Web Development - Syllabus

Course Overview

This course teaches you how to build and publish content on the World Wide Web using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. You'll learn responsive design, accessibility, and modern development practices. More importantly, you'll publish your work and become someone who actively shapes the web rather than just consuming it.

All of your development work happens in class with teacher support available. You'll have regular homework to prepare you for each class session, but the actual building happens during class time.

Our Essential Question

"Whose web is it?"

Throughout this course, we'll explore who controls, builds, and benefits from the web — and how you can become an active participant in shaping it.

What You'll Learn

Web Foundations

You'll begin your web development journey by setting up your development environment and creating your first web pages. Through the development of a personal landing page and initial article, you'll learn fundamental HTML structure and CSS styling while exploring the societal impact of web technologies. This learning provides the foundation for creating, editing, and publishing websites.

Responsive Design and Accessibility

Building on your foundational knowledge, next you'll learn to create websites that work well across all devices and for all users. You'll convert fixed layouts to responsive designs, implement accessibility features, and develop an understanding of inclusive web development practices. This learning emphasizes the importance of universal design principles and testing across different contexts.

JavaScript and Interactivity

You'll take your first steps into coding for the web by adding interactive features to your article page. Starting with basic DOM manipulation and event handling, you'll progress to implementing practical features like collapsible sections, dynamic content updates, and user interface enhancements. This learning focuses on understanding JavaScript fundamentals through hands-on feature implementation.

Design Thinking and UX

Moving beyond technical implementation, you'll explore the principles of user-centered design by creating a new, marketing-focused web page. Through wire-framing, user testing, and iterative refinement, you'll learn to create more thoughtful and effective web experiences. This learning emphasizes the importance of the design process in web development.

What You'll Build

By the end of this semester, you'll have created and published several web projects:

An Impact Article

You'll start by building a basic impact article using HTML and CSS. The content will be your choice, with an emphasis on making an impact. Then you'll enhance it to work across all devices and be accessible to all users. Finally, you'll add interactive features using JavaScript. Same article, progressively better.

A Landing Page

Using a modern UI framework, you'll create a polished landing page from scratch — applying design principles and professional tools.

Your Build 5 Project

Your final build is entirely your design. You choose the format, topic, and scope — but it must bring together skills from across the whole course in something new. You'll plan it, build it, and publish it.

How This Course is Graded

Your grade is based on two categories:

15%
Homework Quizzes
Best 5 of 9 at 3% each
85%
Builds
5 builds at 17% each

Homework Quizzes (15%)

Homework is posted in the Classwork tab in Google Classroom at the start of each week. It contains all of the homework for the entire week, and features things like reading, watching, and trying out tools that will be helpful for your development work.

  • When: Quizzes for the previous week's homework will be given at start of the first class each week, followed by a discussion
  • Format: Multiple-choice questions on paper
  • Grading: Best 5 of 9 count — your four lowest scores are automatically dropped
  • Purpose: Verify you've done the homework and are prepared for class discussion

No makeup quizzes. If you miss a quiz, it's automatically one of your dropped scores. Excused absences (illness, school trips, etc.) won't hurt you — that's what the drop policy is for.

Builds (85%)

You'll complete five builds throughout the semester, each worth 17% of your final grade:

  • Build 1: Impact Article — HTML & CSS
  • Build 2: Impact Article — Responsive & Accessible
  • Build 3: Impact Article — JavaScript Interactivity
  • Build 4: UI Framework Landing Page
  • Build 5: Student choice — a new project that synthesizes skills from across the course

Builds 1–3 all work on the same article, progressively enhanced. Build 4 is a fresh project. Build 5 is entirely your design.

Each build is assessed on three components:

Component Weight How it's assessed
Technical Execution 40% Checklist — did you meet the technical requirements?
Development Process 40% Rubric — how did you engage with the work?
Reflection 20% Rubric — what did you learn and how do you know?

A student who completes all technical requirements and meets the standard on every rubric criterion earns a 91% on that build.

Technical Execution (40%)

Each build has a specific list of technical requirements posted in Google Classroom. These are checked yes or no — you either met the requirement or you didn't. Your score is the percentage of requirements you met.

Development Process (40%)

Development Process is assessed using a rubric applied across the build period. Your teacher observes your work over time and assigns a rating for each criterion.

