Term: Spring 2023
Location: Online - https://learn.unt.edu
Instructor: Mark Phillips Ph.D. (he/him)
Office Hours: Wed 2:00-4:00PM by appointment
Office Location: Online using Zoom - https://unt.zoom.us/my/mark.phillips
Email: [email protected]
The web is a fundamental component of nearly all modern interaction. Preserving content from the web and providing long-term access to preserved content presents an interesting set of challenges for Information Scientists. In this course, you will develop knowledge and skills related to the standards, tools, and processes of web archiving. You will learn the mechanics of web archiving and its relation to familiar concepts like collection building and appraisal, access and use, and ethics. This course will provide hands-on experience working with different projects and tools, and is designed for anyone interested in the topic without any need for prior experience in web archiving.
By the end of this course you should be able to:
- Discuss the role and the potential of the Web as information and characteristics of the Web for archiving and preservation.
- Be familiar with tools and appropriate techniques for preservation of different aspects of the web including “standard” websites as well as a working understanding of preserving API-based web content like social media sites.
- Recognize the challenges of Web archiving.
- Become proficient at using, interpreting, and explaining common playback tools such as the Wayback Machine.
- Increase your awareness of legal and policy constraints on Web archiving.
- Be familiar with the standards and best practices for sustainably archiving Web content.
This course does not have a required textbook but will instead rely on a wide range of resources such as reports, articles, white papers, conference proceedings, presentations, and video recordings. A full list of readings is available in LEARN as weekly modules.
Every effort has been made to select resources that are either open access or resources that are available to you as a student from the UNT Libraries, which are paid for by your library fee. If you have any trouble accessing the readings do not hesitate to reach out to me for assistance.
The assignments for this course are designed to allow you to demonstrate and develop your knowledge related to web archives.
There are reading assignments posted with each module for this course. These readings have been identified to introduce concepts and ideas to you. In addition to readings there will be some video content assigned that you are expected to watch. The readings and videos will provide the topics for the discussion posts mentioned below.
Each week you will be assigned a discussion post that will be due on Sunday night by 11:59 PM (Central Standard Time). The discussion will be related to the weekly readings and will allow you to demonstrate your understanding of concepts introduced that week. Additionally, these discussion posts will allow you to explore web archives and introduce what you have found to your fellow students. In addition to your discussion post, you will be expected to comment on other students’ discussion posts as part of the participation portion of the course.
A brief paper (2-3 pages, font-size 12, double-spaced) discussing the features of a web archive and its content. This paper will include an overview of the web archive, who is responsible for creating the archive, what tools are used in creating the archive, its collection scope, and how long the archive has been operational. Instructions will be distributed two weeks before the deadline.
A brief paper (2-3 pages, font-size 12, double-spaced) discussing a specific tool or service in the web archiving space. This paper will include an overview of the tool or service, the problem that it tries to solve, the history of the tool, and who or what institution is responsible for the tool or service. Instructions will be distributed two weeks before the deadline.
Throughout the semester you will be constructing the building blocks of a final class project. This project is to create a web archive related to a topic area you choose in consultation with your professor. Midway through the semester a Web Archive Collection Plan will be due describing the plan for this collection. The semester project will be due the last full week of the semester.
There are no midterm or final examinations in this course.
Office hours offer you an opportunity to ask for clarification or find support with understanding class material. I encourage you to connect with me for support. Additional office hours will be offered virtually as the semester concludes. Your success is my goal.
I have blocked out my schedule on Tuesdays from 2:00 until 4:00 for scheduling Zoom-based office hours. If you are not able to meet during these times please send me an email and we can find a better date and time that will work for both of us.
The University of North Texas makes reasonable academic accommodation for students with disabilities. Students seeking reasonable accommodation must first register with the Office of Disability Access (ODA) to verify their eligibility. If a disability is verified, the ODA will provide you with a reasonable accommodation letter to be delivered to faculty to begin a private discussion regarding your specific needs in a course. You may request reasonable accommodations at any time; however, ODA notices of reasonable accommodation should be provided as early as possible in the semester to avoid any delay in implementation. Note that students must obtain a new letter of reasonable accommodation for every semester and must meet with each faculty member prior to implementation in each class. Students are strongly encouraged to deliver letters of reasonable accommodation during faculty office hours or by appointment. Faculty members have the authority to ask students to discuss such letters during their designated office hours to protect the privacy of the student. For additional information, refer to the Office of Disability Access website (http://www.unt.edu/oda). You may also contact ODA by phone at (940) 565-4323.
I value the many perspectives students bring to our campus. Please work with me to create a classroom culture of open communication, mutual respect, and inclusion. All discussions should be respectful and civil. Although disagreements and debates are encouraged, personal attacks are unacceptable. Together, we can ensure a safe and welcoming classroom for all. If you ever feel like this is not the case, please see me during office hours and let me know. We are all learning together.
Grades will be determined as follows:
| Assignment Type | Point Distribution |
|---|---|
| Discussions (15 total) | 150 points (10 points each) |
| Web Archive Critique | 50 points |
| Web Archive Tools Critique | 50 points |
| Web Archive Collection Plan | 50 points |
| Web Archive Final Project | 100 points. |
| Grading Scale | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 90-100% | A |
| 80-89% | B |
| 70-79% | C |
| 60-69% | D |
| Below 60. | F |
All students are expected to submit their discussions, assignments, and final project by the due date. This prevents students from getting too far behind in the course and allows the instructor to assign grades in a consistent and timely manner.
