Introduction to Web Development

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/web-development

Introduction

# Course Review: Introduction to Web Development on Coursera In the ever-evolving digital landscape, understanding the fundamentals of web development is essential, whether you're looking to start a new career, enhance your existing skill set, or simply gain a deeper appreciation for the websites we use every day. The "Introduction to Web Development" course on Coursera offers a comprehensive entry point for beginners, crafted to guide you step-by-step through the exciting world of web design and development. ## Course Overview This course is not just for tech-savvy individuals; it's tailored for anyone with an interest in how the web works, regardless of technical background. It demystifies web development, making it accessible and engaging. As an aspiring developer, you’ll delve into the core technologies that power websites: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. By the end of this course, you’ll not only have the skills to create a basic website but also the confidence to explore more advanced concepts in web design. ## Syllabus Breakdown 1. **Course Overview and Website Structure and Hosting** - The course kicks off with foundational concepts about websites and hosting options. You'll learn how to choose a domain name and find a reliable hosting provider. - **Key takeaway**: You'll gain a high-level understanding of internet functionality, which is crucial for anyone looking to develop web applications. 2. **Designing Your Own Website: HTML Basics** - This module introduces HTML, the building block of web pages. You’ll master basic HTML tags, images, tables, and hyperlinks. - **Key takeaway**: By the end, you will be able to create your own static webpage, understanding how different elements work together. 3. **Introduction to Programming Using JavaScript** - Here’s where things start to get dynamic! You'll learn about JavaScript, enabling interaction on your webpages. - **Key takeaway**: You’ll create simple JavaScript programs and understand key programming concepts that apply across multiple languages, which shapes a strong programming foundation. 4. **Websites with Style: CSS Properties, Colors, and Fonts** - This module focuses on CSS, which is essential for making attractive, well-designed websites. You’ll learn about styling properties, layouts, and common design mistakes to avoid. - **Key takeaway**: You’ll emerge with skills to enhance your webpages visually, increasing both aesthetic appeal and user experience. 5. **Creating HTML Forms** - Dive into the practical aspect of web applications with HTML forms, learning how to capture user input effectively. - **Key takeaway**: Understanding form validation and submission enhances interactivity, which is crucial for building functional websites. 6. **Creating Web Applications** - This final module is an exciting culmination of all your newly acquired knowledge. You'll explore client and server-side development while refining your JavaScript skills. - **Key takeaway**: This hands-on approach empowers you to create sophisticated web applications that provide meaningful user interactions. ## Conclusion The "Introduction to Web Development" course on Coursera is an excellent starting point for anyone interested in understanding the intricacies of developing websites and web applications. With its structured syllabus and practical assignments, the course effectively bridges the gap between theory and application. ### Recommendation I highly recommend this course for absolute beginners and even those with some experience in web tech. The course’s approach to teaching complex concepts in a digestible manner, combined with the hands-on projects, makes learning enjoyable and relevant. By the end of the course, you’ll not only possess fundamental web development skills but also the confidence to take your web development journey further. Whether you aspire to become a web developer, launch your own site, or simply wish to understand the web better, this course is an investment in your future. Dive in and start building!

Syllabus

Course Overview and Website Structure and Hosting

This first module provides an overview of how websites function, their structure, and the ins and outs of choosing a website name and selecting an online host to house your website. By the end of this module, you'll be able to: find and select a web hosting company; choose an effective domain name; use the host to manage your websites; and discuss how networks and the internet function at a high level.

In this module, we'll begin to explore how to design and create websites by exploring the base language used to power all websites: HTML. By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to: identify and use common HTML tags; add an image to a webpage; create HTML-formatted tables; use hyperlinks to connect a series of webpages; upload your finished HTML pages to a web host; and, learn some tips and tricks for styling pages and practicing your coding.

Now that you know some basic HTML, it's time to turn our attention to another common scripting language used to make websites dynamic - that is allowing users to interact with your webpages - JavaScript. While learning about JavaScript, you'll also gain some foundational knowledge common to all programming languages. By the end of this module, you'll be able to: discuss what is meant by dynamic content; perform essential programming language tasks; create simple JavaScript programs; use JavaScript to set up alerts and respond to events, to read input, and to change HTML; and conduct basic JavaScript testing.

While HTML and JavaScript are very useful for web development, they don't exactly make websites look attractive - that's where cascading style sheets, or CSS, comes into play. While HTML is used to build the structure of our pages and JavaScript is used to provide interactive functionality, CSS is used to graphically design and layout webpages. By the end of this module, you'll be able to: discuss common mistakes in designing a website; identify and apply CSS basics like purpose and syntax; use CSS properties to control fonts, colors, layouts, and other common properties; differentiate between in-line, internal, and external CSS; and practice and test your cascading style sheets.

In this lesson, we're going to learn to apply all of the skills we've acquired so far to make a very common, and very useful type of webpage - an HTML form. HTML forms are seen everywhere on the internet and are used to capture particular information from users in a variety of ways. By the end of this module you'll be able to: create basic HTML forms; identify and appropriately use different types of HTML input; validate user input; submit HTML forms; and test how your forms are working and troubleshoot errors.

In our final module, we're going to explore the basics of designing web applications - programming useful and dynamic webpages that allow our users to interact with them. By the end of this lesson you'll be able to: distinguish between client and server-side development; apply advanced JavaScript programming skills to create logic with selection and iteration; create new features for applications; create more advanced HTML forms; and practice and learn additional troubleshooting and problem-solving techniques. The module wraps with a final peer review activity that will draw upon all of the skills you've learned in this course.