Scoring scale:

Rating Value
Missing / Unacceptable 0
Needs Work 2.2
Meets Standard 2.55
Exceeds Standard 3.0

Meets Standard on all criteria = 85% of this component. Any rating below Meets Standard will be discussed with you in person.

Uses class work time productively — stays on task, makes consistent progress across sessions.

  • Needs Work: Frequently off-task or unproductive during work time; progress is inconsistent or concentrated near deadlines.
  • Meets Standard: Uses class time to make steady progress; stays engaged and on-task across sessions.
  • Exceeds Standard: Arrives with a clear sense of what you're working on; uses time without needing redirection; makes visible progress each session. May tackle harder problems or set personal stretch goals without prompting.

Works through challenges with persistence — seeks help when genuinely stuck rather than stopping.

  • Needs Work: Gives up when something doesn't work, or asks for help immediately without attempting to troubleshoot first.
  • Meets Standard: Makes genuine attempts to work through problems before asking; doesn't stop when stuck.
  • Exceeds Standard: Approaches obstacles methodically — tries multiple strategies, can articulate what you've already attempted when asking for help. Treats problems as part of the process rather than interruptions to it.

Makes regular commits with meaningful messages — messages describe what was changed or added.

  • Needs Work: Commits infrequently (only at end of class or right before submission), or messages are vague ("update," "changes," "fixed stuff").
  • Meets Standard: Commits at meaningful checkpoints; messages describe what specifically was changed or added.
  • Exceeds Standard: Commits are frequent and thoughtfully timed; messages are clear enough that someone could reconstruct the build process from the history alone. Uses version control deliberately, not just to comply.

Uses comments in code to explain structure and decisions

HTML/CSS comments for Builds 1–2; JavaScript comments added from Build 3 onward.

  • Needs Work: Comments are absent, minimal, or just restate what the code does without adding meaning.
  • Meets Standard: Comments explain structure and reasoning — a reader could understand what you were thinking, not just what the code does.
  • Exceeds Standard: Comments are genuinely useful to a future reader — explains non-obvious choices, flags areas of uncertainty or intended future work. Demonstrates thinking about code as something to be read, not just executed.

Peer review feedback is specific, constructive, and actionable

  • Needs Work: Feedback is vague ("looks good," "nice work") or purely critical without suggestions — doesn't give the recipient anything to act on.
  • Meets Standard: Feedback identifies concrete areas for improvement and is delivered constructively.
  • Exceeds Standard: Identifies something non-obvious; frames suggestions in terms of the reader's or user's experience; asks genuine questions about the work rather than just evaluating it.

Participates actively in class discussions, shares discoveries during work time, and helps classmates when able

  • Needs Work: Disengaged during discussions or work time; doesn't share or contribute when opportunities arise.
  • Meets Standard: Participates in class discussions; shares relevant discoveries with classmates; helps when asked and when able.
  • Exceeds Standard: Contributes meaningfully to discussions — goes beyond surface responses to push thinking forward; proactively shares something useful without being asked; notices when a classmate is stuck and offers help before being asked.

Pursues technical initiative — explores ideas beyond the minimum requirements

  • Needs Work: Met only some requirements; took the most minimal path with little evidence of curiosity or exploration.
  • Meets Standard: Met all requirements and made at least one meaningful choice to go further — tried something not required, explored a new technique, or added something beyond the baseline.
  • Exceeds Standard: Demonstrated genuine technical ambition — significant additions, sophisticated implementation, or creative risk-taking that shows you were building for a purpose beyond the checklist.

Reflection (20%)

After each build, you'll have a short AI-facilitated conversation about your work. You submit the transcript to Google Classroom. The same scoring scale applies as Development Process — Meets Standard on all criteria = 85% of this component.

Describes specifically what you built and the choices you made — not just what, but why.

  • Needs Work: Describes what you built in general terms without explaining choices. Stays at the surface ("I added a header and three sections and styled them").
  • Meets Standard: Explains specific choices and the reasoning behind them — addresses both what and why for the key decisions in your build.
  • Exceeds Standard: Connects choices to a coherent vision or to your reader's experience; notices tensions or trade-offs in your decisions; demonstrates you were thinking about purpose, not just executing tasks.

