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They are brought to you courtesy of Style Master CSS Editor and Westciv's standards based web development courses.

Please see our website for detailed copyright information or contact us [email protected].

self paced courses

Customer testimonials

the greatest help

I thought all the courses were brilliant and very easy to understand for a total beginner like myself and were the greatest help in creating my website... I have recommended them to anyone I have spoken to since who has asked me for information about how to build a website as they are so clear and simple in comparison to anything else I have found or tried to find on the web and they take you from start to finish in very straightforward steps... The hands on exercises were a great help in grounding all the information. I also very much liked Style Master CSS editor.

Xenia Aidonopoulos

you'll be a pro at CSS

The CSS-1 and CSS-2 courses are a great way to learn style sheets. I thought I knew enough to get by and debated whether or not to take CSS-1 or jump right in to CSS-2. I'm glad I took the first one. It was a great review and I learned things I should have been doing all along. CSS-2 built on that. The courses are easy to follow and well-presented. The CSS Guide is a fabulous resource - I keep it on my desktop for easy referral.

I would also recommend taking these courses with Style Master. They are a great way to learn this helpful program. By the end of the courses, you'll be a pro at CSS and wonder what you did before Style Master. Great job, guys.

Fay Swann

a painless way to learn XHTML and CSS

I very much enjoy Westciv's self-paced courses for web development. They are clearly understandable, effective, and a painless way to learn XHTML and CSS. Above all, they are attractive onscreen, so I wanted to return to them. Unlike competitors, the text needs no browser enlargement but is easy on the eyes, and the backgrounds reduce eyestrain. I cannot say enough good things about Westciv courses. I only wish they taught XML, ActionScript, and FreeBSD as well!!

Christopher Smith

an excellent way to learn CSS

I found WestCiv's tutorials an excellent way to learn CSS. I worked through them all over a couple of weeks then built my first CSS website www.janerevell.com to be fully W3C XHTML & CSS compliant using the CSS manual to help me through the tricky bits. Both the courses and the manual are an invaluable resource well worth the money I paid for them.

Bob Janes

helped me to help my teammates

The insights I have gained in standards-based web development as well as the use of Cascading Style Sheets for appearance and XHTML for content has helped me to help my teammates in developing and maintaining our corporate internet and intranet sites. Although I don't claim to be as proficient as my web developers due to lack of experience, I can say that Western Civilisation's self-paced courses have helped me to gain credibility with my workers and have helped us to employ CSS and XHTML for our corporate intranet and soon for our corporate website.

Don Murphy

simply one of the best values on the Internet

They are simply one of the best values on the Internet, and have gained a stellar reputation among some of today's best web designers. The course is taught in a friendly, easy to grasp manner. Beginner and expert alike will profit from the concise way that the course is structured. It affords anyone the ability to create a great looking, functional website.

The course is also a great resource to double check those things you might now be quite clear on. It's very well thought out, and reasons are given for preferred ways of accomplishing your objectives.

What I like most about the self paced course, and Style Master, is that it lets you learn by doing. The downloadable example files really let you get under the hood, as it were, and see how it all works together. You give solid real-world examples that can be incorporated into any website right now. The concepts are explained and illustrated so clearly that it makes for an entertaining read.

The courses take you from an absolute beginner to a knowledgeable expert in a very short amount of time. Everything is written in plain English, and is easy to understand. By using Style Master together with the courses, it even gets better.

I can now sit down with a client and show him in just a few minutes, why the combination of XHTML and CSS is "the" way to go in designing websites, both now and into the future. It gives the client more flexibility by separating content and presentation. Change a few rules in an external stylesheet, and Voila, you have a whole new site in seconds. It sure beats going in and having to change a hundred or so web pages by hand.

Thanks for helping me to become a better, more confident web designer. The course has given me the "power tools" that I use in my sites every single day. The courses are thorough, compelling and just plain fun.

