MPTC IT - Web Developer Program Outcome

Program Outcomes

I began the Moraine Park Technical College Web Developer program in the Fall of 2007. Over the following 5 semesters I completed 18 courses totaling 42 credits with an additional 10 transfer credits from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Through my course work, I have satisfied the following 12 program outcomes.

Table of Contents

Create web photographicsReturn to Table of Contents
  • Reflection Statement: I began with what I feel was a beginners knowledge of creating, editing, and publishing web photographics. I had used Photoshop prior to my course work, but it wasn't until I my first semester in the program that I received my first formal training with Photoshop. Over the following 5 semesters my technical grasp of Photoshop has increased immensely and I now find my imagination as the most common limiting factor in creating high quality unique designs.
  • Work Sample URL: http://www.debra-lee.com
  • Work Sample Image: View Image
  • Work Sample Documentation: I created this website as part of the Internship Course. Every image on the Website was created or modified using Photoshop CS4 or Illustrator CS4, in particular the gallery contains over 100 images that had to be cropped, resized, and optimized for the web. The graphical template of the Website contains custom graphics, such as the dripping paint, that were created in Photoshop or Illustrator.
Develop data-driven websitesReturn to Table of Contents
  • Reflection Statement: I had no experience creating "data-driven" or dynamic Websites prior to my MPTC course work. I was first exposed to creating a dynamic Website in my fourth semester with the Database-Driven Websites course. During that course I helped deploy a Joomla powered Content Management System for a fictitious company. I later added to that experience by deploying a WordPress powered Content Management System for the Humane Society of Adams County as part of my Internship work.
  • Work Sample URL: http://adamscountyanimals.org
  • Work Sample Image: View Image
  • Work Sample Documentation: Using WordPress as a CMS, I created a simple 4 page Website for the Adams County Humane Society. The director of the shelter has complete access to all pages of the Website and is able to add content using the admin panel associated with WordPress installs.
Develop WebsitesReturn to Table of Contents
  • Reflection Statement: The Web Developer Program did not provide me with my first taste of Developing Websites. Prior to beginning the program I had developed several personal sites for myself and one professional site for a friend. At the time I was using Microsoft FrontPage and had no real knowledge of the do's and don'ts of Web Development. Since enrolling in the Web Developer Program I have developed well over a dozen Websites for course work and Internship Clients.
  • Work Sample URL: This Website is a good example of my Development work, other examples can be viewed by visiting my Internship page.
Employ web design principlesReturn to Table of Contents
  • Reflection Statement: The first Websites I created were always designed with the technique of "what looks best works best". I had no formal design training prior to my course work, and as such my earliest designs did not always reflect well on design principles. I had my first taste of using proper design princes in my second semester course Principles of Graphic Design. Also during my second semester, using what was taught in that course, I created what I feel was my first "good" design for the Website Design Implementation and Maintenance course.
  • Work Sample URL: http://mptc.johnbudny.com/greentreewebs
  • Work Sample Image: View Image
  • Work Sample Documentation: I was the Creative Lead for our WSDIM group, we created a fictitious Web Design company Green Tree Webs; I created the logo and Website Design for the project.
Explore new web technologiesReturn to Table of Contents
  • Reflection Statement: I quickly learned that Web Design and Development takes as much time learning as it does practicing. Every new project typically takes some form of research to employ a technique or technology properly. Although I have always been good at "teaching myself", MPTC did provide us with a course specifically targeting new Web Trends and Technologies. I took this course during my Third Semester.
  • Work Sample URL: http://mptc.johnbudny.com/webtrends
  • Work Sample Image: View Image
  • Work Sample Documentation: Hands down, the Web Trends and Technologies course was one of my favorites of the entire Web Developer Program. It really allowed me to go out and explore Web elements of interest to myself, and also exposed me to a few items I would not have otherwise experienced. Some of my favorite learning topics of that semester were; WordPress Blog Creation, Panoramic Photo Creation and Video Integration.
Incorporate e-commerce solutionsReturn to Table of Contents
  • Reflection Statement: zip zilch zero... that just about sums up my experience with e-commerce solutions prior to the third semester course E-Commerce: Design and Marketing Websites. Through course work I was exposed to several e-commerce solutions with varying degrees of complexity. For my final course project I implemented a PayPal Shopping Cart into a Website I previously designed and developed for the WSDIM course. Of all Program Outcomes, I feel e-commerce solutions remains one of my weakest links. I have the mentality that I'll just be able to stay away from larger complicated e-commerce jobs, but that is wish full thinking and I'm sure this 2,000 pound gorilla will pound on my door again same day.
  • Work Sample URL: http://mptc.johnbudny.com/greentreewebs/butterfliesOfWisconsin/store.htm
  • Work Sample Image: View Image
  • Work Sample Documentation: For this fictitious online store I created a catalog with five products from which customers could purchase "butterfly enthusiast equipment". PayPal was used and overall the integration was straightforward and the results were acceptable for an online store of this small size.
