An undergraduate research course aimed at furthering the Web

The World Wide Web presents a new frontier in science and engineering. There are many problems yet to be solved or even formulated. Many students are fascinated by the World Wide Web and a good number of the authors' own students have created rather sophisticated Websites. The major aim of this course is to introduce them to skills and habits that enable them to develop new technologies and applications for the Web. This is not necessarily an easy task, as engineers are traditionally trained to solve problems rather than formulate interesting problem statements. The centerpiece of the course is the research project. Through it, students investigate and develop new technologies or applications for the Web. Additionally, the authors study major areas in which the Web has an impact.