After conversing and selecting suitable material, students design the pages. Finally, they give a professional team presentation to clients, outlining the Web site's goals and how they were met. Here, they return to clients for approval, negotiate the subtle differences of opinion and adjust the pages according to clients' needs. In addition to serving the public through application of their knowledge and skills, students learn additional, valuable lessons, Argo says. Their analytical skills are sharpened because they are presented with real problems that they have to work out themselves.
Students say they enjoy creating sites, despite the difficulty.
Everything was a hands-on experience. From working with our clients to learning HTML, we were constantly learning by doing. Ashley E. Connell, new-media specialist for the college whose job was created as part of the new cooperative project, says acquiring these skills is one of the most important aspects of the program. And use of the Internet and World Wide Web is predicted to increase steadily, ensuring a continued positive outlook for these prospective experts in management of information. Every quarter, the class has a career day to which clients and Grady College alumni are invited to discuss Web development with students and help them identify job prospects.