This course offers a practical, hands-on introduction to modern web development, guiding students through the process of building fully functional, responsive, and user-friendly websites. Students will begin with core front-end skills, including HTML5 for structure, CSS3 for styling and layout, and JavaScript for interactivity, progressing from basic pages to interactive applications. The curriculum integrates responsive design, accessibility, and performance optimization, as well as foundational exposure to back-end development with Node.js and React basics. Selected assignments will also introduce the use of AI tools to support tasks such as code generation, debugging, and idea exploration, helping students understand how AI can be integrated into modern development workflows. Through a series of mini projects, in-class builds, and a final term project, students will gain experience in designing, coding, testing, and deploying web applications. By the end of the semester, students will have the technical skills, workflow knowledge, and AI-assisted development/vibe coding experience to take a project from concept to launch, and a foundation to pursue more advanced studies in web development or related fields.
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
Students should have a basic understanding of operating a personal computer, including proficiency in using web browsers and the ability to navigate and manipulate files.
This course does not have any required textbooks. All course materials will be provided in PDF or HTML format and made available on Canvas and/or GitHub. The following websites can be especially useful for your learning experience: MDN Web Docs and W3Schools.
| Grade | Range |
|---|---|
| A | 94-100 |
| A- | 90-93.99 |
| B+ | 87-89.99 |
| B | 84-86.99 |
| B- | 80-83.99 |
| C+ | 77-79.99 |
| C | 74-76.99 |
| C- | 70-73.99 |
| D | 60-69.99 |
| F | 0-59.99 |
You will be asked to set up a private repository on GitHub for all web pages related to the class. The instructor will provide a demonstration of how to do this and guide you through the process at the beginning of the semester. The repository will initially consist of simple and basic web page(s), which will be developed and expanded throughout the course. Most course assignments, including in-class activities/exercises, quizzes, most graded homework, will be committed and pushed to this repository. This repository will serve as your personal website related to the class and will be kept private on GitHub. It is crucial that you frequently update this repository, as all the classwork will be evaluated based on the content and organization of the repository. Please note that this repository should not to be confused with the final project repository.
During most classes, we will complete several hands-on exercises, labeled as “ex_” on the class slides. While some students may finish these exercises during class, all students have until 11:59 PM the following calendar day to complete and push the exercise to Github. Class exercises will be graded as Finished, Partially Finished, Excused, or Not Submitted. If you miss a class, it is still required to complete the in-class exercise. There will be a total of approximately 16-20 exercises, with one excuse allowed for the semester, and additional excuses granted at the discretion of the instructor. It’s important to note that while completing the exercises, you may seek help from others, including online sources, but it is essential that you understand what you have submitted, give references or links to the help you have used in the code comments and clearly credit the sources. Failure to do so would be considered a violation of Babson’s Honor Code.
Throughout the course, there will be several quizzes to assess student’s understanding of the material covered. These quizzes will be in different formats: some will be taken through Canvas, while others will be in-class programming problems. Most quizzes will be announced beforehand. The grade value of each quiz will vary based on the difficulty level and number of questions. It is important to note that no make-up quizzes will be given, unless you have a valid medical excuse. Missing a quiz without a valid excuse will result in a grade of zero for that quiz. We encourage you to attend every class, and reach out to the instructor if you have any questions or concerns about a quiz.
Throughout the course, there will be a total of 3-4 graded homework assignments. Each assignment must be submitted by 11:59 PM on the due date specified in the accompanying instructions document. Late submissions will incur a deduction of 10 points per day or partial day, up to four days. Assignments submitted more than four days past the due date will receive a grade of zero. Extensions may be granted at the discretion of the instructor if requested in advance. Homework assignments are considered to be individual activities. If you need help, feel free to reach out to the instructor. Note: Your assignment repositories created under the course GitHub organization (not your peronsal private repository) may be modified or removed by the instructor after the semester ends.
It is important to note that while completing the homework assignments, you may seek help from others, including online sources, but it is essential that you understand what you have submitted, give references or links to the help you have used in the code comments and clearly credit the sources. Failure to do so would be considered a violation of Babson’s Honor Code.
The term project is designed to give you hands-on experience in both planning and building a website. Each student will act as both a Project Manager (PM) and a Developer (Dev) during the semester. As a PM, you will define a website idea, write a minimal Product Requirements Document (PRD), and create a homepage wireframe. As a Dev, you will build a website based on another student’s PRD, following their specifications. All project work will be completed in a single shared public GitHub repository created by the PM, with collaboration documented through GitHub Issues. The final site must be deployed using GitHub Pages or other ad-free hosting platforms. You may incorporate AI tools such as ChatGPT or GitHub Copilot into your workflow, whether for suggestions, debugging, design exploration, or even experimenting with a “vibe coding” approach, but you must fully understand all code you submit and clearly document any major AI-generated components. Key deliverables, including the PRD, first version, collaboration check, and final version, will be submitted throughout the semester as outlined in the course schedule. While there are no formal in-class presentations, the instructor may invite students to showcase their projects in the final session.
