ARST 593B-Information Technology and Archives -- COURSE Syllabus
Program : Master
of Archival Studies
Year : 2005-2006 Winter
Session, Term 1
Course Schedule : Fridays,
9:00-12:00
Instructor : Francesca Marini
Office
location : TEF 344
Office phone :
604-822-4991
Office
hours :
12noon-1pm after class; any other time by appointment
E-mail address :
fmarini@interchange.ubc.ca
Course Goal : Through lectures and hands-on experience, this course aims at providing an introductory overview of basic information technology and of its use in the context of archival work. The course is mostly practical and will take place in the instructional lab, where students will be able to carry out tasks first-hand. The assignments will support learning and implementation of information technology. Much of the course-load will be addressed during class time. Five short exercises and one quiz will take place in class; the two other main assignments -- a simple Web site and a simple database application -- will be completed through work in class and outside class. Students will work alone and in groups.
Course Objectives :
- Understand the basic categories and architectures of Information Technology
- Use Internet technologies for finding, distributing, and publishing information related to archives
- Create a web page
- Understand how data technologies and standards are used to manage archival information
- Create a simple database application to manage archival information
Course Topics :
- IT and the archival profession
- Introduction to computing architecture
- Introduction to application and system software
- Introduction to data management technologies and standards
- Internet technologies and standards
- HTML
- Web site design and usability
- Relational Databases
- Microsoft Access
- Introduction to information systems
- Archival Management Software
Course Restrictions :
- Limited to students in the MAS and Joint programs unless permission is granted by the SLAIS Graduate Advisor.
- All students must have a valid SLAIS Lab account including FTP privileges (see http://www.slais.ubc.ca/RESOURCES/itlab/WS_FTP.htm)
- All students must meet the required minimum computer and IT competencies for students entering SLAIS as per school policy (see http://www.slais.ubc.ca/RESOURCES/itlab/rec-competencies.htm)
Format of the course : Lectures, presentations, discussions and collaborative analyses of documents
Required and Recommended Reading :
Required (available at UBC Bookstore):
- Laudon, Kenneth C., Rosenblatt, Kenneth, and Langley, David. How to Create Web Pages Using HTML. Brief Edition ( Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2002); ISBN: 0-07-247182-4
- Gunderloy, Mike, and Sales Harkins, Susan. Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Microsoft Office Access 2003 ( Indianapolis, Indiana: Que, 2004); ISBN: 0-7897-2940-7
NOTE: Additional readings will be provided on a class-by-class basis.
Format of the Course : Lectures; lab assignments; class discussions; guest-speaker presentation
Course Assignments Due-Dates and Weight in Relation to Final Course Grade:
Assignment |
Due Date |
Weight |
Lab Exercises (five) |
(Throughout course) |
25% total (5% each) |
In-class IT Quiz |
October 7 |
25% |
Course Assignment 1-Web Site |
October 21 |
25% |
Course Assignment 2-Microsoft Access Database Application |
December 2 |
25% |
Class-by-class Schedule:
DATE |
TOPIC |
Friday, September 9 |
Introduction to the class; In-class questionnaire and FTP; In-class activity: Review and discussion of InterPARES Case Studies |
Friday, September 16 |
IT and the archival profession; Introduction to Information Technology; Computing architecture; System software; Application Software |
Tuesday, September 20 |
Data storage technologies and standards; Networking; Internet architecture and standards; HTML Explanation of Lab Exercises 1 and 2, and of Course Assignment 1-Web Site Please bring How to Create Web Pages Using HTML to class |
Friday, September 30 |
Web site design and usability Lab Exercise 1 (HTML) ; prior to class, in preparation for this exercise, please review Lessons 1 and 2 of How to Create Web Pages Using HTML Please bring How to Create Web Pages Using HTML to class |
Tuesday, October 4 |
Lab Exercise 2 (HTML) ; prior to class, in preparation for this exercise, please review Lesson 3 of How to Create Web Pages Using HTML Review in preparation of IT Quiz Please bring How to Create Web Pages Using HTML to class |
Friday, October 7 |
In-class IT Quiz |
Friday, October 21 |
Guest Lecturer: Greg Kozak, InterPARES 2 Project Coordinator, “How to Create Effective PowerPoint Presentations” Introduction to databases Course Assignment 1-Web site due Please bring Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Microsoft Office Access 2003 to class |
Friday, October 28 |
The relational database model Explanation of Course Assignment 2-Microsoft Access Database Application Please bring Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Microsoft Office Access 2003 to class |
Friday, November 4 |
Lab Exercise 3 (Database); prior to class, in preparation for this exercise, please review Chapters 4, 5, and 6 of Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Microsoft Office Access 2003 Please bring Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Microsoft Office Access 2003 to class |
Friday, November 11 |
NO CLASS |
Friday, November 18 |
Information System Analysis and Design Explanation of In-class Archival Management Software Assignment Lab Exercise 4 (Database); prior to class, in preparation for this exercise, please review Chapters 7, 8, and 9 of Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Microsoft Office Access 2003 Please bring Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Microsoft Office Access 2003 to class |
Friday, November 25 |
Lab Exercise 5 (In-class Archival Management Software Assignment) ; prior to class, in preparation for this exercise, please read pages 1-9 in David Lake, Russell F. Loiselle, Debra Steidel Wall, Market Survey of Commercially Available Off-The-Shelf Archival Management Software (Paris: International Council on Archives-Committee on Information Technology, January 2003). Available at: http://www.ica.org/biblio/ICA_Study_12_Archival_Software_Survey.pdf (last accessed: September 8, 2005) Course Assignment 2-Microsoft Access Database Application: hands-on |
Friday, December 2 |
Course Assignment 2-Microsoft Access Database Application: hands-on Assignment due by the end of today’s class Class evaluation forms to be filled in |
Attendance : The calendar states: "Regular attendance is expected of students in all their classes (including lectures, laboratories, tutorials, seminars, etc.). Students who neglect their academic work and assignments may be excluded from the final examinations. Students who are unavoidably absent because of illness or disability should report to their instructors on return to classes."
Evaluation : Marks will be awarded using the evaluative criteria given on the SLAIS web site: http://www.slais.ubc.ca/RESOURCES/slais-marking.htm .
Written & Spoken English Requirement : Written and spoken work may receive a lower mark if it is, in the opinion of the instructor, deficient in English.
