSLT and CSS)
- Scripting (Client and Server side)
- DOM Manipulation
- Web standards

Study-unit Aims:

This unit will provide students with foundational knowledge on various standards, technologies and languages used in web development. Students will also be exposed to the shifts in paradigm required to design and build web systems as opposed to traditional desktop applications. This unit also supports other courses throughout the whole programme.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:
- Explain the principles behind HTTP;
- Explain the interplay between HTML and CSS;
- Explain the main principles behind web hosting and domain management;
- Model data using XML;
- Explain the relevance of scripting languages (both client and server side);
- Explain and demonstrate the Document Object Model (DOM) convention as an interface to objects in mark-up documents.
- Understand the main standards used in web development

2. Skills:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:
- Design and build web pages using cutting edge technologies;
- Purchase and manage domain names;
- Host web-sites and manage DNS records;
- Create dynamic web sites;
- Implement client-side logic using Javascript;
- Analyse and handle page elements using Javascript;
- Model data using XML and XML Schemas.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:
- Duckett, HTML and CSS: Design and Build Websites, Wiley; 1 edition, 2011, ISBN-13: 978-1118008188.
- Freeman, Robson, Head First HTML5 Programming: Building Web Apps with JavaScript, O'Reilly Media, 2011, ISBN-13: 978-1449390549.
- Shklar and Rosen. Web Application Architecture: Principles, Protocols and Practices, Wiley, 2009.
- Gourley, Totty. HTTP: The Definitive Guide, O'Reilly Media, 2002.

 
ADDITIONAL NOTES Students taking this study-unit need to have a technical background.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture and Independent Study

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Assignment Yes 100%

 
LECTURER/S Christopher Porter

 

 
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 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit