Syllabus

Web Application Development

MIS2402 – Section 004

Fall 2025

Instructor:

Lauren Kerner (lauren.kerner@temple.edu)

Physical Office: 209C Speakman Hall

Office Hours:

Tuesdays 3:30-4:30pm, Wednesdays 2:30-3:30pm, Thursdays 11am-12pm
Other times by appointment
Email: lauren.kerner@temple.edu (Please be specific in your email communication with me, kindly include your name, course, and section for a faster reply)

Class Locations and Time:

Section 004: 4-5:20pm, Monday and Wednesday, In Person, Speakman Lab 12
Section 004 on the web: https://community.mis.temple.edu/mis2402sec004fall2025

Prerequisites:

Either MIS2101 or MIS2901 are prerequisites. Students must also take MIS2502 in the same or prior semester. Prior programming and/or web development experience is advantageous but not required.

Course Description:

The ability to program in any language is a great asset to any person working in IT, regardless of his/her chosen area of expertise. Likewise, the Internet is a pervasive element in all IT solutions. An understanding of the underlying protocols of the Internet and how web applications work is advantageous to any IT professional.

This hands-on programming course uses open-source software to provide students with an understanding of programming fundamentals. This class is designed to develop individual proficiency and reward individual achievement as students develop the skills necessary to create solutions that interact with web APIs.

To develop a web application, the student must develop competency in multiple technologies and ultimately use them in combination to create a whole solution. This class is structured so that individual technologies are introduced and then combined to create increasingly more sophisticated results.

Generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT) do not promote the deliberate, step-by-step thinking that this course aims to nurture. Consequently, this course is structured to create an AI-free learning environment. While this environment may not reflect the modern workplace, it is a necessarily contrivance to make learning possible.

Course Objectives:

Learn and apply the basic principles common to all programming languages (e.g., variables, algebraic expressions, logical expressions, if/else statements, loops, functions, arrays, and objects) using JavaScript.
Develop the logical thinking skills necessary to break down tasks into component steps and express those steps in code.
Be able to use debugging tools to identify problems with the code.
Learn the basic structure and syntax of HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript. Be able to use and combine these languages to present a complete solution.
Get an understanding of client/server interactions.
Be able to use Web APIs and related protocols to send and retrieve data.
Observe and learn the basic syntax of the HTTP protocol necessary to send and retrieve data from an API.
Explain the concept of Single Page Architecture. Use simple jQuery commands to implement a simple Single Page Architecture.
Be able to handle and validate user input via HTML forms.
Learn how to use tools (i.e., libraries/frameworks) that can speed and simplify application development (e.g., Bootstrap and jQuery).
Demonstrate the ability to get data from multiple third-party APIs and use it in the Web Application.

How This Course Will Be Taught:

This is a traditional, in-person class. We meet synchronously twice each week.

At the discretion of the instructor, some or all class meetings may be declared as “Workstation Only Days”. In these meetings, students should only use the computer workstations in the classroom. Students should not be using laptops, phones, or other devices to do class work on these days.

MIS Department Instructional Practices:

MIS faculty intentionally nurture student behaviors that promote critical thinking, curiosity, and perseverance. In this class, this means:

Ask good questions in class
Independently experiment to discover answers
Break large tasks down into smaller tasks
Don’t be satisfied with “magical” solutions
When your code doesn’t work, step back, think, and try again.
Turn in your work on time.
Code a little each day. Not all at once before a due date.

Textbook and Materials:

Textbook

None

Style Guide

The instructor will provide a style guide that outlines what elements of the JavaScript language should be taught and used in this course. The style guide will also explicitly identify language elements (features, methods, techniques) that are not to be used.

The intention of the style guide is to establish clear expectations between the student and the instructor, and to nurture clear, step-by-step thinking. Clear, step-by-step thinking helps the student to adapt to programming languages other than JavaScript in the future. An over-reliance on shortcuts specific to the JavaScript language does not nurture this learning.

