FIT5204 Heritage informatics - Summer semester, 2015

Informatics, the science of information, plays an increasingly central role in the work museums, libraries and other cultural heritage institutions that act to preserve, study, and promote cultural heritage. Heritage informatics for the digital humanities brings a comprehensive, cross-disciplinary approach to the challenge of managing cultural information, from data capture to analysis and dissemination.

This course is designed to respond to emerging technologies that have transformed the ways cultural heritage data can be interpreted, managed and analysed. Students will learn about perceptions of heritage and the principles and best practices of the discipline. Then, through a study of key technological innovations (mobile data, digital mapping and storytelling, 3D and augmented reality) and case studies, students will gain insight into how to build applications and digital user experiences for a variety of cultural heritage contexts.

Mode of Delivery

Workload Requirements

Minimum total expected workload equals 144 hours per semester comprising:

1. Contact hours for on-campus students:
• Two hours lectures per week
• Two hours laboratories per week

1. Contact hours for block/flexible teaching at Prato:
• 4 hours lectures per week for 6 weeks,
• 2 hours seminars/tutorials per week for 6 weeks
• 4 hours per week organised field trips and excursions for 3 weeks

1. Study schedule for off-campus students:
• Off-campus students generally do not attend lecture, tutorial and laboratory sessions, however should plan to spend equivalent time working through resources and participating in discussions.

1. Additional requirements (all students):
• A minimum of 8 hours (16 hours for block teaching at Prato) of personal study per week for completing lab/tutorial activities, assignments, private study and revision.

See also Unit timetable information

Additional workload requirements

Students will be expected to take part in organised field trips during their stay at Prato. 

Chief Examiner

Campus Lecturer

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Academic Overview

Learning Outcomes

• critically evaluate established and emerging technologies and analyse their effectiveness in relation to heritage data management;
• assess the impact of informatics on heritage data management;
• develop methods to investigate case studies that have applied informatics for the capture, analysis and dissemination of heritage data;
• identify key heritage issues that informatics can be used to illuminate, interpret and reveal;
• evaluate scenarios that extend informatics to broader heritage research/studies;
• identify the need to adapt informatics according to heritage data management, principles and best practice;
• analyse how informatics applications and technologies can be used to interpret diverse heritage data contexts;
• report on the most appropriate application of informatics for specific case studies

Unit Schedule

*Unit Schedule details will be maintained and communicated to you via your learning system.

Teaching Approach

Assessment Summary

In-semester assessment: 100%

Assessment Requirements

Assessment Policy

Assessment Tasks

Participation

• Assessment task 1

  Title:

  Evaluation of open source software for heritage professionals

  Description:

  Assignment 1 is a group assignment. Your group can consist of two or up to three students at the most. You will select from the list on Moodle or find by yourself appropriate [open source] software that can be used to either capture, analyse or share digital cultural heritage (tangible or intangible). You will prepare a brief demo to show the class how this software can be used for digital cultural heritage. If there are any already existing examples of how the software is currently used by a digital heritage project present this as well as suggest ways how this can be used for other digital cultural heritage projects for either tangible or intangible heritage. Further details will be provided and posted on Moodle.
  
  Assignment 1 addresses the following learning outcomes for the unit -
  critically evaluate established and emerging technologies and analyse their effectiveness in relation to heritage data management;
  assess the impact of informatics on heritage data management;
  identify key heritage issues that informatics can be used to illuminate, interpret and reveal;
  
  

  Weighting:

  30% (20% written component -1500 words, 10% presentation)

  Criteria for assessment:

  All students in the group will be given the same mark unless an adjustment is made by the lecturer based on feedback from the group. This assignment will assess how clearly you describe and how well you evaluate the software in the written report. The presentation assessment will be based on how well you organise the demo and the overall clarity of the presentation, reflecting group coherence and planning. Group presentations will take place in class on the due date stated below.

  Due date:

  Group Presentation (10%) in Seminar 4, week 2 = 3rd December. Written report (20%) by Friday at the end of week 2 = 4th December

  Remarks:

  If you find other software you wish to evaluate please confirm this with your lecturer before you commence this assignment.

