Beginners Web Design Course

Do you want to start designing websites? Keen to learn the basics? Then this is the course for you it covers; HTML, Emails, Links, Lists, Advanced HTML, Forms and Tables, Style sheets, Creative Techniques. This course will gently introduce you to the world of web design and will cover everything you need to start building and designing websites.

Please note: We do not include full unrestricted versions of programmes such as Dreamweaver as they are continually being updated and as a professional web designer you will need to choose the correct programme to design your sites yourself.

Distance Learning Support

At Start Learning we pride ourselves on our friendly and supportive tutors. Your tutor support will start as soon as you receive your course and will be valid for 12 months. All our tutors are highly qualified with extensive experience in supporting distance learning students. You contact your tutor via email and they are responsible for marking assignments answering your questions and guiding you through the course.

Home Study Entry Requirements

At Start Learning we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to expand their knowledge and study further, so we try to keep our entry requirements to a minimum.  

Recommended Hours of Study

We recommended you spend approximately 110 hours of your time studying for the Advanced Web Design course. The pace of study is completely up to you. To give an example, if you dedicate 2 hours a week to the course it would take you a year to complete but if you could spare 4 hours a week you could complete it in six months.

Course Contents

Unit 1: The internet: What is the Internet? - How did it come about? - World Wide Web - Accessing the Web - The Internet and you - Installing a Browser - Internet providers - Browsing the Net - Favourites Accessing a Web page stored in URL - Printing a Web page - Saving a Web page - History

Unit 2: Organising files and folders: Introduction and procedure - Assignments folder - Supporting CD ROM - WebEx folder

Unit 3: Email communications: Reply – Forward - New message – From - To Copy (Cc) and Blind Copy (Bcc) - Multiple Send - Subject  - Message - Spell check – Send - Sent items - Deleted items - Address book - Sending attachments - Sending folder - Preferred message - Save and Print messages received - Access and store attachments - Different Email formats - Send/Receive all - Security  - Your Email identity

Unit 4: Creating your first web page: Welcome to HTML - View the Source Code - To Print the Source Code - How to make HTML tags work - Organising the layout of your page - Body attributes - More control - Adding images - Using an image as a background

Unit 5: Hypertext links: Hypertext links explained - How to create Hyperlinks - Using text as a link - Using an image as a link - Open linked page in a new window

Unit 6: The use of lists: Why we use links - The Ordered list

1.  
   - Nested lists - Definition lists

   - Navigating with lists – Hypertext links and anchors

    

   Unit 7: Advanced HTML formatting: Controlling text and background - Adding colour to text and background - Download a HEX code generator - Adding colour to body and text - Adding colour to Hypertext links - Set the colour for a selection of text - Setting the font style - Setting the font size - Combine the font attributes An alternative way to set the font size

   Unit 8: Forms and feedback: Feedback via email - Feedback via forms - Radio buttons - Check boxes - Selection menu - Text boxes - Align the boxes - Password boxes - Text areas - Submit the Reset buttons - Create your own Submit button - What happens when the Submit button Is pressed? - Using a form in a live Web Site - CGI form handling

   Unit 9: Tables: HTML for tables - Set up your first table - Tables within tables - What can be placed in a Data cell

   Unit 10: More about images: Overcoming image loading problems - Create a heading - Create a button image - Selecting colours in PSP - Advanced image placement - Images as a background - Re-sizing images - Compression of JPEG images - Displaying photographs - Saving images from the Web - Creating animated images - The PNG - Organising files and folders - Using layers

   Unit 11: Frames: Creating a basic Frames Site - Nesting frames - Not all browsers can display frames - Formatting options - Creating a heading - Linking frames - Confused Search Engines

   Unit 12: Image maps: What is an Image Map? - Creating an Image Map

   Unit 13: Multimedia: Animations – Video - How to inset a video file – Sound - MIDI files explained - Using sound files - Obtaining sound and video files

   Unit 14: More creative techniques: Creating a ‘Splash’ page - Invisible spacers - Horizontal rules-the sequel - Scrolling text

   Unit 15: HTML editors – introduction to TSW WebCoder 2005: Introduction - HTML editors

   Unit 16: WYSIWYG web editors – introduction to Dreamweaver 8: What you see is what you get - Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 - Define a site - Create a new document - Adding a style sheet - Adding more style - Design a professional site - A quick rundown of additional features

   Unit 17: Preparing your website for the internet: W3C - HTML 4 - Define the nature of the document - Define the contents of the document - Meta information - Meta information for Search Engines

   Unit 18: Publishing your website: Publishing your site - The FTP program - How to use CuteFTP

   Unit 19: Promoting your website – SEO/SEM: Offline options - Online Web Site promotion - SEO/SEM - FAQ

   Unit 20: Aesthetics: Site aesthetics

   Unit 21: Web accessibility guidelines: Web accessibility and why it is important - Disability Discrimination (DDA) - Benefits of an accessible website - Accessible forms - Label prompt text

   Unit 22: Web usability basics:  Descriptive link text - Sit map provided - No unannounced Pop-ups

Qualifications

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be awarded the Level 3 NCFE in Web Design.

Examination Centre

There is no exam as such, although you will be required to complete a series of tutor-marked assignments. There is no word count for these assignments although you do have to prove to your tutor that you have fully understood the questions asked.

Awarding Body Information

NCFE is recognised as an awarding body by the qualification regulators ('regulators') for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The regulators are the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual) in England, the Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) in Wales and the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) in Northern Ireland. The course is recognised in Scotland by the SQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority).

Assessment

This course is marked through a process of continuous assessment guided by your tutor following NCFE guidelines. This means that your qualification will be awarded according to your performance on assessments rather than by taking an exam. 

Language of Course

English