About

Table of contents

1. Course Content
2. Course Sequence
3. Units/Project
   1. Unit 1 - Fundamentals
   2. Unit 2 - React
   3. Unit 3 - Node & Express
   4. Unit 4 - Python & Django
4. Course Logistics
   1. Instructor Communication
   2. How to Ask for Help?
   3. Graduation Requirements
   4. Homework
   5. Attendance
   6. Plagiarism

Course Content

What are some technologies and languages you know of that are involved in web development (e.g., HTML, CSS, Python, Databases).

A non-exhaustive list of technologies we cover:

• HTML
• CSS
• JavaScript
• Node.js
• MongoDB (NoSQL Database)
• Express.js
• React.js
• Python
• SQL / PostgreSQL (Relational Database)
• Django

We cover these technologies / topics because they are foundational to web development, and learning the underlying concepts of how they work prepares you to learn and work in any web development technologies.

Course Sequence

The course is divided into roughly 4 units lasting roughly 6 weeks each. Each unit concludes with a 1-2 week unit project. You will also have a project every week.

Units/Project

Unit 1 - Fundamentals

• Intro to the Web and Development (HTML/CSS and Git)
• JavaScript
• Intro to object oriented programming (OOP)
• Intro to HTTP, Rest and APIs

Unit 2 - React

• React and Redux
• Learning the conventions of a Front End framework
• Building single page applications (SPAs)

Unit 3 - Node & Express

• Intro to Node and NPM
• Intro to HTTP, Rest and APIs
• Express, MongoDB

Unit 4 - Python & Django

• Python, PostgreSQL
• Full-stack web application with Django
• Django REST API

Course Logistics

Instructor Communication

The instructors are here for you and to help you succeed, but we can’t be available to you 24/7. There will be dedicated time for instructors to provide students with in-person support outside of lessons.

These are times when instructors are available to help you with bugs, answer questions or provide advice. The goal of this program is to turn you in to a self-sufficient software engineer, so our expectation is that you try to resolve issues on your own as much as possible. We use the remaining time to prepare lessons, grade projects, etc.

However, if you have any questions concerning SEI, your progress in the course, challenges you are facing, or any other non-technical concerns that you would like to discuss, you are welcome to Slack instructors to set up one-on-one meetings. If you reach out via Slack in the evening, the instructor will probably respond by the next day.

How to Ask for Help?

Asking for help is what students find hardest in SEI. It is also what ultimately determines whether or not students will be successful in this class.

• Without fail, the students who do not ask for help do the poorest in the class.
• Knowing how to ask for help and where to look for answers are two of the biggest skills you can gain from this class and will be incredibly valuable as you prepare to join the professional workforce.

How can we ask for help efficiently?

• Ask a question about a clear problem. “I don’t know any of this” isn’t a clear question or a clear problem. “I tried this thing and got this error” is a clear problem.
• Your instructors and peers won’t be able to help you if:
  • The question you’re asking isn’t constructive
  • It’s clear you haven’t made an effort to find the answer. This means taking the following steps:
    1. First, try it yourself
    2. Then, Google it
    3. Then, ask a peer
    4. Finally, ask an instructor

Check out this resource if you’d like to learn more about how to ask effective questions.

Graduation Requirements

The SEI Graduation Requirements are here.

Homework

The SEI Homework policy is here.

Attendance

The SEI Attendance policy is here.

Plagiarism

The SEI Plagiarism policy is here.

General Assembly is not a traditional educational institution, but we share some things in common. We have a plagiarism policy in place to create a healthy classroom culture where students prioritize their learning above all other goals for the duration of the cohort. We create a space where it is ‘safe to fail’ since ‘failure’ is such an integral part of the learning process.

• You can’t ask external people to do your work
• You must understand your submissions – if you can’t explain them then the assumption is that you plagiarized
• If you collaborate, you have to indicate that you did in a comment on the submission
• You have to comment where you have used the solution branch (if one exists) or if you have used an external resource such as a tutorial