Web Standards in the IS Curriculum

Web standards The goal of this workshop is to explore how development using Web Standards can be incorporated into the IS/IT curriculum. Attendees will learn about and discuss the importance of developing with Web standards. We will also introduce a set of material developed by educators and Web professionals called WaSP Interact. WaSP InterAct is a living, open curriculum based upon web standards and best practices, designed to teach students the skills of the web professional. The WaSP Interact material is a creation of the Web Standards Project, a founding partner of the Open Web Education Alliance of the W3C. Attendees will have the opportunity to investigate this material and discuss how it might be used to complement their IS/IT curriculum. In addition, we will explore how attendees can contribute to the WaSP. Workshop Leader Information (Please attach a copy of your resume in your email submission) Name: Craig A. Piercy Affiliation: Director, Master of Internet Technology Program, University of Georgia Postal Address: Terry College of Business, Athens, GA 30602 Telephone: 706-542-3589 Cell: 706-202-0555 Fax: Email: cpiercy@uga.edu Additional Workshop Presenters (copy for each one) Name: Mark Huber Affiliation: Senior Lecturer Postal Address: Terry College of Business, Athens, GA 30602 Telephone: 706-542-3594 Cell: Fax: Email: mhuber@uga.edu Additional Workshop Presenters Name: WaSP Representative (Jinny Potter, Molly Holzschlag, Aaron Walter...) Affiliation: Web Standards Project Postal Address: Telephone: Cell: Fax: Email: Speakers' background, description of workshop, and envisioned activities during the workshop (please provide information for each speaker) Web standards are a series of guidelines created by the W3C the governing body of the Web. They guide the way that we create web applications and services and help to ensure that the Web continues to be an open communication platform to which all have equal access. In general, standards exist to make things simpler and easier. Web standards are technologies that are free to use, and work the same, regardless of device or platform. Provided you build web applications using web standards and best practices, it will be usable by anyone, regardless of their location, the device they are using, and any disabilities they may have. Standards for HTML, CSS, JavaScript and the other languages that make up the fabric of the Web are critical for its continued growth and success. These standards are also at the heart of most critical IS systems today from Enterprise 2.0, SCM/CRM, ERP and Cloud Computing to BPM. The networked nature of all of these systems requires a robust, standards-based platform. The WaSP InterAct curriculum is a project of the Web Standards Project. The curriculum seeks to ease the challenges schools around the world face as they prepare their students for careers on the Web. WaSP InterAct is a living curriculum designed to change and keep pace with the fast moving industry. Its courses are divided into six learning tracks that provide students with a well rounded foundation in the many facets of the web design craft: Foundations; Front-end Development; Design; User Science; Server-side Development; Professional Practices. Each course in WaSP InterAct is centered around a core set of competencies that learners must master in order to receive a passing grade. All assignments, and exam questions tie back to these competencies so educators and trainers can more easily assess each student's progress. While material from the InterAct curriculum has been used at many levels, the Master of Internet Program at the University of Georgia's Terry College of Business was the first graduate level program to adopt the curriculum. The nature of InterAct is such that one can choose to take a complete course from the curriculum or pick and choose material to mold one's own course. We have found the material to be very complementary to our own curriculum. We have been able to select interesting lessons and activities from various sections of the InterAct curriculum as modules to fit into and enhance our own. An important side benefit has been our partner with the Web Standards Project itself. Through this partnership we have had access to some of the movers and shakers of the Web. The workshop will be presented in four parts: 1. We will present and discuss an overview of Web standards, the WaSP InterAct curriculum on Web standards and our experiences using it in our Master of Internet Technology program. 2. Attendees will be led through a team-based exercise to explore what the WaSP InterAct has to offer then brainstorm and present how elements of the curriculum may be used in their own courses. 3. Attendees will work together to explore ideas about how they can contribute to the project. 4. We will wrap up and summarize the results of the session.