Site Critique: CIS 110 Page

http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~cis110/

I have used this site in some form almost every day since my first college class. I took the three basic computer science courses and then began working as a teaching assistant for CIS 110, the first class in the series. At first, I had been impressed. I expected an HTML page, complete with hyperlink blue and Times New Roman, but I found colors, buttons, and CSS. But now, time has passed, and the more I use it, the less it appeals to me.

Worst, the site has four menus. Because it has its own bar, above the content pane, the large, grey one seems like the primary navigation. It is really just links to other Penn web pages. Although mildly relevant, the site should really focus on providing students with class information. There is another text menu, so light it looks like a breadcrumb, which links to similar courses’ sites, all of which use the same layout. You may want your homework but end up with your neighbor’s lab. The pages relevant to your class are on the left sidebar, a location often associated with secondary navigation. My least favorite aspect is the tiny Java resources menu in the top left. You can’t pass the course without those links. I would individually add each reference link to the class menu and then combine the other menus into a “department links” option. This pushes back the UPenn information and brings forth the coding information. The menu has hover states, but it could use a selected state.

The site simple architecture means a search feature is unnecessary. Page titles appear in bold green on the content pane. Most content pages link to off-site documents like PDF lecture notes. The navigation is consistent with the exception of the “Resources” page which explains how to set up programming environments for the class. Here, the side menu disappears, and there is no return.


In good, engineering, fashion, copy is succinct, often in bulleted lists. Even menu items are straightforward descriptions. “Schedule” shows the weekly class schedule, and “Staff” contains staff contact information. The only ambiguity lies in “Content.” There once were individual sections for lectures, labs, and assignments but, since Spring 2008, students must log into this page to access course notes and assignments. Designers should turn “Content” into the home page, so students do not have to dig for current information. There have been cheating concerns, but I think the login requirement is useless when the information is pretty freely distributed to begin with.

Visually, I feel things are too simple. The site uses only one font - sometimes bold, sometimes larger, sometimes smaller. Announcement text is red. Links are cyan. Again, the “Content” pane poses an exception. It uses Courier and just ends up looking misplaced. The layout utilizes cool colors – grey, white, and muted teal – probably selected partially for readability and partially at random. There seems to be no thought towards “what looks good,” just “what doesn’t look bad.” Nothing stands out, and imagery is limited to staff pictures, HTML tables, and a space-filling Java logo. I feel adding a handful more images and subtle treatments - that don’t look like clip art - would make the experience more personable and stimulating.


A useful, prominent, feature for students is the off-site, PHPBB bulletin board where they anonymously talk to a TA about an assignment outside of office hours. It can be accessed from the sidebar, but requires another login and yet another to post. Also, it should open in a new browser or tab, so students can keep the 110 page open as well.

If you can navigate it, the 110 site is practical but visually cold. The design is mediocre and could be great with some attention to detail. Students do not expect much to begin with, but when a site needs to attract students to a major, a little improvement goes a long way.