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Academic Web Page Creation Guide


Introduction > Typical Components of a Course Page

Typical Components of a Course Web Page

Any course Web site should clearly indicate the name of the course and its instructors. The content beyond this basic identifying information can vary widely, but here are some standard components:

For content like this, no complicated Web authoring is usually required; it is just a matter of gathering the information and putting it on your Web site. Such pages can be written in HTML from scratch, created with an HTML editor, or converted from a word-processor document to plain text, HTML, or PDF. Each of these methods is covered in the section of this guide, Building Your Web Page. Also, as you start to design your site you may find the Templates and Samples section useful.

Student Information Policy

MIT policies to protect the privacy of student information may affect material you wish to post on your pages. The following is excerpted from Section 7 of the Student Information Policy:
While most class-related information posted on web sites can be public (syllabus, reading list, assignments etc.), individual communication with students as well as the work prepared by the students for the class (papers, proposals, drawings, etc.) are regarded as student information. Therefore, the following three categories of information must be restricted to use by the staff and students of that class only: At the beginning of the term (before identification photographs and other class list information is posted) Faculty should inform the students about how technology will be used during the class, and specifically how student information will be handled: e.g. what information will be posted to the class web page, who will have access to that information, and how long it will remain available. Instructors will not post the image of any student on the class web page if that student asks that his or her picture not be used for that purpose. In addition to the faculty and teaching assistants associated with the class, the "staff" of the class can include adjunct members from outside the Institute or others whom the instructor(s) identifies. Faculty members are encouraged to remove class lists, email discussions and student work from the class web pages following the end of the term. Faculty must obtain permission from individual students if their work will remain available following the term of the class. Permission must also be obtained if the work is to be posted to a web page that is accessible to MIT and/or to the public.
Web Guide includes information on current options and future plans for restricting access to information posted on Web pages.

Creating a Calendar

A simple schedule can be just a list of dates and lectures or assignments, written as you would any other textual information. Here are options for a more detailed schedule or calendar: