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Frames and Your Course Website
Frames are separate areas in a web page. Sometimes you can see where one frame stops and the next begins because the frames are separated by borders. Other times the dividing line between frames is invisible. Frames are not just divisions of a single page. Instead, each frame is a separate page with its own properties and behaviors.
Sometimes web pages are divided into frames that serve no useful purpose. Frames are used only because the author knew how to create them. 1. Frames take longer to load because each frame is a separate web page. 2. Some older browsers can't interpret and display frames correctly. 3. The most serious problem that can arise occurs when a web page with frames is linked to an outside web site. Without proper HTML coding, the new web site opens inside one of the frames instead of occupying the entire screen. If the new web site also uses frames, the actual text that a student needs to read may occupy such a small part of the screen that reading is impossible. Frames within frames within frames leads to a great amount of frustration for users. Experienced Internet users know how to "break out" of nested frames, but many students will not have the knowledge needed.
Display a long table of contents in a frame on the left and the associated information in a larger frame when you want the table of contents to be available at all times. A short table of contents does not require a separate frame and can be displayed within a single page.
The link tags in any page with frames should contain the target option. The HTML code for your link to an outside web site should look like this: <a href="www.yahoo.com" target=_top>Visit Yahoo</a> Using the target=_top option for every link in a framed page ensures that every linked web page will occupy the entire window and not be displayed inside one of your smaller frames.
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