Teaching Macroappraisal

1
Teaching Macro-appraisal

• Workshop
• Oslo, 10th January, 2007

2
A warning from Richard Cox

• Archival appraisal seems to have drifted into a
  world of confused, conflicting, or complacent
  methods, theories, and practices at least when
  seen by the typical archival practitioner.
• Some archivists in the field embrace specific
  guiding concepts, while others seem to operate
  with little knowledge of changing perspectives
  concerning this archival function.
• Still others desire only simplistic templates for
  making appraisal decisions, explaining the
  continuing popularity of basic manuals and
  textbooks ....

3
Cox

• the real point is that most archivists may not
  systematically conduct appraisal at all and often
  resort to notions like evidential and
  informational, or primary and secondary, values
  simply because they are commonly used and
  accepted within the field.

4
Education programs should

• Provide a comprehensive overview of appraisal
  methodologies
• Encourage students to
• Explore past and current practice
• Critically evaluate that practice in the light of
  theoretical models and best practice
• Engage in constructive professional debate.

5
Terry Cook

• macroappraisal assesses the societal value of
  both the functional-structural context and
  work-place culture in which the records are
  created and used by their creator(s), and the
  interrelationship of citizens, groups,
  organizations the public with that
  functional-structural context (Cook, 2005).

6
Macro-appraisal in the teaching program design

• Where should macro-appraisal be situated in the
  program?
• What prior knowledge is necessary for students to
  work with the concepts and gain deep learning
  about macro-appraisal?
• How should it be approached?

7
ECU Course orientation

• Working in a digital world
• A systems approach to digital recordkeeping
• Grounded in the Records Continuum theoretical
  model
• All courses are delivered online, extensive use
  of online discussion

8
What do we aim to deliver?

• University graduates are prepared to work across
  the whole continuum
• Records management roles in government and
  business
• Recordkeeping authorities such as NAA and State
  Archives
• Cultural heritage-focused archival organizations.

9
Graduate GraduateCertificate Diploma

• IST4121 The Records Environment
• IST4235 Electronic Recordkeeping
• IST4118 Info Retrieval Document Management
• IST4136 Documenting Society

• IST4133 Preservation and Storage
• IST4236 Documenting the Corporate Memory
• CSG4105 Transforming Info Professions
• IST4107 Information Management Services

10
Macro-appraisal in the teaching program design

• Where should macro-appraisal be situated in the
  program?
• What prior knowledge is necessary for students to
  work with the concepts and gain deep learning
  about macro-appraisal?
• How should it be approached?

11
Course design

• A major or minor stream in a 3-year Bachelor
  Degree (8-10 courses)
• OR
• A 3-semester professional Master degree with
  exit points at
• Graduate Certificate (4courses)
• Graduate Diploma (8 courses)
• Master (9 courses research dissertation).

12
Any Bachelor degree NO EXPERIENCE
TRADITIONAL ENTRY TO GRADUATE LEVEL STUDIES
Graduate CertificateInformation Services4
courses
Graduate DiplomaInformation Services 4 courses
(total 8)
Graduate
Master of Information Services 3 courses (total
11)
13
NO DEGREE5 years experience( professional
association membership)
ALTERNATIVE ENTRY TO GRADUATE LEVEL STUDIES
Graduate Certificate4 courses
Graduate Diploma 4 courses (total 8 courses)
Graduate
Master 3 courses (total 11 courses)
14
Pedagogical issues arising from the two entry
options

• Mix of
• academic experience (some with, some without) and
  
• professional experience (some with, some without)
  
• Students may lack study skills, writing skills,
  confidence
• Need to build a community of sharing

15
Graduate GraduateCertificate Diploma

• IST4121 The Records Environment
• IST4235 Electronic Recordkeeping
• IST4118 Info Retrieval Document Management
• IST4136 Documenting Society

• IST4133 Preservation and Storage
• IST4236 Documenting the Corporate Memory
• CSG4105 Transforming Info Professions
• IST4107 Information Management Services

16
ECU Masters Semester

• A mini research project
• CSG5140Research Methods
• CSG5141Research Proposal
• CSG5243Masters Project 1
• More course work would allow
• more flexibility choice?
• More room for new topics

17
Macro-appraisal in the teaching program design

• Where should macro-appraisal be situated in the
  program?
• What prior knowledge is necessary for students to
  work with the concepts and gain deep learning
  about macro-appraisal?
• How should it be approached?

18
Principles for course design

• Define learning objectives
• Decide how to assess whether those objectives
  have been achieved by students
• Choose the resources that will help them to
  achieve the stated objectives.

19
Cooks 2 parts

• the functional-structural context and work-place
  culture in which the records are created and used
• the interrelationship of citizens, groups,
  organizations the public with that
  functional-structural context

20
Australian functional appraisal tools include

• The development of a records management standard
  AS4390, which informed the development of
  ISO15489
• The DIRKS manual
• Keyword AAA a functional thesaurus for use in
  government environments
• Excellent guidance available to practitioners
  through recordkeeping authorities websites

21
Functional structural analysis

• The choice of a textbook that is designed on
  sound learning principles
• Working through exercises in systems design in a
  manner that relates systems design to ISO15489

22
ISO15489 DIRKS

• Developing and Implementing Recordkeeping Systems
• Jointly developed by NAA and SRNSW
• The implementation strategy of AS4390
• DIRKS is based on the systems development life
  cycle or waterfall model, the traditional
  methodology used to develop, maintain and replace
  systems that support the business of an
  organization.