Software

Windows PC users will be expected to install the Bitvise SSH client.

The Bitvise SSH client can be found here: htt p s://www.bitvise.com/ssh-client

Mac users may use the terminal software built into the Mac OS.

Additional Software

Later in the semester, students will need to download and install Visual Studio Code. This free software runs on both Mac and PC platforms.

Visual Studio Code can be found here: htt p s://code.visualstudio.com/Download

Evaluation and Grading:

Graded Items

Item	Percentage
Attendance	10%
In Class Activities	10%
Assignments	10%
Quizzes (10)	30%
Final (Hands-On) Exam	30%
Project	10%

Letter Grade Scale

94 – 100	A	73 – 76	C
90 – 93	A-	70 – 72	C-
87 – 89	B+	67 – 69	D+
83 – 86	B	63 – 66	D
80 – 82	B-	60 – 62	D-
77 – 79	C+	Below 60	F

IMPORTANT NOTE: Students who fail to earn the required MIS PRO points will receive an “Incomplete” for this course regardless of performance on exams or class participation! See the MIS Department PRO Points Requirement section of this document for details.

Grades are always communicated to the student as a percentage – i.e. on a scale of 0 to 100.

Once a grade is communicated electronically students have a 1-week window of time in which they may approach the instructor during office hours and question the grade received. Grade adjustments will not be considered after this window has closed. Of course, during the last week of the semester, study days, and finals week, the 1-week window may shorten.

Grade adjustments will not be considered 48 hours after the last day of final exams.

Exams and Quizzes:

The dates of the quizzes and exams are documented in the class schedule. There will be no impromptu (‘pop’) quizzes or exams.

Students will be given instructor-provided notes for exams and/or quizzes.

There is only one exam. It is administered during finals week. Students are required to take 10 quizzes. Exams and quizzes are Hands-On assessments of competency.

These Hands-On assessments are technical exercises completed in a fixed amount of time. Whenever possible, these are conducted in class, and students must use a workstation in the classroom to complete the exam. No other electronic device is to be used for the exams.

Quizzes

Quizzes in this class have a non-traditional format, they will be “Hand-On” quizzes. The Hands-On quizzes are designed to evaluate a student’s ability to apply concepts learned in the class. They are also intended to help students prepare for the final exam.

Students are allotted an entire class period to take a Hands-On quiz. Students are encouraged to think of the Hands-On quizzes as low-stakes practice opportunities for the final exam.

The final exam will be similar in nature to the Hands-On quizzes. The final exam accounts for a greater percentage of the student’s grade.

Students will be given instructor-provided notes for use on Hands-On exams and/or quizzes.

There are 10 quizzes in the semester, and a student’s lowest quiz grade will be dropped.

What happens if you miss a quiz?

Make-up quizzes will not be given. Your instructor will drop the lowest quiz grade for each student end of the semester. This is done deliberately to allow students to completely miss a quiz, and consequently get a grade of zero, without penalty.

Students who miss a quiz for any reason will be expected to take advantage of this policy.

Any student who will be absent for multiple quizzes due to hospitalization or some other extreme circumstance should discuss their situation with the instructor.

If an exception is made, students may find the content of the make-up quiz to be more difficult than the original. It is, therefore, to the students’ advantage to show up for the exam at the scheduled time and take it with the rest of the class.

Assignments:

Throughout the semester assignments will be provided to compliment instruction. These assignments will be graded. There are 10 graded assignments provided in the semester. Unless otherwise stated by the instructor, students are expected to complete each assignment independently, and without the assistance of A.I. resources, or other aids.

Assignments typically conclude with instructions to “find the corresponding canvas assignment and provide the URL to your work”. You must provide your work as directed by the instructor to receive credit for it.

Work submitted any other way (e.g. email) will not be graded.

Assignment solutions will not be provided by the instructor. Students who struggle with a particular assignment are encouraged to seek assistance from the ITA, and the instructor. This is advisable even in cases where assignment the due date has passed.

