Western University

Faculty of Engineering
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

SE 3316A: Web Technologies

Course Outline 2020-2021

Description: This course covers the technologies, protocols and architectures of the Internet. A
major focus of this course is the technology and the drive towards interactive web applications. To
achieve this, we will start with a brief introduction of the HTTP protocol as well as the formats
(HTML, XML and CSS) and client-side/server-side scripting languages (JavaScript, PHP). We
will take an in-depth look at the Representational State Transfer (ReST) paradigm and core
components such as Asynchronous Java-script And XML (AJAX), databases, and frameworks
such as Angular that are used to build modern web applications that integrate services from
multiple vendors. With this background, we will look at the concept of semantic web as well as
the technologies that are being used in it. In each segment, we will also discuss the business
implications of each of the protocols and their effect on application design. Throughout the course,
we will also look at some of the legal, ethical and social issues surrounding these technologies.

Instructor: Dr. Jagath Samarabandu, P.Eng

TEB 351, 519-661-2111 x80058, jagath@uwo.ca
Consultation Hours: Via Zoom, by appointment

Academic Calendar Copy: Technologies, protocols and architectures of the Internet. From
HTML, XML, JavaScript to paradigms such as ReST and AJAX and software frameworks for
developing modern web applications and integrating services from 3rd parties. We will also look
at semantic web, business implications of these protocols as well as legal, ethical and social issues
surrounding these technologies.

Contact Hours: 3 lecture hours, 2 laboratory hours, 0.5 course

Antirequisite(s): None
Prerequisite(s): SE 2205A/B.
Corequisite(s): ECE 4436 A/B

Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean
to enroll in it, you will be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This
decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you
are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.

CEAB Academic Units: Engineering Science 75%, Engineering Design 25%

Recommended Textbook: None. Material will be provided.

General Learning Objectives (CEAB Graduate Attributes)

 Impact on Society and
Knowledge Base I Use of Engineering Tools I
the Environment
Individual and Team
Problem Analysis Ethics and Equity
Work
Economics and Project
Investigation Communication Skills
Management
Design D Professionalism Life-Long Learning D
Notation: I – The instructor will introduce the topic at the level required. It is not necessary for
the student to have seen the material before. D – There may be a reminder or review, but the student
is expected to have seen and been tested on the material before taking the course. A – It is expected
that the student can apply the knowledge without prompting (e.g. no review)

Topics and Specific Learning Objectives

1. Introduction to network basics and world-wide web [2 weeks] (KB4)

HTML, CSS, client-side scripting with JavaScript, URL notation and Unicode.
At the end of this section, students will be able to:
a. Identify the use of these technologies in a given web application
b. Create simple HTML pages with client-side Javascript
c. Be able to describe the process of creating and deploying a static HTML web page
2. Web technologies [4 weeks] (KB4)
HTTP protocol, server-side scripting with JavaScript, ReST-full web services, XML processing,
AJAX, creating and consuming web services
At the end of this section, students will be able to:
a. Define all the components of the HTTP protocol
b. Create simple server-side scripts with JavaScript
c. Create a ReST-full web service
3. Web applications [4 weeks] (D1-4, LL1, LL2)
Use of databases in web applications, software frameworks for creating web applications,
integrating services from other vendors on to web applications.
At the end of this section, students will be able to:
a. Create a ReST-full web service that uses a database
b. Use Angular framework for creating a web application.
c. Integrate services such as social media and authentication from other vendors on to a web
application
4. Semantic Web [1 week] (KB4)
 Resource Description Framework (RDF), RDF Schema, Web Ontology Languages (OWL)
At the end of this section, students will be able to:
a. Identify the role of RDF, RDF schema and OWL in semantic web
b. Justify the use of these technologies in a given application scenario
5. Legal, ethical and social issues [1 week] (IESE1)
Privacy, content control/regulation, children and the internet, intellectual property, unsolicited
commercial email, on line communities, internet activism, disabilities and the web, taxation
At the end of this section, students will be able to:
a. Identify legal, ethical and social issues on developing and consuming web based applications
b. Describe specific legal, ethical and social issues in a given application scenario and identify
measures to mitigate these issues

Evaluation
Course Component Weight
Laboratory assignments 40%
Weekly Quizzes 40%
Final examination 10%

To obtain a passing grade in the course, a mark of 50% or more must be achieved on the laboratory
component. A laboratory mark < 50% will result in a final course grade of 48% or less.

Weekly Quizzes:
A quiz with 3-4 questions will be given each week on Thursday during the scheduled lecture hour.
These questions will contribute toward 40% of the course grade. You may drop the bottom 10%
of questions (one quiz) and there will be one make-up session with not more than 20% questions
(two quizzes) at the end of the term. If you miss a quiz, there will be no make-up sessions other
than the one described above.

Reading Assignments: These will consist of selected pages from the textbook or articles. You are
expected to read these pages before the lecture.

Laboratory assignments: 5 assignments each with marks that depend on the amount of work
required to complete. Last assignment involves designing and developing a complete web
application and will carry approximately half of laboratory grade. These will have both an
electronic submission (via Owl) as well as a demonstration. You must complete both parts to get
credit for each assignment.

