UB University of Baltimore
Merrick School of Business


INSS 401 - Internet and Business

Mondays 5:30 - 8:00 PM
and 2 1/2 hours on the Web

Professor Al Bento

office BC 473 v-mail 837-5272
e-mail abento@ubalt.edu URL http://home.ubalt.edu/abento

Office hours: Mondays 3:30 - 5:30 PM

[assignments][project][outline][Forum]

COURSE OBJECTIVES

The objective of this course is the study of the Internet and its importance for business, through hands-on experience of the main Internet services and applications, emphasizing the World Wide Web (Web). How to use the Internet for communications (e-mail, mailing lists and newsgroups). How to search for free information, files and programs (Web, telnet, archie, and ftp). Uses of the Internet for business and Electronic Commerce. Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) concepts and tools, including graphical and text-oriented editors. Business graphics, audio and video content in Web pages. Analysis, design, implementation and maintenance of simple business sites using hypermedia and the Web. Introduction to Web pages dynamic content using dynamic HTML, JavaScript and CGI.

When you complete this course you will have:

  1. your resume on-line (home page), using graphics and your picture.
  2. the experience of modifying or creating a simple business and/or educational site on the Web. Previous students got jobs, and even opened a business to develop pages for business.
  3. learned how companies are providing on-line customer support in a world-wide basis using this new media.
  4. the ability to use the Net for gathering information for papers in other courses, business reports, etc.
  5. the ability to use the Net to obtain files, drivers, etc, from Microsoft, WordPerfect, Lotus, and many others, and keep informed of their new products, services, etc.

Each class meeting will discuss the main components and tools of the Internet and their applications for Business.

CLASS MATERIALS

Class handouts will be available on the Web at the following address of the course syllabus:

The course syllabus is linked to the class materials. You can see and print the class materials at the Lab and from your office or home (an Internet provider costs between $10-20 per month), using a Web browser.

Note: To print properly this syllabus set top and bottom margins to 1" in your browser.

ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING

Assignments (6) 60%
Project (client's page) 40%

Assignments

All assignments are to be done individually, and either will be submitted by e-mail, or posted on the Web.

  1. ftp to HOME Web Server
  2. individual home page including your picture, links and background color)
  3. new page with favorite sites using table formatting
  4. page with simple imagemap with a link to home page
  5. page with frames and an imagemap in the left frame
  6. Simple form using FormMail

Project

The maintenance or development of a home page (presentation) for an organization, in groups of two to three students. I will provide a list of potential clients for you to select from. You will have the opportunity to develop a page for your own organization, or another organization of your choice, if it is a small-size or public/not-for-profit organization. See the criteria I will use to evalute projects. This is the Summer and the pace is hectic. If you want to select a site by yourself start looking for it as soon as possible.

Project milestones:

  1. List of potential clients distributed (printed format) -- 06/28
  2. Contract with clients due -- 07/07
  3. Client's draft pages due -- 07/15
  4. My e-mail with recommendations on the drafts -- 07/17
  5. Presentations -- 07/19
  6. Client pages due in diskette and printed format -- 07/19

TEXTBOOK AND REFERENCES

Required:

Sybex. HTML Complete, Sybex, 3rd edition, 2003.ISBN: 0-7821-4209-5

Recommended:

David Plotkin, How to do Everything with Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003, McGraw Hill Osborne, 2003, ISBN: 0-07-222973-X

Michael Meadhra, How to do Everything with Dreamweaver 2004,McGraw Hill Osborne, 2004, ISBN:0-07-223015-0

Web references:

Too many to list here. See my list of Web sites for a summary, at the following URLs:


OUTLINE
Day 5:30 - 8:00 2 1/2 hours on the Web Assignments
06/07 Course and Internet overview (references:1, 2) Telnet and FTP -- Windows (HOME). [5] Web introduction, browsing. E-mail Group formation. Forum: information and introduction.
1.ftp to HOME Web Server
06/14 Essential HTML: your home page [1-4] Using Homesite, Netscape Composer and Word as HTML editors The uses of Internet for business. The MIDIA-C framework. Images, sounds and background colors. [10,15] 2. new or updated individual home page including photo, links and background color
06/21 The design of home pages.HTML: lists, tables and style sheets. Using tables for page formatting [7,11,12,16]] HTML: imagemaps[10] Marketing uses. More in tables and page formatting 3. new page with favorite sites using table formatting
4. page with simple imagemap with link to home page.
06/28 HTML: Frames [8], More on frames, and scripting and frames [9].Forms and CGIs and FormMail [17].
List of potential clients posted.		 Customer service, Cost control and Information dissemination. FrontPage {Plotkin:1-4}
Group work: selecting clients.		 5. page with frames and an imagemap in the left frame.
6. Page with simple form using FormMail.
07/12 Dreamweaver {Meadhra:1-6} and JavaScript More in JavaScript and group work on clients' home page. Contract with clients due July 7
Client's draft pages due July 15
07/19 Electronic commerce and security. Project Presentations. Group work on clients' home page after presentations Final documentation due.

Note: The numbers in brackets indicate the chapters in the Textbook, e.g. [2] means chapter 2. Curly brackets { } indicate chapters in the recommended books by Plotkin and Meadhra.

This page is maintained by Al Bento who can be reached at abento@ubalt.edu. This page was last updated on June 5, 2004. Although we will attempt to keep this information accurate, we can not guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.