95645 - Foundations of Web Systems

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students will understand the standards and core technologies underlying the World Wide Web, as well as the principles and techniques of client-side Web development. They will be able to design and develop dynamic Web applications using markup languages, style sheets, and client-side programming technologies.

Course contents

The course introduces the fundamental principles, standards, and technologies for the design and development of client-side Web applications. It provides students with the theoretical and practical knowledge required to understand the architecture and operation of the Web, design modern, accessible, and responsive user interfaces, and develop dynamic Web applications using the main frontend technologies and frameworks. The course combines technological and methodological aspects, with particular emphasis on interaction design, usability, accessibility, and User-Centered Design principles, with the aim of developing effective user interfaces that provide a high-quality user experience.

In particular, the course covers the following topics:

• Web fundamentals: client-server architecture, the HTTP protocol, URIs, web browsers, web servers, and web resource representation.
• HTML5 for the semantic structuring of web content and the development of accessible Web interfaces.
• CSS3 for web page layout, responsive web design, and the development of modern user interfaces.
• JavaScript programming for the development of dynamic Web applications, including language fundamentals, the Document Object Model (DOM), event handling, dynamic content manipulation, asynchronous communication, and the use of Web APIs.
• Data formats and techniques for information exchange in Web applications, with particular emphasis on JSON.
• Introduction to JavaScript frameworks for declarative and component-based user interface development, and to the design principles of Single Page Applications (SPAs), with particular emphasis on Vue.js.
• Principles of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), User-Centered Design (UCD), User Experience (UX), usability, and accessibility, applied to the design and development of Web applications.

Readings/Bibliography

Slides and additional on-line resources will be made available on Virtuale.

Teaching methods

Lectures and laboratory activities.

Due to the type of activity and the teaching methods adopted, the attendance of this training activity requires the preventive participation of all students in the training modules 1 and 2 on safety in the study places, in e-learning mode https://corsi.unibo.it/laurea/IngegneriaScienzeInformatiche/formazione-obbligatoria-su-sicurezza-e-salute.

Assessment methods

The final examination is designed to assess the achievement of the following learning outcomes:

• understanding the fundamental principles, standards, and technologies underlying the World Wide Web;
• acquiring the skills required to design and develop client-side Web applications using markup languages, style sheets, client-side programming languages, and modern frontend frameworks;
• applying the principles of interaction design, usability, and accessibility to the development of Web applications.

The examination consists of the presentation and discussion of a group project (2 students per group) and an individual oral examination.

The evaluation of the group project forms the basis of the final grade, with a maximum score of 27/30. The individual oral examination, conducted during the project discussion, is intended to assess each student's understanding of the theoretical concepts covered in the course, as well as their individual contribution to the development of the project. Depending on the student's performance, the oral examination may result in an adjustment of the final grade by up to ±5 points.

Students must register for the examination through AlmaEsami.

The final grade may be declined only once.

Office hours

See the website of Silvia Mirri