There will be one exam in the last class. The exam is hands-on, open book, open notes, open web exam. The exam will be about 100 minutes long. The exam will be based largely on the graded homework and in-class exercises done.
Missed Classes: It is mandatory for students to inform the instructor if they will be absent from a class. Students who miss a class are responsible for obtaining all materials and information that were distributed or covered during the class they missed.
Need for Academic Accommodation: Babson College is committed to providing equal educational opportunities for students with disabilities. Any student who may need accommodation(s) based on the impact of a disability should contact the Department of Accessibility Services (DAS) as early in the semester as possible. Accessibility Services staff may be reached by email at accessibility@babson.edu, by phone at 781-239-5509, or by visiting Hollister Hall, Suite 220. Accessibility Services staff will coordinate reasonable academic accommodations for eligible students.
Need for Religious Accommodations: Any student who faces a conflict between the requirements of a course and the observance of their religious belief, should contact the instructor early in the semester. In such an event, reasonable accommodations will be provided to the extent they do not create an unreasonable burden on the College.
Honor Code: Integrity is a core institutional value at Babson. The Babson College Undergraduate Honor Code sets forth clear expectations with regard to how your behaviors, actions, and decision making support our institutional commitment to integrity. The Code, and all that it comprises, aims to build a Community of Honor at Babson - one that is connected and strengthened by each member’s individual commitment to integrity and ethical decision making in all that we do. As a Babson student, you are committing to being an active and engaged participant in our Community of Honor, in partnership with your fellow students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
AI Policies: As a general guiding principle, you are expected to independently accomplish assignments and assessments without seeking external aid, unless otherwise specified. Should the course permit the utilization of AI tools, it’s crucial for you to observe the following guidelines to ensure the proper and responsible utilization of these tools:
Responsible and Ethical Utilization: You must employ AI tools in a responsible and ethical manner, being conscientious of their limitations and potential consequences.
Enhancing Output Quality: The effectiveness of generative AI tools is directly linked to the quality of the input you provide. It’s advisable for you to skillfully refine your prompts, a technique known as “prompt engineering,” to achieve favorable outcomes.
Validation of AI Output: You hold the responsibility of fact-checking all outputs generated by AI tools. This entails corroborating any claims made by the AI with trustworthy and reliable sources. Any errors or omissions resulting from the use of these tools will be your accountability.
Acknowledgment and Citation: Similar to referencing other tools and resources, you should appropriately acknowledge the use of AI tools, unless explicitly stated otherwise. While completing assignments or assessments, you are required to furnish specific and comprehensive details about the AI tools you employed, including any applicable prompts. Moreover, if deemed necessary, any output generated by generative AI should be appended to the submitted work.
Academic Integrity:
In this course, you are required to abide by the College’s Academic Integrity Policies and Procedures as outlined in Babson’s Student Code of Ethics. Please review the College’s Student Code of Ethics in its entirety, as it is your responsibility to take the appropriate steps to ensure your understanding of the Code. Ignorance of the policies is not a valid excuse for any violations.
Academic integrity is important for two reasons. First, independent and original scholarship ensures that students derive the most they can from their educational experience and the pursuit of knowledge. Second, academic misconduct violates the most fundamental values of an intellectual community and diminishes the achievements of the entire college community. Accordingly, Babson views academic misconduct as one of the most serious violations of the College’s expectations that a student can commit while at Babson College. Specific behaviors that constitute academic misconduct, as defined in the Code, are cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty, plagiarism, participation in academically dishonest activities, and unauthorized collaboration. In the instance I am presented with evidence to suggest that you engaged in any of these behaviors, I will refer the incident to the Office of Community Standards for review.
For your coursework, you are required to affirm your understanding of and commitment to the academic honesty and integrity expectations set forth in the Code. You may be asked to write the following pledge on every exam, paper, project, or other academic exercise:
"I have abided by the Babson Code of Ethics in this work and pledge to be better than that which would compromise my integrity."
If you have questions relative to academic integrity expectations within the context of a particular assignment, please ask me directly. General questions can be directed to communitystandards@babson.edu.
Conflict Navigation Services:
Conflict – especially when working in groups – is a normal, healthy, and expected part of life and ideally is viewed as an opportunity to strengthen relationships, improve efficiency, and rectify underlying concerns that often otherwise go unaddressed. Resolving conflict is a vital part of the educational journey of the Babson student and entrepreneur and requires your active participation and skill development. If you experience interpersonal conflict in this course, I encourage you to explore the College’s Conflict Navigation Services as a resource.