All students who do not complete their module assignments by 11:59 PM Central Time on Sunday will be penalized 15% of the module assignment’s points for each day late unless there are extenuating circumstances. The final project received after the due date will incur a 5-point deduction penalty for each day late unless there are extenuating circumstances.
The only exceptions are a) if students have a personal or family medical emergency, or b) student informs their instructor of a conflict well in advance and receives permission to turn in an assignment late.
A grade of incomplete (I) will be given only for justifiable reasons (such as a serious illness or military service) and only if you are passing the course. It is our responsibility to contact the instructor to request an incomplete and discuss requirements for completing the course. If you do not remove the incomplete within the period agreed upon with the instructor or within one calendar year, you will receive a grade of an F. Please refer to https://registrar.unt.edu/grades/incompletes for more information.
A grade of withdrawal (W) or withdrawal-failing (WF) will be given depending on your participation and grades to date. If you simply disappear and do not file a formal UNT withdrawal form, you may receive a grade of an F.
| Week | Date | Topic | Assignment Due | Points Possible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01/17 | Introduction to Class | |||
| Week 1 | 01/17 | What is a Web Archive? | Module One | |
| 02/22 | Introduction | 10 pts. | ||
| 02/22 | Discussion | 10 pts. | ||
| Week 2 | 01/23 | What is the Web | Module Two | |
| 01/29 | Discussion | 10 pts. | ||
| Week 3 | 01/30 | Who does Web Archiving? | Module Three | |
| 01/30 | Assignment 1: Web Archive Critique | |||
| 02/05 | Discussion | 10 pts. | ||
| Week 4 | 02/06 | Technology Overview | Module Four | |
| 02/12 | Discussion | |||
| 02/12 | Web Archive Critique | 50 pts. | ||
| Week 5 | 02/13 | Capture | Module Five | |
| 02/19 | Discussion | 10 pts. | ||
| Week 6 | 02/20 | Preserve | Module Six | |
| 02/20 | Assignment 2: Web Archive Tool Critique | |||
| 02/26 | Discussion | 10 pts. | ||
| Week 7 | 02/27 | Playback | Module Seven | |
| 03/05 | Discussion | 10 pts. | ||
| Week 8 | 03/06 | Other Tools | Module Eight | |
| 03/12 | Discussion | 10 pts. | ||
| 03/12 | Web Archive Tools Critique | 50 pts. | ||
| Spring Break | 03/13 | |||
| Week 9 | 03/20 | Collection Policies | Module Nine | |
| Assignment 3: Web Archive Collection Plan | ||||
| 03/26 | Discussion | 10 pts. | ||
| Week 10 | 03/27 | Metadata | Module Ten | |
| 04/02 | Discussion | |||
| Week 11 | 04/03 | Quality Assurance | Module Eleven | |
| 04/09 | Discussion | 10 pts. | ||
| 04/09 | Web Archive Collection Plan | 50 pts. | ||
| Week 12 | 04/10 | Research with Web Archives | Module Twelve | |
| 04/10 | Final Project: Building a Web Archive | |||
| 04/17 | Discussion | 10 pts. | ||
| Week 13 | 04/10 | Intellectual Property | Module Thirteen | |
| 04/23 | Discussion | 10 pts. | ||
| Week 14 | 04/24 | Future of Web Archives | Module Fourteen | |
| 04/30 | Discussion | 10 pts. | ||
| Week 15 | 05/04 | Final Project Due | 100 pts. | |
| Week 16 | 05/08 | Finals Week | No Assignments |
Every student in my class can improve by doing their own work and trying their hardest with access to appropriate resources. Students who use other people’s work without citations will be violating UNT’s Academic Integrity Policy. Please read and follow this important set of guidelines for your academic success (https://policy.unt.edu/policy/06-003). If you have questions about this, or any UNT policy, please email me or come discuss this with me during my office hours.
Success in this course is dependent on your active participation and engagement throughout the course. As such, students are required to complete all assignments by the due date, and to actively participate in class discussions.
Additionally, students are expected to:
- Log on at least two times a week – ideally on different days in order to completely weekly assignments, assessments, discussions and/or other weekly deliverables as directed by the instructor and outlined in the syllabus;
- Participate in the weekly threaded discussions, this means that, in addition to posting a response to the thread topic presented, students are expected to respond to each other and comment and questions from the instructor and/or other students;
If you find that you cannot meet the class' minimum discussion requirements due to such a circumstance, please contact me as soon as possible.
Students will not be marked present for the course in a particular week if they have not posted on the discussion forum and/or submit assignment/essay or complete assessment if administered in that week.
Please inform the professor and instructional team if you are unable to attend class meetings because you are ill, in mindfulness of the health and safety of everyone in our community. If you are experiencing any symptoms of COVID (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms testing/symptoms.html) please seek medical attention from the Student Health and Wellness Center (940-565-2333 or [email protected]) or your health care provider PRIOR to coming to campus. UNT also requires you to contact the UNT COVID Team at [email protected] for guidance on actions to take due to symptoms, pending or positive test results, or potential exposure.