Assignments that use code (syntax, techniques, etc.) explicitly forbidden by the style guide will automatically receive a grade of zero. Students are expected to construct their own solutions using the programming features and elements provided in the style guide.

Late Assignment Policy

All assignments are graded on a 100 point scale. If an assignment is turned in on or before its due date, it is on time. Assignments turned in later are automatically assigned a 20 point penalty, no matter what the reason. Assignments may not be turned in more than three days late. These assignments get a grade of zero.

For the assignment to be considered “on time,” you must attach all necessary files specified in the assignment instructions by the due date. If additional/revised/corrected documents are received after the due date, then the 20-point penalty will be applied to the assignment.

All assignments are required. No assignment grades will be dropped.

In Class Activities:

In Class Activities (ICAs) are opportunities for students to try new concepts as they are presented in class. They are evaluated on the basis of completion and will be awarded a score on a scale of 0 to 100 points.

As the name ICA implies, students are expected (and encouraged) to complete the ICAs in class. Students are permitted to turn in their ICAs after class ends, but no later than 11:59 pm on the day of the class.

ICAs are graded on a 100 point scale. If an ICA is turned in on or before its due date it is on time. ICAs turned in later are automatically assigned a 20 point penalty, no matter what the reason. ICAs may not be turned in more than three days late. These ICAs get a grade of zero.

ICAs that use code (syntax, techniques, etc.) explicitly forbidden by the style guide will automatically receive a grade of zero. Students are expected to construct their own solutions using the programming features and elements provided in the style guide.

ICA completion and class attendance are typically interrelated. Students who are not present in class will find the ICAs difficult to complete.

At the end of the semester, the instructor will drop the lowest two ICA grades for each student.

Attendance and Participation:

Attendance and participation are essential.

Attendance will be tracked and account for a portion of the student’s grade.

If a student does miss class, it is the student’s responsibility to catch up on any related material. While every student is encouraged to use office hours to gain a better understanding of class material, office hours are NOT for helping students catch up on material they missed because they were absent.

ICA completion and class attendance are typically interrelated. Students who are not present in class will find the ICAs difficult to complete. Consequently, students may miss / skip two classes without penalty. Your lowest two attendance grades will be dropped. Please note that this applies to “excused” and “unexcused” absences. There is no distinction between “excused” and “unexcused” for the purposes of your attendance grade.

Academic Integrity

The MIS Department has a zero-tolerance policy for any type of academic dishonesty in the classroom.

Academic dishonesty refers to any form of cheating, plagiarism, or other unethical practices in academic settings. This includes, but is not limited to, the following:

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the use, by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgment. It also includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling or distribution of term papers or other academic materials.
Cheating includes, but is not limited to: (1) use of any unauthorized assistance in taking quizzes, tests, or examinations; (2) use of sources beyond those authorized by the instructor in writing papers, preparing reports, solving problems, or carrying out other assignments; (3) the acquisition, without permission, of tests or other academic material belonging to a member of the university faculty or staff; (4) engaging in any behavior specifically prohibited by a faculty member in the course syllabus, assignment, or class discussion; (5) or otherwise engaging in behavior that gives the Student an unfair academic advantage including, but not limited to, fabrication of data or sources, resubmitting work already submitted for another academic requirement without prior authorization, or other similar behavior.
Facilitating, procuring, or encouraging another person to engage in plagiarism or cheating.

To be clear, the following are unacceptable:

Copying material directly from the Internet (or another source) without a proper citation crediting the author.
Posting material to the Internet so that it can be used by other students who are violating this academic integrity policy (i.e. posting exam material or assignment material to Course Hero).
Turning in an assignment from a previous semester as if it were your own and created during the current semester.
Having someone else complete your assignment and submitting it as if it were your own.
Fraudulently updating the attendance record.
Use of assignments completed in one class as any part of a project assigned in another class.
Sharing/copying any graded assignment.
Use of any unauthorized information during an examination.

