JOU 3363 Introduction to Web Apps for Communicators is a course specifically for students in the College of Journalism and Communications, in any of our four majors. No prior experience with any kind of coding is expected. We start from zero.
Some of the past students have said this was the hardest course they took at UF. That might be true, but how do you define “hard”? If you mean you will work for hours and hours each week and not always be satisfied with your results, then yes, it is hard. But if you mean the concepts are difficult to grasp, as in physics or economics — then, no, this course is NOT hard!
The concepts and rules of writing web languages — HTML, CSS and JavaScript (not Java; that’s different) — are pretty simple and straightforward. There are rules, and you can easily learn the rules. However, making everything fit together, look good and work well takes time. Code is learned by doing, by trial and error, by writing it and testing it and failing and then trying again.
It takes a lot of time and a lot of effort. It takes attention and dedication. It requires interest and a desire to learn. This is not a course where you sit back and watch and listen. You have to work at it every week.
Labs and lecture
The lecture combines two sections in one room for one period each week. We’ll go over the most-missed questions on the weekly quiz and get tips for doing the week’s assignment. It is not a traditional lecture covering the week’s material — that material is covered in online videos. It is assumed you will watch the videos for the week before the lecture class meeting, so that you can ask questions if needed.
The lab sections are limited to 20 students each. During the lab, you’ll work on the week’s assignment. Near the end of the semester, you’ll give a presentation in lab about your final project.
This course follows a flipped-classroom model, which is why the labs are reserved for working on your assignments — you will read assigned sections in the required textbook and watch video lectures about the material before starting the assignment. If you skip the reading or the videos, you are likely to find the assignment difficult, especially after the first few weeks of the semester.
Intro to Web Apps JOU 3363 