MARA 249–10
Electronic Recordkeeping Systems and Issues in Electronic Recordkeeping
Spring 2011 Greensheet

Lisa Marie Daulby
E-mail
Office Hours: by appointment, e-mail.

ANGEL Information: Students must self-enroll in the ANGEL site for this course.  The access code will be sent to enrolled students via MySJSU.

Course Description

The effective management and use of electronic records is necessary and remains a key objective of recordkeeping professionals. However, electronic records have distinct characteristics that impose unique responsibilities on the organizations that manage them. Although electronic records improve administrative operations and enhance the accessibility of information, certain challenges associated with their management exist. This course is an introduction to the management and long-term preservation of unstructured content created or maintained electronically. This course examines the ways in which new information technologies challenge organizations' capacities to define, identify, control, manage, and preserve electronic records. Topics include the nature of electronic records as evidence; reliability and authenticity in electronic records; electronic records management policy formulation; business continuity planning; information security; the role and nature of recordkeeping metadata; strategies, techniques, and technologies for the long-term preservation of electronic records; as well as industry, national, and international standards relating to electronic recordkeeping.

Prerequisites: MARA 200, 202, 204.

Core Competencies

This course supports the following MARA Core Competencies:

• C. Understand the evolution of information recordkeeping systems in response to technological change.
• D. Have expertise in the basic concepts and principles used to identify, evaluate, select, organize, maintain, and provide access to records of current and enduring value.
• E. Understand the system of standards and structures endorsed and utilized by the recordkeeping professions, particularly in the areas of electronic records and digital assets management.
• H. Be conversant with current information technologies and best practices relating to records preservation and security.

Course Objectives

At the completion of the course, students will be able to:

• understand the nature of electronic records and recognize the impact that technology has on recordkeeping in contemporary environments;
• analyze how national and regional laws and regulations impact electronic records management;
• identify appropriate metadata standards for the control and retrieval of electronic records;
• create and develop policies, standards and practices governing the creation, management and use of electronic records;
• understand the challenges associated with preserving electronic records over time and frame the methods and strategies being advocated by experts in the field to ensure that electronic records remain understandable, accessible, and useable;
• define general requirements for compliant organizations and accountable electronic recordkeeping systems based on industry models and standards;
• analyze a variety of problems related to electronic records and propose solutions that are appropriate in particular contexts.
• identify future web 2.0 trends and practices in the creation of information in electronic form; and
• review and discuss major academic electronic records research projects proposed or undertaken by various organizations and institutions.

Course Requirements

Assignments
This course requires a number of assignments designed to introduce students to the concepts covered in class and in the text, as well as practical applications of methods.

Course Grading
Grading will be based on a total accumulation of possible points, distributed as follows:

• Class Participation and Discussion - 25 points (25% of final grade)
  Participation in weekly discussion boards 
  Due: Weekly
• Electronic Records in the News - 10 Points (10% of final grade) 
  Lead an electronic records in the news discussion 
  Due: Date will be assigned by instructor
• Assignment #1 – 15 points (15% of final grade)
  Comparative review of two academic research papers on an aspect of electronic records management. 
  Due: February 22 (midnight pacific time)
• Assignment #2 – 15 points (15% of final grade)
  Preservation of Me – What personal electronic records would you choose for long-term preservation ?  Virtual e-record time capsule assignment 
  Due: March 15 (midnight pacific time)
• Research Paper OR Business Case Proposal / Plan– 30 points (30 % of final grade)
  A critical extended essay of about 15 pages on a topic relevant to the course proposed the student and accepted by the instructor. 
  OR
  A business/case proposal or plan of about 15 pages relating to the organizational implementation of an electronic recordkeeping system or electronic records management program proposed by the student and accepted by the instructor.
  Due: Topic Instructor Approval March 29 (midnight pacific time)
  Due: Preliminary Citations April 26 (midnight pacific time) 10pts
  Due: Final Paper May 17 (midnight pacific time) 20pts
• Assorted games, quizzes, attendance at special lectures, participation in selected blogs etc..5 points (5% of final grade)
  Due: Selected unit dates

