How to Teach Website Design

With the increase in popularity of the Internet, the design and development of websites has become a common course of study for many students. Given the increased demand for these courses, teaching website design can be a lucrative option for many educators. One of the most important parts of the process is to offer the most current and useful content available. This will ensure that your students gain marketable skills, which will translate to higher salaries and successful careers. Use the following steps to plan a course to teach website design.

Instructions

Teaching Website Design

1. Determine the area or areas of website design to be taught. The design of websites can encompass many technologies, software packages and programming codes. Time constraints, level of student education and cost will often dictate which areas can be addressed and to what level. In many cases, logically related areas of study can be grouped into a single course structure. For example, basic HTML, website image standards, and file management could easily be grouped together, while advanced subjects such as animation, CSS, SQL databases and PHP should be taught at a different time.
2. Consider your target audience. The ability to effectively teach any group of students hinges directly on the instructor's ability to relate to them. If a course is delivered at a level, either below or above the average student, then the information will be largely lost. When designing the course content, take into consideration the age, average level of education, and experience of your audience. For example, a course designed to reach first year college students would be largely useless to a group of experienced programmers looking for continuing education.
3. Choose a delivery method. In today's technologically advanced world, educational choices are no longer limited to finding a seat at the local university. Internet courses, interactive CDs and teleconference-based classes have opened up the educational system to a new world of possibilities. When designing course content and information, take the method of delivery into account and customize the course for the situation.
4. Create a course objective outline. With a good understanding of your audience and area of study established, create an outline of course objectives, time lines and reference material. This outline will provide your students a guideline for what they should expect to learn and what you will expect from them. Outlines can be broken down by time periods or by level of completion.
5. Create or assemble course teaching materials. The course outline will help you select any books, films, recordings or other material to help convey the required information to your audience. Be sure to choose the most recent publications to ensure that you aren't teaching outdated information. In the event that suitable materials cannot be located, it may become necessary to create original course material.