WWWP Visitors' Center

The visitors' centers found in most national parks are the places first-time visitors go to get an overview of the park and to pick-up maps. While there, many visitors also view a short video or slide presentation that shows a sample of the park's attractions and facilities.
Similarly, the WWWP Visitors' Center provides the first-time visitor with an overview of the course, explaining the underlying concepts on which it is based and providing a map of the site. It also offers a short guided tour of sample pages and services included in the site.

Concept

The course is based on two main concepts.

The World Wide Web when combined with Java is a new environment for computing. The main goal for this course is to prepare students to write programs within and for this environment.

The course is intended to be conducted through the Internet and the World Wide Web. During class, course content will be presented through a Web browser; students will present their programming assignments and class projects as Web pages; and on-line tools will be used to encourage interaction among students, instructor, and course content.

Content

The course includes three kinds of content.

Background information includes the history of the Internet, TCP/IP, and the architecture of the Web, including the Common Gateway Interface (CGI).

The Perl programming language, with emphasis on CGI programming.

The Java programming language, with emphasis on applets that can be accessed through the network and run within a Web browser.

Slide Show

The slide show provides you with a "sit back and relax" sampling of the various kinds of information and tools that are included in the course. Sample pages will appear for a few seconds - just long enough to give you a visual impression. You can also replay the show from any point in the sequence.
Note: when you are through with the Slide Show, you can return to this page by clicking on the link included at the bottom of that page or by selecting the Welcome link in the left panel and then The Visitors' Center. But you should not use the back arrow on your browser, since it will take you back through the "slides," in reverse order.
The next stop on your tour of the Visitors' Center, after the Slide Show, is the Course Map, where you can browse course materials in any order you like, for as long as you like.

Course Map

The course map shows the different kinds of information that are included in the course. You can see brief explanations of the different types and you can visit examples of each. But to do this, you need to go to the more detailed Course Map page.

When you are through, you can return to this page by clicking on the back arrow of your browser or by selecting the Welcome link in the left panel and then The Visitors' Center link.

Next Steps

Now that you have gone through the Visitors' Center, where should you go next?
If you are a student or someone who wants to browse the course content, you probably want to go the Coursepage. It is the starting point for most course-related activity and information. You can go there by clicking on the preceding link or by selecting the Coursepage link in the left panel.
If you are an instructor considering adopting the course, you probably want to go to The Instructors' Place. There you will find answers to frequently asked questions and an on-line forum where you can read questions and comments posed by other visitors and add your own. You may also wish to browse the Instructors' Manual, which addresses issues of concern for instructors in more detail.
Others who find themselves here and want to learn more about the course should probably go to the Coursepage.