• Assessment task 2

  Title:

  Perceptions of Heritage: Blog or Website

  Description:

  Assignment 2 is designed to provide you with the practical experience of curating digital heritage and designing an engaging interface for its dissemination. There are two components to this assignment: 1. you will create a blog or website on a local heritage theme of your choice, and 2. a presentation of your blog/website to the class. The written report component (500 words) will be about how and why you decided to include the text and images/audio on your heritage theme.Further details will be provided and posted on Moodle.
  
  Assignment 2 addresses the following learning outcomes for the unit -
  develop methods to investigate case studies that have applied informatics for the capture, analysis and dissemination of heritage data;
  identify key heritage issues that informatics can be used to illuminate, interpret and reveal;
  evaluate scenarios that extend informatics to broader heritage research/studies;
  
  

  Weighting:

  40% (30% Website or Blog - 1500 words online and a 500 written report, 10% presentation)

  Criteria for assessment:

  The overall quality of the website/blog design will be assessed on how well you have curated, analysed and designed your digital heritage collection. In the 500 word report you will be assessed for original insights into the perception of this heritage theme, with links to other websites or historical, literary or travel writing references and your justification for the design.

  Assessment of the presentation will be based on how well you organise your slides and the overall clarity of the presentation that provides an explanation of your design decisions and background research on the heritage theme you select. The presentation will be assessed on the quality of the presentation and the delivery, the content selected for the presentation and its relevance.

  Due date:

  Presentation (10%) in Seminar 8, week 4 = 17th December. website/blog & Written report (30%) end of week 4 = 18th December

• Assessment task 3

  Title:

  Heritage Informatics Project Evaluation

  Description:

  Assignment 3 requires you to identify an already existing cultural heritage project (for either tangible or intangible culture) and discuss your reasons for its selection. You will then evaluate this digital heritage project discussing how well it aligns with current best practices, analyse the appropriateness of the technology or technologies used (for data collection, analysis and presentation); what its digital curation practices are and how appropriate these are for the project; what is the impact for users, for example how accessible are the digital artefacts and by whom; and finally comment on its long term preservation strategies (if any).
  
  Based on your evaluation you will make recommendations for improvements to this project. Your discussion on the recommendations you make needs to clearly demonstrate how this project could benefit in any (or all) of the areas of its digital lifecycle: from collection to presentation and/or digital reconstruction and long term digital preservation. Further details will be provided and posted on Moodle.
  
  Assignment 3 addresses the following learning outcomes for the unit -
  identify the need to adapt informatics according to heritage data management, principles and best practice;
  analyse how informatics applications and technologies can be used to interpret diverse heritage data contexts;
  report on the most appropriate application of informatics for specific case studies

  Weighting:

  30% (10% for project identification and justification, 20% for project evaluation and recommendations for improvement).

  Criteria for assessment:

  You will be assessed on the quality of the research you conducted to identify and justify your selection of an appropriate digital heritage project. How well you analysed your selected heritage project in terms of its alignment with current best practices, and the technologies it uses for data collection, analysis and presentation will be assessed along with your recommendations for this project. Assessment will be based on your justification for how this project could benefit by the recommendations you make for it. You need to demonstrate an understanding of the reading material provided in this unit.

  Due date:

  Written report (30%) by the end of week 6- exact date will be confirmed.

Learning resources

Reading list

Here are some initial readings.

Journal of Digital Cultural Heritage research:

https://furnacejournal.wordpress.com/edition-one/issue-two/

The London Charter for Best Practices:

http://www.londoncharter.org/downloads.html

Examples of recent Heritage Informatics Journals and Conference proceedings:

http://www.4d-ch-world.eu/?cat=8

http://www.4d-ch-world.eu/?cat=6

Please note additional readings will be provided on Moodle, in the meantime please also see the prescribed text listed in this unit guide.

Feedback to you

• Informal feedback on progress in labs/tutes
• Graded assignments with comments

Extensions and penalties

Returning assignments

Assignment submission

Online submission

Prescribed text(s)

Ian Ruthven and G. G. Chowdhury (eds). (2015). Cultural Heritage Information: Access and Management . (First) Facet Publishing (ISBN: 978-0-8389-1347-5).

Field trips

There are four field trips planned for this unit.

Examination material or equipment

No EXAM for this unit.

Other Information

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