Charles Rich

Westciv products deliver "Ah Ha" moments

The CSS courses from Westciv took me from overwhelming confusion to understanding. I am now using XHTML and CSS for all of my Web development projects.

After 20 years in software development, I really ran up against a wall when I decided to move from tables based layout to standards compliance. It was easy to see the benefits of the new approach, but I was having considerable difficulty grasping and implementing CSS. I was really stuck between browser incompatibilities and the arcane syntax of CSS.

The combination of the Westciv tutorials, references and the excellent Style Master editor, which clearly shows the properties that are available for each selector, made all the difference. Westciv products deliver "Ah Ha" moments - and I couldn't ask for more than that. I still refer to the "Complete CSS Guide" whenever I need to shake off the cobwebs.

Don Sambrook

a lot of fun

I purchased the whole course bundle from WestCiv (HTML, CSS1, CSS2, Color and Graphics, CSS Guide) and spent an entire week working through them. I'd spent three years in a half-coding, half-WYSIWYG limbo, working very hard to maintain a good look and accessibility for my sites. I think the WestCiv courses really saved my design tactics in a way, because they made me see that I could (and should) keep content and design separate through the use of stylesheets. I was quite tired of calculating table rows and cells for my layouts, and the possibilities of positioning became very attractive. The courses are valuable for novices or those of us looking to redirect our habits, especially now that sites are downloaded to a multitude of platforms (phones, PDAs, etc.) and need to be truly accessible. The projects in the courses are also a lot of fun, and I enjoyed putting them together. So now my code is cleaner, sites are easier to update, and now I feel that I have a better grip on design, so I can concentrate on the content.

Marisa Antonaya

everything I needed to know

I have been involved with computers since the days of CPM, UNIX Sys III and Apple, DEC PDP11's etc. I have fixed systems of all types, installed operating systems, programmed in BASIC, FORTRAN and C.

But, for a long time I more or less ignored the graphical environment except for using the Internet for Email. Having not much to do, I scanned the web for information on HTML etc and came across your site. It offered what I was looking for. Practical guidance on HTML. I purchased, I think all of your courses, and within a few days wrote several HTML/CSS compliant sites. Your courses had everything I needed to know. Later I scanned some of your links and those of the CSS group and found answers to most of the problems I encountered. So in summary, I went from complete novice to writing and putting up my own site in less than a week.

Martin Prior

a good investment

Back in February 2003 I had been working through Westciv's free weekly XHTML and CSS courses. As a web designer myself and someone who trains others in writing XHTML and CSS I was interested to see their materials and keen to fill in any gaps in my own knowledge.

As I'm weak in the areas of tables and forms those sections were of particular interest to me. As an accessibility advocate I was also pleased to see that accessibility features were included in the course.

I liked Westciv's approach and style. The illustrations are clear and helpful and the sample materials and demonstration pages make the points clear.

The money I spent on this package was a good investment.

Miraz Jordan

Learning from you is a joy

Some time ago I bought your course about HTML and CSS1. You sure have a talent to teach. It was a real pleasure to "absorb" the knowledge you offered. Few people know how to anticipate what others would like to know, or what kind of questions they have. But you seem to know. Learning from you is a joy.

Peter Sukel

Outstanding

Your HTML/CSS courses are outstanding. Being an old horse of the "do it right or don't do it at all" school, your material passed with a grade of A+.

Bob Gabardy

Thanks a lot

Your courses have been a great help for me. I did the HTML, graphics and the CSS and stay enlisted to your mailing to every now and then check out what you are up to.

Thanks a lot for your excellent courses. They are not only useful and instructive but also inspiring by their clearness.

Pepijn van Zoest

I share this site with all my students

I was so glad to find your site and your software. I teach Web classes and I share this site with all my students. I like the way it works and the way it also works with Dreamweaver.

The tutorials are very good. I didn't find myself scratching my head wondering what I was supposed to be doing while working through them.

