Design and Develop

Computer Science Web Development is a year-long elective course designed to teach students about web development, user experience (UX), and cyber security—several of the top fields in computer science.

During the first trimester, students learned the process of building individual web pages using HTML and CSS, two core technologies for web page structure and design. After successfully building their individual pages, students are now working in small groups to build a multi-page website. The websites must have a purpose, such as addressing an issue or solving a need, and have a cohesive user-friendly design. Every group member is responsible for developing at least one page, not including the index.

Andrew Asikainen, Whitfield’s computer science integration specialist, developed the web development course two years ago in response to student interest.

“I want our computer science courses to fit the interests of our students,” said Mr. Asikainen. “We have quite a few student entrepreneurs who want to learn how to develop a website so they can do it themselves vs. paying someone else to do it. Last year, I had 12 seniors in the class and this year, 16 seniors registered, and we had a wait list. I am very excited to see our computer science program grow!”