General Assembly 


Course Curriculum

WEB
DEVELOPMENT

IMMERSIVE
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Table of Contents

3 Overview

4 Students

5 Curriculum
Projects & Units

11 Frequently
Asked Questions

13 Contact
Information

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Overview

OVERVIEW
THE FRAMEWORK This 12-week course provides students with a breadth of web
development skills, enabling them to build full stack web
applications. Our course is built around the broader history of
web development. This means that our students graduate
with a solid base of fundamental programming knowledge,
experience with specific languages and frameworks that are
popular today, and a flexible outlook that is comfortable and
eager to tackle new technologies in a fast-moving and ever-
changing industry.



Because we’re focused on preparing our students for a career
in technology, we want each graduate to leave WDI with a
body of work they can use in their job search to discuss and
demonstrate what they are capable of contributing to a
company.

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

‣ Design and lay out responsive web applications

‣ Build secure full-stack web applications according to
common design patterns
‣ Safely model and store data in SQL and NoSQL databases
‣ Develop web applications using both Ruby and JavaScript
‣ Consume and integrate third-party APIs in an application
‣ Use modern JavaScript browser application frameworks
‣ Deploy applications to the web using cloud-based hosting
‣ Clearly document and present the projects they’ve built

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Students

STUDENTS
CAREER CHANGERS For individuals looking to transition into a technical career, this
course provides a supportive community and a set of skills
necessary to turn your designs into web applications that will
serve as a pillar of your job search.

LEVEL-UPPERS For individuals looking for a discrete set of technical skills to

complement existing knowledge, this course provides a set of
skills that can help to either expand an existing freelance
business, or move into a more technical role at an existing
company.

UNDECLARED MAJORS For those who’ve recently graduated high school or college, and
are looking for an efficient pathway to a technical career, this
course provides a set of skills that can serve as a foundation for
a career in web development or other related technical
disciplines.

ENTREPRENEURS For those looking to launch a company or take an existing

company online, this course provides the skills needed to plan
for, design, build, and launch an MVP of a web application.

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Projects

PROJECTS
PRE-WORK PROJECT
 During the pre-work, you’ll cover programming fundamentals
FUNDAMENTALS and be asked to build a simple command-line game using
JavaScript. This project will test your knowledge of key
concepts like variables, objects, and functions. The objective
of the project is to:

‣ Prepare you to enter WDI with a rudimentary

understanding of JavaScript as a programming language
‣ Practice running code from the command line
‣ Apply troubleshooting and debugging techniques

UNIT 1: 
 At the end of Unit 1, spend a few days building a front-end

BUILD A GAME IN THE BROWSER game using technologies like HTML, CSS, SCSS, JavaScript,
and jQuery. The objective of the project is to:

‣ Create an interactive game in the browser

‣ Apply foundational programming skills to game logic
‣ Document your project workflow to kickstart your portfolio

UNIT 2: 
 For your mid-course project you’ll spend 3-4 days building a
YOUR FIRST FULL-STACK APP secure, password-protected Ruby on Rails application that is
able to create, read, update, and delete data from a SQL
database. The objective of the project is to:

‣ Build a full-stack MVC web application in Ruby

‣ Implement basic sign up/log in of users with passwords
‣ Store application data in a SQL database
‣ Utilize an ORM to create a database table structure and
interact with data stored in a relational database
‣ Deploy your application online so it's publicly accessible

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Projects

PROJECTS
UNIT 3: 
 At the end of Unit 3, you’ll work with a group to build a full-
APIS AND FULL-STACK JAVASCRIPT 
 stack JavaScript application. The objective in this project is to:
(GROUP PROJECT)
‣ Work in a simulated team project environment, managing
team contributions through Github
‣ Craft thoughtful user stories together, as a team
‣ Implement CRUD functionality in a RESTful Node.js API
‣ Store application data in a NoSQL database
‣ Consume your API via AJAX in a front-end built with jQuery
‣ Layout and style your application with well-formatted CSS
‣ Allow users to login via third-party accounts using oAuth
‣ Deploy your application online so it's publicly accessible

UNIT 4: 
 Your final project is likely the most important project in your
FINAL PROJECT portfolio. You will apply the things you’ve learned throughout
the course, while exercising creativity in choosing the
technologies and skills on which you want to focus. Most
students will use a front-end JavaScript browser framework
like Angular.js, and some will incorporate other tools and
technologies that they’ve learned on their own. The scope is
flexible, but in general, the objective is to:

‣ Prioritize your user stories and build a usable product

‣ Choose an appropriate technology stack for your needs
‣ Apply skills you’ve learned in previous units
‣ Build an interactive front-end with a JavaScript framework
‣ Design a visually-impressive front-end to kick your portfolio
up a notch
‣ Deploy your application online so it's publicly accessible