Late submission policy: Late submissions for lab assignments will be accepted up to 48 hours
after the due date. However, a penalty of 10% will apply for each 24 hour period. Submissions will
not be accepted after 48 hours regardless of circumstances unless accommodation is requested by
the undergraduate services office.

Midterm test: No midterm for 2020/2021 year.

Final examination: This will be an online examination and will be take place during the regular
examination period. Please note that the final exam will be cumulative.

Online Activities: This course will use Zoom for video participation and will require appropriate
hardware as well as a stable internet connection (see the appendix). Quizzes may be conducted
using any of Zoom, iClicker or Owl. Participation may require the use of audio and video and each
session may be recorded in entirety or in part. You may be asked to turn the video camera and/or
microphone during any interactive session and the session may be recorded. Start of recording will
be clearly announced prior to recording and end of recording will be announced once recording
has ended. Sharing of the meeting ID or passcode is not allowed. Any disruptions will be reported
to Western Technology Services for investigation.

Recording Online Activities: All of the remote learning sessions for this course will be recorded.
The data captured during these recordings may include your image, voice recordings, chat logs
and personal identifiers (name displayed on the screen). The recordings will be used for
educational purposes related to this course, including evaluations. The recordings may be disclosed
to other individuals participating in the course for their private or group study purposes. Please
contact the instructor if you have any concerns related to session recordings. Participants in this
course are not permitted to record the sessions, except where recording is an approved
accommodation, or the participant has the prior written permission of the instructor.

Use of English: In accordance with Senate and Faculty Policy, students may be penalized up to
10% of the marks on all assignments, tests, and examinations for improper use of English.
Additionally, poorly written work with the exception of the final examination may be returned
without grading. If re-submission of the work is permitted, it may be graded with marks deducted
for poor English and/or late submission.

Attendance: Any student who, in the opinion of the instructor, is absent too frequently from class,
laboratory, or tutorial periods will be reported to the Dean (after due warning has been given). On
the recommendation of the department, and with the permission of the Dean, the student will be
debarred from taking the regular final examination in the course.

Absence Due to Illness or Other Circumstances: Students should immediately consult with the
instructor or department Chair if they have any problems that could affect their performance in the
course. Where appropriate, the problems should be documented (see the attached “Instructions for
Students Unable to Write Tests or Examinations or Submit Assignments as Scheduled”). The
student should seek advice from the instructor or department Chair regarding how best to deal with
the problem. Failure to notify the instructor or department Chair immediately (or as soon as
possible thereafter) will have a negative effect on any appeal.

For more information concerning medical accommodations, see the relevant section of the
Academic Handbook:
http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/accommodation_medical.pdf

For more information concerning accommodations for religious holidays, see the relevant
section of the Academic Handbook:
http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/accommodation_religious.pdf

Missed Midterm Examinations: If a student misses a midterm examination, the exam will not be
rescheduled. The student must follow the Instructions for Students Unable to Write Tests and
provide documentation to their department within 24 hours of the missed test. The department will
decide whether to allow the reweighting of the test, where reweighting means the marks normally
allotted for the midterm will be added to the final exam. If no reasonable justification for missing
the test can be found, then the student will receive a mark of zero for the test.

If a student is going to miss the midterm examination for religious reasons, they must inform the
instructor in writing within 48 hours of the announcement of the exam date or they will be required
to write the exam.

Missed labs:
Academic accommodation for labs will only be an extension to the due date based on the length
of accommodation. Marks will not be shifted to other labs.

Cheating and Plagiarism: Students must write their essays and assignments in their own words.
Whenever students take an idea or a passage from another author, they must acknowledge their
debt both by using quotation marks where appropriate and by proper referencing such as footnotes
or citations. University policy states that cheating, including plagiarism, is a scholastic offence.
The commission of a scholastic offence is attended by academic penalties, which might include
expulsion from the program. If you are caught cheating, there will be no second warning.

All required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to commercial
plagiarism-detection software under license to the University for the detection of plagiarism. All
papers submitted will be included as source documents on the reference database for the purpose
of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is
subject to the licensing agreement, currently between the University of Western Ontario and
Turnitin.com (http://www.turnitin.com).

Scholastic offences are taken seriously and students are directed to read the appropriate policy,
specifically, the definition of what constitutes a Scholastic Offence, in the relevant section of the
Academic Handbook:
http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf

Policy on Repeating All Components of a Course: Students who are required to repeat an
Engineering course must repeat all components of the course. No special permissions will be
granted enabling a student to retain laboratory, assignment, or test marks from previous years.
Previously completed assignments and laboratories cannot be resubmitted by the student for
grading in subsequent years.
Internet and Electronic Mail: Students are responsible for regularly checking their Western email
and the course web site (https://owl.uwo.ca/portal/) and making themselves aware of any
information that is posted about the course.

Accessibility: Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or
if any other arrangements can make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to
contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 ext. 82147 for any specific
question regarding an accommodation.

Support Services:
Office of the Registrar, http://www.registrar.uwo.ca/
Student Development Centre, http://www.sdc.uwo.ca/
Engineering Undergraduate Services, http://www.eng.uwo.ca/undergraduate/
USC Student Support Services, http://westernusc.ca/services/

Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Health @ Western,
http://www.health.uwo.ca/mental_health/, for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.