Debra Rogers, DeKalb Technical College

A must

I found the courses and software a must for us who always rely on programs like FrontPage to do all the coding. Thanks to this course, I feel I am on the way to writing all my XHTML & CSS code by hand.

It is not easy when you are over 60 years old and trying to learn how to do things the right way. It was a good feeling each time one of my HTML files was checked by the W3C online XHTML 1.0 validator and received this message "This Page Is Valid XHTML 1.0 Strict!"

Being able to go at your own pace is really great! I am handicapped and have a hard time sitting, standing or walking for very long. The computer is my only enjoyment that I can do now. I am the webmaster for my church's web site and also for the web site of the township that I live in.

I was surprised at how much better you can layout a web page using HTML & CSS coding and not using frames or tables.

John Cramer

well worth the money

I think your self paced courses are great and well worth the money if you wish to start a course ware library. Thanks so much for providing them. I enjoy the entire WestCiv site especially the House of Style.

Terrie Roca

loved the course

I loved the course work on style sheets. It taught me a tremendous amount and it was interesting.

Linda G. Taylor

an excellent resource

The Western Civ self-paced courses are an extremely useful and useable way to learn web-standards compliant coding. Both the HTML course and the CSS courses are well-designed to build a solid knowledge base, and each lesson builds on the previous ones in a well-organized way. The lessons are well-written, and serve as an excellent resource after completing the course.

Lucinda Dykes

adopts a 'hands-on' approach

I got the HTML and XHTML for CSS course as part of a package when ordering the WebDesign product, and found it to be very useful mainly because it adopts a 'hands-on' approach whereby you are taught something and then given the opportunity to put it straight into action by creating an object, rather than having long chapters of information followed by exercises; the very nature of CSS is immediate, and being able to see this was great fun !

Peter Brook

I went from zero to CSS2 in a matter of days

Thanks for your great CSS courses. They are all easy to understand, well thought-out, and filled with great examples and practice exercises. I'm glad I bought the entire set.

I hated tables but didn't think I'd ever be able to learn CSS. Who has the time? Well, you gave it to me. I went from zero to CSS2 in a matter of days. You should've seen me wow a client by changing designs with the click of the mouse! Bye-bye Tables (and the grey hairs that comes with them) forever!

Dave Cadoff

absolutely the most complete product on the market

I've used html soup for years and this is absolutely the most complete product on the market for people like me to get up to speed standards-wise. I bought the complete package, which I now realize was a very good decision. It's great how the two programs, LayoutMaster and StyleMaster, compliment each other! The courses and tutorials are well written and easily understood. These are not just another couple of wysiwyg editors!

Steve Vest

your courses were extremely relevant

Recently graduated from Ringling School of Arts and Design, I thought they had taught me all the ropes - and, yes, it's an excellent school. But I must say your courses were extremely relevant, and I've learnt quite a few things from them. I would really want to recommend them to all people who want to gain inside experience ; and please let me praise your StyleMaster program, which I find very useful.

Onessa Demonceau

an excellent guide

I used your self-paced courses along with other materials on the web to learn but always came back to your materials as points of reference. I feel that they have been an excellent guide.

Henry H. "Hank" Duckman, M.D.

very helpful

Before knowing your products and courses I have heard about "CSS" but had no idea how to begin using it. After doing your courses I was able to: understand how all this stuff works, use in real world CSS. It has been very helpful.

Enric Badia

well written and extremely well constructed

I'd like to say that the Platinum course is a well written and extremely well constructed set of courses. More importantly, it's always on hand for future reference and reminders. Well done, WestCiv!

Tim John

invaluable

As a self learner, your software and online courses have been invaluable. I highly recommend WestCiv's products to anyone who has a genuine interest in web development and standardization.

Kathleen Lee

love the courses!

