A New Undergraduate Textbook Coming in Fall, 2025

Web development has become one of the most relevant and highly sought after skills in the software industry today. Full Stack Web Web Development from the Ground Up: Principes, Practices, and Technologies presents a systematic and modern treatment of this core area of software development, starting with the fundamentals of front-end development using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript; moving to front-end development with React; and culminating in server-side development using Express.js, Node.js, and MongoDB.

While the book uses the modern and widely adopted MERN stack (MongoDB, Express.js, React.js, and Node.js) to explore web development, its emphasis is not on the specific technologies themselves, but rather on underlying concepts, principles, and best practices that transcend any particular tehcnology stack. This approach lays a solid foundation for students to become curious, relective, and proficient web developers who can adapt to the rapidly changing landscape of web development technologies and practices.

For more information, view the preface and table of contents.

About the Author

Chris Hundhausen is a professor of computer science and Associate Head for Online Programs in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Oregon State University. He has been active in computing education research since the 1990s, specializing in algorithm visualization, studio-based learning, social learning environments, and software engineering education. In 2017, Chris embarked on a sabbatical as a professional web developer. His focus was to develop a full-stack web application for speedgolf, an international sport which combines running and golf. He traveled to speedgolf tournaments around the world to deploy SpeedScore and collect data on its use. The sabbatical kindled Chris's passion for web development and planted the seeds for this book.