Revised 8/2023

ITE 270 - Advanced Multimedia Development (3 CR.)

Course Description

Refines multimedia skills, focusing on project development using digital media; video clips, still images, and audio (sounds, music, and narration). Lecture 3 hours per week.

General Course Purpose

This course will teach a student how to create a multimedia website using a Web Content Management Systems [CMS], customize the design using themes, organize posts using custom taxonomies, add advanced capabilities using plugins and/or extensions, and create users with different privileges.

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

Prerequisite: ITE 170.

Course Objectives

  • Explain what a CMS is, how it functions, and how it differs from other methods of creating websites.
  • Create a fully functional website using a CMS, including a custom design and advanced functionalities.

Major Topics to Be Included

  • Intro
    • What is a CMS
    • Comparison of CMS alternatives
  • Code Overview
    • Downloading
    • Directory and file structure
    • Configuration
  • Working locally
    • Benefits of working locally
    • Setting up a local environment
    • Configuration Details
    • Virtual Machines
    • Deploying Local Changes
  • The core
    • What’s in the core
    • Using the core as a reference
    • CMS Codex and Code Reference
  • The Loop
    • Understanding the loop
    • Template tags
    • Customizing the loop
    • Global variables
    • Working outside the loop
  • Data Management
    • Database Schema
    • Table details
    • Direct Database Manipulation
  • Custom Post Types, Custom Taxonomies, and MetaData
    • Understanding Data in the CMS
    • Taxonomy
    • Building Your Own Taxonomies
    • MetaData
  • Plugin Development
    • Plugin packaging
    • Plugin security
    • Know your hooks: actions and filters
    • Plugin settings
    • CMS Integration
    • Creating a plugin example
    • Publishing to the plugin directory
  • Themes
    • Why use a theme
    • Installing a theme
    • Creating your own theme
      • Getting started
      • Dry
      • Content display
      • Additional files
    • Custom page templates
    • Other theme enhancements
    • Theme hierarchy and child themes
    • Premium themes and other theme frameworks
  • Crafting a User Experience
    • User experience principles
    • Usability and usability testing
    • Structuring your information
    • Getting your site found
    • How web standards get your data discovered
    • Searching your own site
    • Mobile access and responsive web design
  • Securing your CMS
    • Securing your CMS
    • Using roles
    • Recommended security plugins
  • CMS real world considerations
    • Is a CMS the right tool
    • Which CMS should you choose
    • Defining content management
    • Workflow and delegation
    • Content organization
    • Interactivity features
    • Scalability
    • Statistics counters
    • Cache management
    • Load balancing
    • Dealing with spam
  • CMS Resources
TOPIC HOURS PERCENT
Major Topics
Intro 3 6.67
Code Overview 3 6.67
Working locally 3 6.67
The core 3 6.67
The Loop 3 6.67
Data Management 3 6.67
Custom Post Types, Custom Taxonomies,and MetaData 3 6.67
Plugin Development 6 13.33
Themes 6 13.33
User Experience 3 6.67
Securing the CMS 3 6.67
Real world considerations 3 6.67
CMS resources 3 6.67
Total 45 100