Honestly identifies challenges you encountered and how you worked through them

  • Needs Work: Downplays or skips over challenges; describes the build as going smoothly without engaging with real difficulties.
  • Meets Standard: Honestly names specific challenges and describes how you responded to them.
  • Exceeds Standard: Goes beyond naming challenges to reflecting on why something was hard for you specifically — demonstrates insight into your own learning, not just a narrative of what happened.

Reflects on feedback received and how it did (or didn't) influence your final work

  • Needs Work: Doesn't engage with feedback, or only acknowledges it without explaining any effect on your work.
  • Meets Standard: Describes specific feedback you received and explains how it did or didn't shape what you did next.
  • Exceeds Standard: Engages critically — explains why you agreed or disagreed, what you took and what you left and why. Shows judgment rather than just compliance or dismissal.

Identifies something you'd do differently or want to improve in the next build

  • Needs Work: Can't identify anything to improve, or offers only generic answers ("I'd start earlier," "I'd manage my time better").
  • Meets Standard: Identifies something specific you'd change, with a clear connection to what actually happened in this build.
  • Exceeds Standard: Has a theory for how you'd approach it differently — connects what could be better to a specific change in strategy, not just attitude.

Course Policies and Expectations

In this class, students are expected to:

  • Be ready and able to apply their best effort to each day's work

  • Check and respond to Google Classroom assignments and class-related emails (see Communication below)

  • Listen to the teacher and follow directions

  • Contribute to a positive classroom environment

  • Be productive and respectful collaborators

  • Be kind and show respect (see Respect and Kindness below)

Excused absences, late arrivals, and early dismissals require adherence to Family Handbook policy. Unexcused absences, late arrivals, or early dismissals will result in consequences based upon the circumstances of each instance and the frequency at which they occur.

Most class communication is facilitated via Google Classroom, including announcements, assignments, and required class materials. Students will be asked to enroll during class and/or via email invitations. Note that all assignments and materials are on the Classwork tab, and don't appear in the announcement Stream tab.

Class communication also includes direct email from teacher to student. You are expected to check your Watkinson email between class meetings.

It's vital that everyone feels safe to be themselves and that their personal space and possessions are treated with respect. To create this environment, please:

  • Respect the personal space and possessions of others

  • Assume good intentions—misunderstandings happen and are rarely intentional

  • If you disagree with someone, find ways to maintain respect

Builds 1–4: AI coding assistance is not permitted except for troubleshooting with the teacher present.

  • These builds assess whether you have learned the fundamentals

Build 5: AI coding assistance is available as a tool.

  • You must document your AI usage in your methodology

  • This documentation is part of your Build 5 Technical Execution requirements

Phones: Phone use should be minimal and is only appropriate when it directly supports classwork in a way that cannot be accomplished on your laptop or computer lab machine. Phones should not be used for social communication during class except in special circumstances (being picked up, coordination with family, etc.) with teacher permission.

If a parent or guardian needs to reach you during class, they should call the main office at (860) 236-5618, and the office will route the call to the classroom.

Headphones: Students may use headphones during work time when appropriate. Use them responsibly to support your work, not distract from it.

Laptops/Computers: Use of computers is central to this class, but there may be times when you're asked to close devices and focus on discussion or other activities.

No food or drink should be consumed in class without teacher approval. However, closed-top beverage bottles and food stored inside personal items for later consumption are allowed. No open-top beverages are allowed next to devices due to the risk of spills and damage.

Students who need to use the restroom or step away from class for a moment (for example, to get a drink) should always notify the teacher before leaving the room.

It's OK to do things that help you learn as long as they don't distract you or others. For example, some students like to stand or think best when they're moving. Just check with your teacher first to find the best way to set things up. Understand that not all requests can be fulfilled, though we'll always do our best.

If at any time you're not in a good place to learn (for example, feeling unwell, too tired, or upset), please tell your teacher. We all have bad days!

Teacher Information

Your teacher for this course is Tom Gromak, the Academic Technology Coordinator at Watkinson School.

He can be reached by phone at (860) 236-5618 x169 or via email as provided in the faculty directory.

Schedule a Meeting

For our complete class schedule, including module dates, build due dates, and special schedule notes (Senior Mentorships, Spring Break, Senior Exhibitions), see the Schedule page.