The Code Behind the Websites

By: Reece Scott

Have you ever wondered how the webpages you look at everyday are made? Every button, image, and block of text you see exists because someone wrote code to put it there. That work is called web programming, and it is exactly what students learn in COM 215 – Web Programming, here at the University of Sioux Falls. The course is taught by Professor Shawn Chiappetta, who has been teaching for 25 years and has been at USF since 2003. COM 215 is, relatively speaking, a newer class, created no more than five years ago, as the web continues to play a bigger role in everyday life, business, and communication. At its core, web programming is about building and managing websites. This includes the visual parts you see on the screen, like layout, colors, images and text, as well as the behind the scenes work that makes websites respond when you click, scroll, or submit information. COM 215 focuses on what is known as “full stack” web development. This means students learn both sides of a website. On the front end, which is what most people see and interact with, they work with HTML and CSS coding to structure and style pages, along with some JavaScript to add interaction. On the back end which most never see, they learn how servers, scripts and databases work using tools like PHP and SQL. Together, these skills allow students to build real, working websites from start to finish. By the end of the course, students leave with practical skills they can actually use. Web programming teaches more than just code. It builds problem-solving, design thinking, and the ability to break large problems into smaller ones. According to Professor Chiappetta, students become “jack-of-all-trades,” learning a little bit of everything needed to make the web work. Students also get hands on experience with tools used in real jobs, such as code editors, design helpers like color tools, and online resources that professional developers use daily. Past students have created impressive projects, including full restaurant websites and applications. Some have even used the skills from this class to land internships or work with local organizations to further pursue this line of work. Web programming can be challenging, especially since it requires both technical and creative thinking, but Professor Chiappetta encourages students to explore and experiment. His advice is simple, don’t just use the web, study it. Pay attention to why websites look and work the way they do. Build things, break them, fix them, and keep learning. So the next time you load a website, like this one, you will know there is code behind every part of it. COM 215 gives students a chance to learn how that code works and how to create something others can see, click, and use every day.