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Units

UNITS
UNIT 1: FRONT-END DEVELOPMENT ‣ How the Internet Works
‣ Using the Terminal & Navigating the Filesystem
‣ HTML5
‣ Chrome Developer Tools
‣ Text Editors
‣ CSS Styling
‣ CSS Box Model & Positioning
‣ Web Typography
‣ JavaScript Data Types, Objects, and Functions
‣ JavaScript Control Flow
‣ Debugging JavaScript
‣ DOM Manipulation & Events
‣ Git and Github
‣ Asynchronous JavaScript Callbacks
‣ jQuery
‣ JavaScript Scope
‣ CSS Pre-processors
‣ Responsive Web Design
‣ User Stories and Task Tracking

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Units Continued

UNITS
UNIT 2: RUBY, MVC, AND RAILS ‣ Ruby Data Types, Objects, and Methods
‣ Ruby Control Flow
‣ Ruby Collections
‣ Classes and Inheritance
‣ MVC Design Patterns
‣ Relational Data Modeling
‣ Introduction to SQL
‣ Object-Relational Mapping in ActiveRecord
‣ Building & Submitting Forms
‣ Controllers and Routes
‣ Layouts, Partials, & Views
‣ Introduction to Ruby on Rails
‣ Encrypted Passwords and Authentication
‣ Bootstrap
‣ Heroku Deployment
‣ Introduction to Testing and TDD
‣ Accessing Third-party APIs

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Units Continued

UNITS
UNIT 3: APIS WITH NODE.JS ‣ Team Workflow using Git and Github
‣ Introduction to Node.js
‣ RESTful Routing with Express.js
‣ Advanced JavaScript OOP & Prototypal Inheritance
‣ Debugging and Logging in Node
‣ NoSQL Data Modeling
‣ NoSQL with MongoDB
‣ Mongo-backed Models with Mongoose
‣ Underscore and Underscore Templates
‣ Express Views and EJS
‣ AJAX
‣ Encrypted Passwords and Authentication
‣ Token-based Authentication
‣ OAuth and Third-party APIs
‣ Social Network / Third-party Application Login
‣ Introduction to Testing with Mocha and Chai
‣ Introduction to WebSockets

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Units Continued

UNITS
UNIT 4: FRONT-END FRAMEWORKS ‣ Introduction to Angular.js
‣ Extending DOM Elements with Custom Behaviors
‣ Client-side Models and Data Binding
‣ Views and Templates
‣ Client-side Form Validation
‣ Connecting and Syncing with a REST API
‣ Managing Authentication State
‣ Computer Science Interview Fundamentals
‣ Optional Advanced Topics
‣ Review Sessions

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FAQs

FAQS
WHY IS THIS COURSE RELEVANT There's never been a better time to start a career as a web
TODAY? developer. From startups to Fortune 100 companies, there is a
consistent demand for developers who both write high-quality
code and experienced problem solvers who can design
creative solutions. The web and the applications built for it
have transformed the way we do business globally, and is
disrupting industries from music to manufacturing.

WHAT PRACTICAL SKILL SETS CAN I By the end of the course, you will have gained practice in two
EXPECT TO HAVE UPON COMPLETION web-based programming languages, have built several full-
OF THE COURSE? stack applications of varying complexity, and have experience
working with a team in a development environment. You’ll
gain confidence in tackling new technologies in an ever-
changing field. You’ll have gained foundational skill in many
disciplines that touch web development – managing complex
data sets, securing your applications with encrypted
passwords, and testing and deploying your applications to
prepare them to scale.

WHO WILL I BE SITTING NEXT TO IN Our students are engineers, artists, journalists,
THIS COURSE? entrepreneurs, financial analysts, folks just out of college,
your new best friend – individuals who are looking to start a
new career in web development, and, most importantly, just as
passionate about building things as you are.

WILL THERE BE ANY PRE-WORK? Yes, and you should plan to dedicate around 40 hours to
complete it. Your admissions representative will send you the
assignment after you’ve enrolled in the program.

SHOULD I COME EQUIPPED WITH Yes, a Mac laptop is required. We are unable to support
ANYTHING? Windows computers in WDI. On a case-by-case basis, local
instructional teams may be able to support Linux users who
already have experience in that environment. Linux can be
installed on most Windows computers.

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FAQs Continued

FAQS
WHAT CAN I EXPECT TO By the end of the course, you will have:
ACCOMPLISH BY THE END OF THE
COURSE? ‣ Completed several individual and group projects
‣ Learned about web development from experienced web
developers
‣ Networked with some of the best developers, companies,
and entrepreneurs in your local community
‣ Prepared yourself with the foundational knowledge you
need to begin a technical career that embraces continuous
learning

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Contact

CONTACT
COURSE APPLICATION NEW YORK SAN FRANCISCO
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1 (877) 348-5665 1 (877) 348-5665

BOSTON LOS ANGELES

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WASHINGTON, DC LONDON
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1 (877) 348-5665 +44 (0) 7703 002 046

CHICAGO SYDNEY
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1 (877) 348-5665 +61 2 0420 438 649

ATLANTA HONG KONG

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1 (877) 348-5665 +852 9473 3608

SEATTLE MELBOURNE
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AUSTIN SINGAPORE
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