The University of Washington and a team of high school web design teachers have put together some free curriculum that is well organized, up to date, and full of resources. The curriculum is called AccessIT Web Design & Development I and is an introduction to the design, creation, and maintenance of web pages and websites. Students learn how to critically evaluate website quality, learn how to create and maintain quality web pages, learn about web design standards and why they’re important, and learn to create and manipulate images.
The course progresses from introductory work on web design to a culminating project in which students design and develop websites for local community organizations. The Units cover the following material:
Unit 1: Designing and Planning Web Pages
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit1.htm
Module 1: Website Evaluation and Rubric Creation
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit1/module1.htm
* Lesson 1: Surveying the Possibilities http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit1/module1/lesson1.htm
* Lesson 2: Developing a Website Evaluation Tool
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit1/module1/lesson2.htm
Module 2: Color Theory
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit1/module2.htm
* Lesson 1: Color Theory in Web Design http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit1/module2/lesson1.htm
* Lesson 2: Selecting a Color Scheme
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit1/module2/lesson2.htm
Module 3: Web Standards & Accessible Design
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit1/module3.htm
* Lesson 1: Web Standards
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit1/module3/lesson1.htm
* Lesson 2: How People with Disabilities Access the Web
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit1/module3/lesson2.htm
Module 4: Planning a Website
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit1/module4.htm
*Lesson 1: Organizing a Website
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit1/module4/lesson1.htm
Unit 2: Creating Pages with HTML
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit2.htm
Module 1: Pre-Coding
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit2/module1.htm
* Lesson 1: Pre-coding
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit2/module1/lesson1.htm
Module 2: Basic HTML Markup
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit2/module2.htm
* Lesson 1: Elements of Tags
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit2/module2/lesson1.htm
* Lesson 2: Essential Tags
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit2/module2/lesson2.htm
* Lesson 3: Common Tags
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit2/module2/lesson3.htm
Module 3: HTML Lists
http//www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit2/module3.htm
* Lesson 1: Unordered Lists
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit2/module3/lesson1.htm
* Lesson 2: Ordered Lists
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit2/module3/lesson2.htm
* Lesson 3: Nested Lists
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit2/module3/lesson3.htm
Module 4: Creating Links
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit2/module4.htm
* Lesson 1: Linking to External Internet Sites
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit2/module4/lesson1.htm
* Lesson 2: Linking to Pages Within Your Website
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit2/module4/lesson2.htm
* Lesson 3: Special Types of Links
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit2/module4/lesson3.htm
Module 5: Creating a Data Table
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit2/module5.htm
* Lesson 1: Creating a Data Table
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit2/module5/lesson1.htm
Unit 3: Formatting Web Pages with Style Sheet
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit3.htm
Module 1: Introduction to Cascading Style Sheets
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit3/module1.htm
* Lesson 1: Anatomy of a Style
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit3/module1/lesson1.htm
* Lesson 2: Applying Styles
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit3/module1/lesson2.htm
* Lesson 3: Applying Styles to Data Tables
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit3/module1/lesson3.htm
Module 2: Page Layout Techniques
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit3/module2.htm
* Lesson 1: Layout with CSS
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit3/module2/lesson1.htm
* Lesson 2: Layout with Tables
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit3/module2/lesson2.htm
Unit 4: Graphics
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit4.htm
Module 1: Introduction to Web Graphics
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit4/module1.htm
* Lesson 1: Introduction to Web Graphics
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit4/module1/lesson1.htm
* Lesson 2: Copyright Law and Graphics on the Web
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit4/module1/lesson2.htm
Module 2: Creating a Web Photo Album
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit4/module2.htm
* Lesson 1: Understanding Web Graphics
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit4/module2/lesson1.htm
* Lesson 2: Acquiring Images for Web Graphics
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit4/module2/lesson2.htm
* Lesson 3: Cropping and Resizing
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit4/module2/lesson3.htm
* Lesson 4: Adding Images to Your Web Page
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit4/module2/lesson4.htm
Module 3: Creating Navigation Buttons
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit4/module3.htm
* Lesson 1: Basic Shapes and Colors
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit4/module3/lesson1.htm
* Lesson 2: Working With Text
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit4/module3/lesson2.htm
* Lesson 3: Layer Basics
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit4/module3/lesson3.htm
* Lesson 4: Optimizing GIF Images
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit4/module3/lesson4.htm
Module 4: Creating a Web Page Banner
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit4/module4.htm
* Lesson 1: Basic Image Manipulation
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit4/module4/lesson1.htm
* Lesson 2: Selection Tools
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit4/module4/lesson2.htm
* Lesson 3: Layer Effects and Blending
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit4/module4/lesson3.htm
Unit 5: Overall Site Design and Management
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit5.htm
Module 1: Website Navigational Systems
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit5/module1.htm
* Lesson 1: Testing the Usability of Navigational Systems
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit5/module1/lesson1.htm
* Lesson 2: Creating Your Own Navigational System
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit5/module1/lesson2.htm
Module 2: Using an external style sheet
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit5/module2.htm
* Lesson 1: Linking to an External Style Sheet
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit5/module2/lesson1.htm
* Lesson 2: Stylizing a Navigational Menu
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit5/module2/lesson2.htm
Module 3: Scripts and Server-side technologies
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit5/module3.htm
* Lesson 1: Scripting and the Web
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit5/module3/lesson1.htm
* Lesson 2: A Simple Javascript Program
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit5/module3/lesson2.htm
Module 4: Validating a Website
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit5/module4.htm
* Lesson 1: Validating Your HTML
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit5/module4/lesson1.htm
* Lesson 2: Validating Your CSS
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit5/module4/lesson2.htm
* Lesson 3: Validating Your Accessibility
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit5/module4/lesson3.htm
Unit 6: Introduction to Web Authoring Software
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit6.htm
Module 1: Creating a Web Page using Web Authoring Software
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit6/module1.htm
* Lesson 1: Basic Features of Web Authoring Software
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit6/module1/lesson1.htm
Module 2 : Controlling Style using Web Authoring Software
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit6/module2.htm
* Lesson 1: CSS and Web Authoring Software: Controlling Presentation
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit6/module2/lesson1.htm
Module 3 : Site Management using Web Authoring Software
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit6/module3.htm
* Lesson 1: Overview of Site Management Features
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit6/module3/lesson1.htm
Unit 7: Client Website
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit7.htm
Module 1: Client Website
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit7/module1.htm
* Lesson 1: Planning the Client Website
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit7/module1/lesson1.htm
* Lesson 2: Constructing the Client Website
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit7/module1/lesson2.htm
* Lesson 3: Quality Control of the Client Website
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/student/unit7/module1/lesson3.htm
I was quite impressed that the creators of the curriculum made it so that it teaches standards-compliant web design and is itself grounded in national industry skills standards and national education standards.
Finally, the curriculum comes with video lessons for students and teachers to review. You can view the curriculum at http://www.washington.edu/accessit/webdesign/.
Brian Scarbeau
CSTA Board of Directors