Course Objectives

In this course you will learn how to use PHP to build interactive database-driven web sites. PHP is the most popular server-side scripting technology used today. It is open-source (free) and runs on several operating systems including Windows, UNIX/Linux and Mac OS X.

A primary benefit of server-side programming is its ability to interact with databases. This course covers the fundamentals of relational database design and SQL (Structured Query Language). We will use the popular mySQL open-source database program.

You will practice your programming and design skills by building an interactive online storefront. The store retrieves product information from a database, allows clients to search for products, uses a shopping cart, writes customer and order information to the database, allows the user to review her order history and sends the user an e-mail confirmation for each order. A sample site (GeekBooks.com) is located at http://yorktown.cbe.wwu.edu/sandvig/mis314/assignments/bookstore/index.php

This course will also extend your knowledge of web page design and site navigation.  Specific design topics covered include defining the needs of the target audience, page layout, navigation tools, site architecture, usability and testing.  MIS 314 is the third required course in WWU's Internet Studies Center certificate curriculum.

Required Textbooks

1. Learning PHP 5, David Sklar ISBN: 0-596-00560-1

2. Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes, 3rd ed., Ben Forta, ISBN 0-672-32567-5

3. Don't Make Me Think, Steve Krug, ISBN 0-321-34475-8

Course Prerequisites

All students should have taken the required prerequisite course CS 202 (previously CS 112) or receive instructor permission. You should be able to create a HTML document and publish it on the web, work with images, create style sheets and be proficient with HTML formatting and layout. Some experience with JavaScript or another programming language is desirable but not required.

A personal web page is suggested but not required for this course.  This is an excellent tool for displaying your work to potential employers. Tony Prudente, a WWU MIS graduate, has given permission to use his as an example on-line portfolio. Tony is currently a web developer on a team that supports the HealthyRoads.com web site.

Course Web Site

Assignments, lab times and location, grades and other course information is available on the course web site (mis314.csandvig.com). 

Please add your name to the on-line class roster during the first week of class. Go to mis314.csandvig.com or yorktown.cbe.wwu.edu/sandvig/mis314 and click on roster.  Your assignment and other course grades will be available on-line.  They cannot be recorded until you have added your name to the roster.

Aspen Accounts

You will be provided with an account on the Yorktown server, which supports PHP, mySQL, ASP and ASP.NET. Your access to the server will be via a web-based file manager and text editor program named Aspen (aspen.csandvig.com). Yorktown is an IBM XSeries 345 NT server running Microsoft's Windows Server 2003 and Internet Information Server (IIS) 6.0. It is located in the College of Business and Economics. The first day of class you will be given a class code that will allow you to create an Aspen account.

You may write your PHP scripts on your own server if you prefer but you must upload them Yorktown for grading. 

Your accounts are accessible to Professor Sandvig and the course teaching assistant for the purposes of grading and trouble shooting. Do not put any private information into your accounts. You may use your accounts for non-class purposes, as long as your use is within the bounds established by the University's Policy for Responsible Computing. Aspen accounts have a file space limit of 10 MB. Abuse of your account will result in the loss of account privileges on the server.

Your accounts are created specifically for this course and you should assume that it will disappear at the end of the quarter. To assure that none of your work is lost you should make backup copies of all your files at the end of the quarter.  The College is experimenting with keeping Aspen accounts active for two years after the end of the course, but this cannot be guaranteed (see photos of the fire in the server room, July  3, 2002).  

Course Policies

Grading:  Course grades will based on the following criteria:

Assignments:  Assignments are due 15 minutes before class starts at the day shown on the course schedule. Mail the URLs of your pages to:

1. Professor Sandvig at ,
2. the teaching assistant,
3. cc a copy to yourself (so that you have a time stamped copy of your submission).

The subject line of your email should read "MIS314 AX YourName", where X is the assignment number. 

Assignment files should not be modified after the assignment has been submitted. Doing so will result in an F for the entire assignment. After each assignment has been graded Professor Sandvig will send an email to notify you. Once you have received the email you can edit your files. If you want to work on files before they are graded make copies and work on the copies.

Late Assignments:  Late work and broken URLs will be penalized one letter grade per 24-hours, starting at the due date (one minute after the due date is late). Please check your URLs carefully to make sure they are correct. To avoid typing errors in your URLs it is highly recommended that you cut and paste them directly from your browser.  You can expect to have technical problems and should build safety time in your schedule. 

Exams:  A midterm and a final will be given during the quarter.  The final exam is cumulative. 

E-mail Policy: I usually reply to emails within a few hours on weekdays. I do not reply to email messages that are poorly written, unclear or disrespectful.  If it is not worth your time to send a thoughtful message it is not worth my time to reply to it. I suggest that you include a salutation (e.g. Dear Dr. Sandvig or Dear Professor Sandvig) so that it is clear that the message is not junk mail and deleted.

Plagiarism: You are encouraged to work with other students in the class, but all work that you turn in for grading must be your own. Taking credit for another students work is plagiarism and is a violation of WWU academic policy. Two unfortunate unfortunate outbreaks of cheating have occurred in this course. The first, during spring quarter 2002, resulted in six students received Fs for the course and being reported for cheating.  The second, during fall quarter 2003, resulted in seven students received Fs for the course and being reported for cheating.  Don't let this happen to you! Remember, all work that you turn in for grading must be your original work. Professor Sandvig has a copy of every assignment ever turned in for this course. Cheating is easy to detect and student work is routinely checked for originality.

If you have any questions regarding cheating, plagiarism or WWU's Academic Policies see the Office of Student Life's Academic Dishonesty web page, Appendix D of the University Bulletin or talk with Professor Sandvig.

MSDN Academic Alliance Software

Students enrolled in MIS courses may get free copies of Microsoft's developer software. The complete developer software list available is quite extensive and includes Windows XP Professional, Windows Vista Business Edition, Visual Studio, Expression Studio and SQL Server.  None of these products are required for MIS 314.

Students may obtain the developer tools via two methods:

• Download: All MIS 314 students will automatically receive an email at their WWU email address with download instructions. If you do not receive the email or have problems with the download contact Jon Junell (Jon.Junell@wwu.edu), CBE's technical support person
• DVD: See Diane in the Decision Sciences Department office (Parks 343) and tell her that you are enrolled in MIS 314.

Some of these tools are very large (several disks). Before obtaining the software it would wise to compare your computer's free disk space to the recommend system requirements for the software (Amazon.com lists the system requirements for the products).

You must be currently enrolled in a MIS course to be eligible for the free software. You will not be eligible after the quarter ends unless you are enrolled in another MIS course. This offer is available through Microsoft's MSDN Academic Alliance program.

Assessment of Student Performance

The following table summarizes how student performance is assessed relative to the course objectives. The learning outcomes in the left-hand column are assessed by the assessment method marked with an "X" in the right-hand columns.