Spring 2024
INF 385T Special Topics in Information Science: Javascript Programming
DESCRIPTION
This course is tailored for graduate students in Information Science who wish to deepen their understanding and skills in JavaScript, a cornerstone technology of the web. The course bridges theoretical concepts with practical application, preparing students to tackle complex problems in data processing, visualization, and web development within the realm of Information Science. The course incorporates multiple ways of learning including: readings, lectures, class discussion, in-class pair programming exercises, and project-base learning. Upon completion of this course, students will: • Gain an in-depth understanding of JavaScript's core concepts, including ES6+ features, asynchronous programming, and the event loop. • Learn to efficiently manipulate and process data using JavaScript, leveraging its interaction with APIs, and other web technologies. • Develop skills in creating interactive and dynamic data visualizations using packages such as D3.js or and other JavaScript-based visualization tools. • Understand the principles of web security, performance optimization, and best practices in JavaScript coding standards.
COURSE NOTES
This course will teach students to program in Javascript. We will review the programming process, how to solve a coding problem, and how to debug coding errors. Since Javascript is an object-oriented programming language, we will talk about how to think, design and organize solutions in terms of objects and their associated properties and methods. Finally, we will learn how Javascript works, its fundamental concepts, correct syntax, and best programming practices. After this course, students will be able to: 1. understand how to write and debug programs 2. understand object-oriented programming 3. understand the fundamentals of the Javascript language, including: a. lexical structure, proper syntax, and idiomatic practices b. closures and asynchronous programming c. object-oriented programming in Javascript d. basic client-server architecture 4. write Javascript programs that run on modern Web browsers
PREREQUISITES
Graduate standing.
RESTRICTIONS
Restricted to graduate students in the School of Information through registration periods 1 and 2. Outside students will be permitted to join our waitlists beginning with registration period 3.