Any attempt to deliberately interfere with the technology used in this class (e.g. the class servers), or to electronically impersonate a student other than yourself, or to knowingly share your credentials with another student.

In cases of cheating where multiple parties are involved, all parties will be held equally responsible. Under this zero-tolerance policy, any student found violating the academic integrity policy will immediately receive a final grade of “F” for the course and a formal complaint will immediately be filed with Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards. This incident will be listed on your permanent academic record. As part of my formal complaint, I will petition to have you expelled from the university. I will not discuss the penalty for violating this policy; I will simply direct you to this paragraph in the class syllabus.

** As outlined in the university’s Withdrawal from Classes policy (policy no. 02.10.14), once a student has been informed that academic misconduct is suspected, the student may not drop or withdraw from the course during the investigation and adjudication process except where the drop or withdrawal is approved for exceptional circumstances. Details about The Department of Student Conduct, and related policies and procedures, can be found here: https://studentconduct.temple.edu/

A Necessary Constraint

As previously stated in this document, students are expected to compose their own solutions to class problems without the aid of AI and/or copying the work of others. Consequently, students are constrained in where and how they write code. Students are to compose their work using the nano editor found on misdemo.temple.edu (and will receive guidance in doing so.)

Students found to be copy/pasting code into files on the class server will be presumed to be cheating and will face consequences that range from receiving a zero on the activity/assignment to the more serious consequences outlined in the previous “Academic Integrity” portion of this document.

Unless otherwise directed by your instructor: 1) Type your code in nano and nowhere else; 2) Do not copy / paste code into nano; 3) Do not use AI to write your code 4) Do not copy the work of others.

Disability Disclosure Statement:

Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a documented disability, including special accommodations for access to technology resources and electronic instructional materials required for the course, should contact the instructor privately to discuss the specific situation by the end of the second week of classes or as soon as practical. Students should contact Disability Resources and Services (DRS) at 215-204-1280 in 100 Ritter Annex to learn more about the available resources. The instructor will work with DRS to coordinate reasonable accommodations for all students with documented disabilities.

Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities:

The University has adopted a policy on Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities (Policy # 03.70.02) which can be accessed through the following link: htt p ://p olicies.tem p le.edu/g etdoc.as p ?p olic y _no=03.70.02

Class recordings:

Class meetings will not be recorded.

MIS Department PRO Points Requirement:

The MIS Department has instituted a PRO point (professional achievement point) requirement for all MIS majors. This class is a checkpoint to ensure that students are focused on this requirement and on track to earn their 1,000 points by graduation. Students in MIS2402 must earn a minimum of 200 points by the end of the semester. Students who fail to earn the required points will receive an “Incomplete” for this course regardless of performance on exams or class participation.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If a student fails to earn the minimum number of PRO points within one year from the end of the semester or does not notify their instructor that they have earned the minimum number of points, then their “Incomplete” will be changed to an “F” automatically. The grade of “F” will then be the student’s permanent grade.

Students are STRONGLY encouraged to, at a minimum, do the following to earn points:

Create an e-Portfolio and have it listed with the department.
Become an active member of AIS and participate in professional development activities.
Attend the IT Awards Reception (spring semester only).
Volunteer your time for department-sponsored events.
Discuss opportunities to earn MIS PRO points for projects with your MIS instructors. Note that students may not request course/project related PRO points more than one year after the end of the semester.

Here are two excellent resources that describe why the MIS professional achievement points are important to you.

Finally, students will be given the opportunity to earn up to 50 MIS PRO points by doing an optional project. Details about the MIS2402 PRO point project will be announced on the class website.

Getting Help:

Students can contact the instructor or the class ITA via email.

Please be advised that email correspondence is not an ideal way to trouble-shoot / resolve a technical problem. In-person meetings are usually much more productive.

Students who need assistance are encouraged to do the following.

Schedule a session with the ITA. These are first-come, first-serve, and subject to the ITA’s availability.
Visit the instructor during office hours.