We have a busy year underway in the Web Development & Design program! I’d like to share some updates to our curriculum, highlight our current projects, and invite families to get involved.
Updated Curriculum & Program Structure
Pennsylvania released an updated competency task grid for our program, and I have rewritten our curriculum to align with those requirements. The task grid identifies the skills students are expected to develop throughout the program.
Our four years now follow this progression:
- Freshman Year: Foundations. Students build foundational skills while completing approximately half of the required task grid.
- Sophomore Year: Advanced Skills. Students complete the remaining half of the task grid. By the end of sophomore year, the goal is for students to have learned the technical skills assessed on the NOCTI exam. They will continue strengthening those skills before taking the exam as seniors.
- Junior Year: College Readiness. Students follow HACC curriculum through two courses in the fall and two in the spring, building experience with college-level coursework and expectations.
- Senior Year: Job Readiness. Students apply their skills through a co-op internship or real-world client projects in our Web Development & Design classroom.
Learning to Use AI Effectively
Artificial intelligence is one of the biggest additions to the updated task grid. Our goal is for students to use AI correctly and become more efficient while still understanding and evaluating what it produces.
Freshmen will build their foundational skills without using AI. Sophomores will begin exploring it through limited use, while juniors and seniors will have broader opportunities to incorporate AI into their work.
Students will be expected to review AI-generated work, identify errors, and understand the results. Using AI effectively requires judgment and technical knowledge, rather than blindly accepting its output.
Senior Projects: Working with Real Clients
Our seniors are applying their skills to projects for businesses, community organizations, and school programs. I want to highlight some of our current projects:
- Waves of Change Photography: Developing a website and branding for a Rhode Island wildlife photographer whose work features whales and other marine life.
- West Shore Barber Shop: Building a single-page website for this local business located in Camp Hill.
- Downtown Hershey Association: Preparing to take over website maintenance, including event listings and other content updates.
- School Websites: Supporting websites for Wolverine Garage, Cosmetology, DC Taste, Wolverine Woods Disc Golf Course, and other school programs.
These projects give students experience communicating with clients, managing responsibilities, solving problems, and maintaining websites that people use.
Know a business or nonprofit that needs a website? We welcome inquiries about potential student projects. Please contact me directly at jchoate@dcts.org to discuss the organization’s needs and whether the project would be a good fit for our program.
South Side Elementary Partnership
This year, we are excited to partner with South Side Elementary School’s first-grade classrooms on a project combining graphic design, storytelling, and 3D printing.
Our sophomores, juniors, and seniors will turn the first graders’ drawings into vector artwork, create 3D-printed keychains or magnets based on their designs, and write short stories featuring their creations.
In December, participating students will visit South Side Elementary to surprise the first graders with their stories and 3D prints. This project gives our students an opportunity to apply their creative and technical skills while making something personal for younger students.
Join Our Upcoming OAC Meeting
Our next Occupational Advisory Committee (OAC) meeting will be held virtually on October 27 from 4–5 p.m.
The OAC helps guide our program by providing feedback on curriculum, industry needs, equipment, and opportunities for students.
Parents and students interested in joining the committee, learning more, or attending the upcoming meeting are encouraged to contact me at jchoate@dcts.org. You are welcome to attend even if you are not ready to commit to joining.
Thank you for your continued support of our students and the Web Development & Design program. I look forward to sharing their progress throughout the year!