Working together for standards The Web Standards Project

In parallel to the wonderful work that Chris Mills and team are doing on the Opera Web Standards Curriculum, the Education Task Force has begun efforts since March this year on a complementary project: the WaSP Curriculum Framework. Our framework aims to identify the skill sets and competencies that aspiring Web professionals need to acquire to prepare them for their chosen careers.

In order to help educational institutions to identify and include material for these competencies, we are creating a set of foundation courses that can be readily adapted into an existing program at a college, school or university.

The framework will include a collection of tools:

• Course overviews
• Recommended course dependencies indicating what students will need to know before beginning each course
• Learning competencies describing what students must master in order to receive a passing grade
• Ideas for assignments and test questions that allow educators to measure a student’s mastery of each competency
• Recommended textbooks and readings, including articles from the Opera Web Standards Curriculum and other reputable sources
• A list of helpful resources, tools, and utilities specific to each course that will help both educators and students

Why is it called a framework? Given the velocity at which Web technology unravels, we recognize that required skill sets can change rapidly, and that the best way to keep this material useful is for the education community to enrich it with their expertise and experiences. In this way, the WaSP Curriculum Framework will be a “living curriculum” that we hope would be a knowledge base of required skills.

The framework will include guidelines to help educators around the world develop assignments and learning modules that address issues specific to their classrooms. These independently developed teaching materials can then be submitted back to the WaSP Curriculum Framework for review and potential inclusion in the project.

We are also actively working on connecting with other organizations and institutions to create as comprehensive a curriculum framework as possible.

We encourage everyone to get involved by contributing content to the framework upon its initial release in March 2009. In the meantime, join the WaSP Edu Facebook group to share your insights and participate in the discussion. Of course, there is always the WaSP EduTF public discussion list if Facebook isn’t your thing.

Your Replies

#1 On August 1st, 2008 1:12 pm Zac replied:

As a high school web design teacher it is great to see this developing. I look forward to seeing what turns up from the collaboration.

With the Opera curriculum and this, along with the efforts of many other small fry educators, it seems that standards based web development is going to take root in the educational system.

One could only hope ;)

#2 On August 4th, 2008 4:50 am Joachim replied:

I am always very impressed about the work you are handling during the long period.

Hope I will learn more about your work.

Kind regards
J. Brosch

#3 On August 6th, 2008 10:00 am sam s replied:

Great news. I appauld the efforts of the WaSP

#4 On August 6th, 2008 1:17 pm Converse replied:

I’m totally into standards. This is the way we need the development.

#5 On August 7th, 2008 9:37 am Simon Frost replied:

This sounds like a great idea, as long as educational institutions take note of it.

Universities, for one, are notoriously slow at updating their curricula to reflect changing trends / new technologies.

#6 On August 14th, 2008 1:58 pm Web Standards Project will draft a web design curriculum framework | Wisdump replied:

[...] Curriculum, the Web Standards Project (WaSP) Education Task Force announces that it will create a curriculum framework for educational institutions and aspiring web [...]

#7 On August 14th, 2008 3:22 pm Web Design Curriculum Framework - The 11 at oCricket replied:

[...] Web Standards Project (WaSP) Education Task Force has announced that it will create a curriculum framework for educational institutions and aspiring web professionals.This will include recommendations on [...]

#8 On August 15th, 2008 7:09 am Noclegi replied:

I’m glad this task is going to be started. I appreciate the fact that you are dealing with it. I hope, that I will also learn something from the WaSP.
Kind regards
Noclegi

#9 On August 15th, 2008 7:59 am sven replied:

I think this is a very good aproach and absolutly necessary. Nowadays everyone can make an off-the-job training and call themself a Web professional. A standard will help to improve the quality of the education.

#10 On August 15th, 2008 9:04 pm Jef replied:

I agree with the other poster, great idea, but good luck getting Univ’s to get moving on this any time soon. Too many older people who need 55 meetings to put one foot in front of the other. Hopefully this happens sooner rather than later.

#11 On August 19th, 2008 9:40 am Flug Brasilien replied:

Thank you for the worke an i am anxious to the outcomes.

What you afford in the past is outstanding!

Kind regards

Flug
Brasilien

#12 On August 20th, 2008 9:36 pm sanyodenki replied:

I am so glad to know your website and get these so helpful information for me . ” the framework upon its initial release in March 2009″ ~I will follow up. Thanks a bunch again.

#13 On August 21st, 2008 2:40 am nortypig » Blog Archive » The WaSP Curriculum Framework replied:

[...] The WaSP Curriculum Framework is an initiative running in parallel to the Opera Web Standards Curriculum. [...]

#14 On October 2nd, 2008 10:43 am browsergames replied:

Recommending course dependencies indicating what students will need to know before beginning each course sounds like a good idea to save a lot of time.

#15 On October 7th, 2008 11:46 am برامج replied:

I want to come play!

I’ll be submitting my resume to Google in the spring, but it will be for NY Google, not Mountain View Google. We’ll see how things go.

#16 On October 19th, 2008 5:00 am Kuber replied:

Its a good approach and good idea overall. I read ETF curriculum survey results. I agree with a few things faculty shortages, sickness as well is an issue as lectures are cancelled.

Problem i feel with most curriculum i feel is they all give outline, essential concepts and a few examples but they don’t follow the approach for an average student to follow the curriculum and develop something of his own with little help.

For most average students large part of the curriculum goes over their head and it puts them off from further study and research. I as an ex-student and professional would advice that kind of an approach.

reg

#17 On October 25th, 2008 2:03 pm closets replied:

Developing education standards will only help to improve the quality of the education.
Good luck on this important project.

Post a Reply

Comments are closed.