Maintain a websiteReturn to Table of Contents
  • Reflection Statement: Building a Website is just one side of the coin, in order for the Website to become successful and remain successful the site needs to be maintained with new content on a regular basis. Over the course of the last five semesters I have gained quite a lot of valuable experience maintaining Websites. Currently, I am maintaining a Website that I built for my internship, Artwork of Debra Lee.
  • Work Sample URL: http://www.debra-lee.com/myArt.html
  • Work Sample Image: View Image
  • Work Sample Documentation: Debra releases new prints on a regular basis, when this happens I need to get the print online into the Gallery for her. First I take the stock image, get it web ready by resizing it, creating a thumbnail, then optimizing it. After that I add any textual content for the new art and get it all uploaded. In addition to these tasks I also help Debra maintain the blog and Facebook pages I set up for her.
Employ web development skillsReturn to Table of Contents
  • Reflection Statement: So what exactly is "Web Development"? Wikipedia defines it as a broad term for any activity to developing a Website for the World Wide Web or an internet. ...among web professions, "Web Development" usually refers only to the non-design aspects of building web sites, e.g. writing markup and coding."
  • Work Sample URL: http://www.cweconvention.org
  • Work Sample Image: View Image
  • Work Sample Documentation: After creating the design for the CWE Website in Photoshop I completed the project by "developing" the HTML and CSS code along with the page content. Overall I spent 48 hours working on this project, roughly 10 of them were spent with design and the remaining 38 hours could be considered Web Development time used for writing markup, coding, and content creation.
Program web languagesReturn to Table of Contents
  • Reflection Statement: I was exposed to several different Web Programming languages throughout the last 5 semesters. Java, JavaScript, PHP, and Visual Basic were all taken at different times and all of them have given me me a good foundation to build upon. Off all the languages I listed, JavaScript has become the most useful as the jQuery library has really simplified the development of JavaScript and allowed even novice users like myself deploy some very useful techniques.
  • Work Sample URL: This very page!
  • Work Sample Image: View Image
  • Work Sample Documentation: On this page I utilized the FancyBox tool for displaying images and html content in a Mac-style "lightbox" that floats over the top of the web page. FancyBox uses the jQuery library and also the easing plugin to achieve its effects. I also had to write my own short js file that would fire off the settings I desired for the image overlays and also the iframe overlays. All in all, the implementation took approximately 2-3 hours and was feasible only because of the power and ease JavaScript libraries have brought to Web Development.
Promote website onlineReturn to Table of Contents
  • Reflection Statement: We learned in several courses throughout the Web Developer program that good promotions for a Website will help build traffic and increase the success of the site. Promotion doesn't only have to occur offline, although this should always remain a part of any successful promotion campaign, online promoting works wonders as well. I created a new Website for one of my internship projects, to help spread the word of the new Website I created a Facebook Fan Page. The Facebook page gives Debra more exposure on Google, is another place she can display all of her art, and allows for easy updates regarding art shows she will be attending and new prints she is releasing.
  • Work Sample URL: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Artwork-of-Debra-Lee
  • Work Sample Image: View Image
  • Work Sample Documentation: Debra Lee's artwork page is promoted online via a Facebook page that I created for her. This form of "social networking" allows Debra another means of getting her art out to the public.
Demonstrate project managementReturn to Table of Contents
  • Reflection Statement: Although I had no direct Web project management experience prior to my course work at MPTC, I did have management experience with previous jobs. Taking the lead on a tasks comes natural to me, I am a decisive decision maker and have no problems making the tough calls. I was able to garner some very valuable project management experience in my second semester with the Website Design Implementation and Maintenance course.
  • Work Sample URL: http://mptc.johnbudny.com/greentreewebs/aboutUs.htm
  • Work Sample Image: View Image
  • Work Sample Documentation: For the WSDIM course I was elected as the Team Lead and Creative Lead for our group of four. I coordinated the creation of our businesses Website and also the creation of our client's Website. The experience went very smoothly for myself and our group, we excelled throughout the semester producing what we all felt was a very high quality product.
Use markup languagesReturn to Table of Contents
  • Reflection Statement: This program outcome had a chuckle escaping from a big smile on my face. I pictured an English major viewing their program outcomes and seeing, "student reads a book". Anyone that knows anything about Web Development knows that one can not create a Website without using some form of a mark up language like HTML, XHTML, or XML, it's just not possible. I've decided to reference the very first Website I built for course work in the Web Developer Program. The course was Introduction to Website Design and I created a very simple two page Website for my dog Kenai.
  • Work Sample URL: http://mptc.johnbudny.com/advancedWeb/kenai.htm
  • Work Sample Image: View Image
  • Work Sample Documentation: This page was created using the XHTML 1.0 Transitional doctype. Why use this Website as my example for this program outcome? Simple, because it shows that even from the start students were required to use Markup Languages as they truly are the foundation to our craft.