I love the courses! I currently wish I had more time to devote to finishing them. I have been through "HTML for CSS" and CSS level 1, I am looking forward to "CSS level 2" and "Color and Graphics for the WWW."I recommend them to everyone trying to write web pages. They are easy to follow, great examples, and a real time saver and a wealth of information and sources.

Byron Bezdek

exceed my expectations

The courses lived up to and exceed my expectations, an attribute that is hard to come by nowadays. The knowledge gleaned from them gave me the building blocks I needed to proceed with development of an idea for a web site.

Ralph Friedman

love your courses!

I love your courses! They are all very well done and explained in detail. I have learned a lot.

"Best viewed with all browsers!"

I did four of your self paced courses and the one I took out most was "HTML 4.0 and XHTML 1.0 for Cascading Style Sheets". In this course I got a very deep look into how HTML works and how to use it correctly. Most websites I now design take profit out of that knowledge and I hope therefore they are highly accessible to all browsers and users. The aim of my programming is: "Best viewed with all browsers!"

Thomas Bielefeldt

Roxana Castaneda S.

well worth the small investment

I would definitely recommend westciv's courses to anyone, they were well worth the small investment. The pacing is good, the material is top quality, and the lessons are "meaty" -- not as basic and elementary as some other online courses I've used, but instead they actually take you into some of the advanced features of the topic. Very satisfying. I use them as reference materials, and refer back to them often.

Ruth Rogers

the only CSS training I recommend to my students

I have recently completed your courses on Cascading Style Sheets. I have found them to be extremely easy to follow, to contain great examples and learning opportunities. I have read all the books on CSS by the supposed experts and yet I have learned more and have gained a better understanding of the day-to-day use of CSS from your courses than from any other source. Your courses have become the only CSS training I recommend to my students.

Gary Barclay

very beneficial

I really find the courses very beneficial. they are certainly among the best I have seen on the web and quite easy to follow.

Bashar AL-Jamal

I'm just a fan

I'm just a fan. Anything that gets me understanding CSS layout - something I've struggled with since first coming across the concept - has got to be worth a testimonial.

Peter Bradley

very impressed

I have been very impressed with the CSS1 and CSS2 courses. They give a very thorough grounding in how to make the best use of CSS and, more importantly, why! I had previously made use of some CSS features but in an unco-ordinated way. I can now understand the philosophy behind why we should make web pages in this way so I now have the knowledge and the motivation. The courses are rich in material and take a while to get through but the effort is well worth it.

Keir Francis

a must

The Westciv courses are unique in their stress on the separation of structure and presentation. For example most HTML introductions (either online or in print) start with the font element. The Westciv course never uses it, relying on CSS from the beginning. I think the courses are a must not only for HTML beginners, but also for experienced designers who, like me, are trying to break bad habits.

Alan Duchan

Your courses are excellent!

Your courses are excellent! The focus is always on the essentials: separating design from content, browser compatibility and reusability.

It now takes me only a few minutes to create a dynamic website with a professional look. Most importantly, editing the website has become very easy. The content is no longer hidden in a mess of tags, instead it reads like any text in a word processor.

With all tools at hand and under control, I can now focus on the design and enjoy being creative. I am looking forward to more tips and tools on your website!

Ursula Peter-Czichi

well worth my time and money

CSS1 and CSS2 were well worth my time and money. They provide a very good introduction to CSS. Moreover, when the material occasionally raised question that the text didn't answer, someone from WestCiv [I know: that was you, Maxine] took the time to email a response.

Jay Gerard

very well written

The courses were excellent; extremely useful, comprehensive and remarkably very well written. Would be of use to any web developer who wanted to produce standards based web sites using CSS.

Emma Wolstencroft

Not only do these courses teach the how-to's

I own and use the HTML & XHTML, CSS Level 1 and Color & Graphics Self-paced Courses from WestCiv. Not only do these courses teach the how-to's, but also the why's of each skill. For me, this is what makes the information really stick. Providing the mock Website to put these skills to use as they are explained is a brilliant way to learn.

Randy Femrite