Course Calendar
Unit Start and End Date Topic

• Week 1 January 26 – February 1 Course Introductions and Overview
• Week 2 February 2 – February 8 Electronic Records Concepts, Principles and Definitions
• Week 3 February 9 – February 15 Building an Electronic Records Program (Part 1): Strategic Vision & Policy and Procedure Development
• Week 4 February 16 – February 22 Building an Electronic Records Program (Part 2): Electronic Records Management Systems & Functional Requirements
  Assignment # 1 Due February 22 (midnight pacific time)
• Week 5 February 23 – March 1 Digital Curation & Long-Term Preservation
• Week 6 March 2 – March 8 Electronic Records Legal & Ethical Issues
• Week 7 March 9 – March 15 National and International Research Projects & Industry Best Practices and Standards
  Assignment # 2 Due March 15 (midnight pacific time)
• Week 8 March 16 – March 22 Privacy, Information Security & Business Continuity Planning
• Week 9 March 23 – March 29 Recordkeeping Metadata
  Final Assignment Approved by Instructor Due March 29 (midnight pacific time)
• Week 10 March 30 – April 5 spring Break
• Week 11 April 6 – April 12 Personal Electronic Recordkeeping Practices
• Week 12 April 13 – April 19 Special Issues in Electronic Records Management: Email Management
• Week 13 April 20 – April 26 Special Issues in Electronic Records Management: Web Content Management 
  Final Assignment Bibliography Due April 26 (midnight pacific time)
• Week 14 April 27 – May 3 Web 2.0 Technologies and the Management of Electronic Records
• Week 15 May 4 – May 11 A Career in Electronic Record Management
  Course Review and Conclusions
  Final Assignment May 17 (midnight pacific time) 

Textbooks and Readings

Required Textbooks:

• Bantin, P. (2008). Understanding Data and Information Systems for Recordkeeping. Neal-Schuman. Available through Amazon: 1555705804

Grading Scale

The standard SJSU School of Information Grading Scale is utilized for all iSchool courses:

In order to provide consistent guidelines for assessment for graduate level work in the School, these terms are applied to letter grades:

• C represents Adequate work; a grade of "C" counts for credit for the course;
• B represents Good work; a grade of "B" clearly meets the standards for graduate level work;
  For core courses in the MLIS program (not MARA) — INFO 200, INFO 202, INFO 204 — the iSchool requires that students earn a B in the course. If the grade is less than B (B- or lower) after the first attempt you will be placed on administrative probation.  You must repeat the class the following semester. If -on the second attempt- you do not pass the class with a grade of B or better (not B- but B) you will be disqualified.
  
• A represents Exceptional work; a grade of "A" will be assigned for outstanding work only.

Students are advised that it is their responsibility to maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).

University Policies

General Expectations, Rights and Responsibilities of the Student

As members of the academic community, students accept both the rights and responsibilities incumbent upon all members of the institution. Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with SJSU's policies and practices pertaining to the procedures to follow if and when questions or concerns about a class arises. See University Policy S90-5 at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S90-5.pdf. More detailed information on a variety of related topics is available in the SJSU catalog at http://info.sjsu.edu/web-dbgen/catalog/departments/LIS.html. In general, it is recommended that students begin by seeking clarification or discussing concerns with their instructor. If such conversation is not possible, or if it does not serve to address the issue, it is recommended that the student contact the Department Chair as a next step.

Dropping and Adding

Students are responsible for understanding the policies and procedures about add/drop, grade forgiveness, etc. Refer to the current semester's Catalog Policies section at http://info.sjsu.edu/static/catalog/policies.html. Add/drop deadlines can be found on the current academic year calendars document on the Academic Calendars webpage at http://www.sjsu.edu/provost/services/academic_calendars/. The Late Drop Policy is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/aars/policies/latedrops/policy/. Students should be aware of the current deadlines and penalties for dropping classes.

Information about the latest changes and news is available at the Advising Hub at http://www.sjsu.edu/advising/.

Consent for Recording of Class and Public Sharing of Instructor Material

University Policy S12-7, http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S12-7.pdf, requires students to obtain instructor's permission to record the course and the following items to be included in the syllabus:

• "Common courtesy and professional behavior dictate that you notify someone when you are recording him/her. You must obtain the instructor's permission to make audio or video recordings in this class. Such permission allows the recordings to be used for your private, study purposes only. The recordings are the intellectual property of the instructor; you have not been given any rights to reproduce or distribute the material."
  • It is suggested that the syllabus include the instructor's process for granting permission, whether in writing or orally and whether for the whole semester or on a class by class basis.
  • In classes where active participation of students or guests may be on the recording, permission of those students or guests should be obtained as well.
• "Course material developed by the instructor is the intellectual property of the instructor and cannot be shared publicly without his/her approval. You may not publicly share or upload instructor generated material for this course such as exam questions, lecture notes, or homework solutions without instructor consent."

Academic integrity

Your commitment, as a student, to learning is evidenced by your enrollment at San Jose State University. The University Academic Integrity Policy F15-7 at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/F15-7.pdf requires you to be honest in all your academic course work. Faculty members are required to report all infractions to the office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development. The Student Conduct and Ethical Development website is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/studentconduct/.

Campus Policy in Compliance with the American Disabilities Act

If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you need to make special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible, or see me during office hours. Presidential Directive 97-03 at http://www.sjsu.edu/president/docs/directives/PD_1997-03.pdf requires that students with disabilities requesting accommodations must register with the Accessible Education Center (AEC) at http://www.sjsu.edu/aec to establish a record of their disability.

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