23
(No Transcript)
24
The DIRKS methodology can help organisations to

• Understand their business, regulatory and social
  context, and establish a business case for
  reviewing their recordkeeping practices (Step A)
• Analyse business activities and environmental
  factors to identify their recordkeeping
  requirements (Steps B C)
• Assess the extent to which existing strategies
  (eg, policies, standards, technology) satisfy
  requirements (Step D)
• Redesign existing strategies or design new
  strategies to address unmet or poorly satisfied
  requirements (Steps E F) and
• Implement, maintain and review these strategies
  (Steps G H).

25
Reflecting on learning

• Including a reflection as part of the assignment
  requirements promotes awareness of learning and
  achievements
• It may be another open discussion on the Forum
  about the costs benefits of the discussions
• Or a separate and personal reflection submitted
  privately to the tutor

26
Reflecting on learning can be

• a means of upgrading learning and enable more
  mature learners to become aware of how they can
  use reflective techniques to upgrade their
  previous less organized but valid levels of
  knowledge and understanding. Similarly, they
  will understand how reflection in the
  representation of learning can enhance the
  quality of learning as well as deepen its
  meaning Moon (1999, p.167) .

27

• Benefits of reflection for students
• Awareness of their learning
• Gains in confidence
• Learn to engage in professional evaluation.
• Benefits for me
• Their feedback contributes to my evaluation of
  teaching strategies and knowledge of what worked
  well, what needs improvement.

28
Session 2 NAA Macro-appraisal Project

• Cunningham, A. (2005). Some functions are more
  equal than others the National Archives
  macro-appraisal project.
• National Archives of Australia. Macro-appraisal
  project results of consultation, 2006.

29
Discussion pointsCunningham (2005)

• Sets out issues and processes in macro-appraisal
• How well does the described process match Cooks
  vision?
• Provides a list of Challenges for the
  Macro-appraisal Project
• Did the project meet the challenges?

30
Challenges facing macro-appraisal 1

• How to
• determine the values of society at large?
• balance societys cultural heritage values and
  accountability values?

31
Challenges facing macro-appraisal 2

• How do we
• Ensure that macro-appraisal informs records
  creation and management, not just retention and
  disposal?
• Harness agency support and cooperation for
  macro-appraisal?
• Integrate macro-appraisal with our existing
  procedures (eg DIRKS AC and case files)?
• Ensure that the results of macro-appraisal are
  used critically rather than uncritically?

32
Discussion points NAA Report (2006)

• Were the chosen indicators adequate?
• Is the NAA justification for not using more
  indicators reasonable?
• How can an archival authority communicate
  effectively with the public about macro-appraisal
  strategy?

33
Whole-of-Government Functional Appraisal

• Is this re-naming a more accurate description of
  the NAAs Macro-appraisal Project?

34
Parallel provenance the other side of the coin

• Is Chris Hurleys proposal for parallel
  provenance as a means of documenting archival
  records an appropriate solution to shortcomings
  of WoG Functional Appraisal?

35
Session 3

• Other teaching strategies
• and reflection

36
Reflecting on other approaches 1

• Bastian Yakel note that few Schools teach a
  separate appraisal unit. Does this matter?
• Does teaching a separate appraisal unit increase
  the danger of confusing appraisal with
  collecting?

37
Reflecting on other approaches 2

• Case studies are essential to
• illustrate and point out issues
• stimulate discussion
• Provide an understanding of the reality and
  pitfalls of practice in the real world
• Learn from the experience of professional
  practitioners.

38
Bastian (2005)

• These case studies raise the appraisal bar and
  broaden the appraisal discussion not only by
  illustrating the breadth of decisions to be made
  but by examining their long-term implications.
• The value of well-crafted case studies grounded
  in appraisal theory cannot be overestimated as
  important teaching tools.

39
Cook on case files

• Macroappraisal focuses significant appraisal
  attention on case-level documentation, in
  paper-based case files or computerized databases
  Cook, 2005, p.130.)
• Case files provide evidence of citizens
  interaction with government.

40
Reeds case study

• The hypothetical future user wants information
  that would be found in case files.
• Current online access services do not provide
  even traditional reference services. What kinds
  of services do online users of archives need?
• Need to stimulate discussion that leads students
  to analyse these issues.

41
Personal expressions of this need

• Information about individuals in
• Medical records
• Case files
• Evidence for establishing personal rights
• Family history researchers
• Welcome Walls are a collective expression of
  this need.

42
(No Transcript)
43
(No Transcript)
44
Collective biography

• The Red Cross Files in the Australian War
  Memorial documented
• soldiers going to war and
• when they died.
• The files also contain
• letters of parents trying to find out about how
  their sons died.
• Show government bureaucracy its relationship
  to the public.

45
(No Transcript)
46
Reflecting on other approaches 3

• Craigs use of the literature of other
  disciplines
• A sound approach to widening students
  intellectual horizons
• Provides resources for considering societys
  needs of the archives

47
Reflecting on the ECU approach

• Well grounded in the holistic view of archives
  creation, maintenance, management and access
• BUT
• Students may not be aware that what they have
  learned is appraisal.
• I would like to add a taught unit at Masters
  level addressing part 2 of Cooks definition

48
Discussion

• How would you suggest using the strategies
  offered by Bastian, Craig and Eastwood to
  stimulate student analysis and critical
  evaluation of the NAA Macro-appraisal project?

49
Reflection

• Have the five review articles in Archival Science
  reshaped your views on teaching macro-appraisal
  in any way? Reflect on what you have learned from
  them.
• Have they helped you find new insights to
  macro-appraisal?

50
Session 4

• Using Norwegian appraisal practice and case
  studies as a basis for teaching macro-appraisal

51

• What learning objectives would you write for a
  course grounded in Norwegian appraisal examples?
• How would you assess whether those objectives
  have been met?
• Thinking point Are your learning objectives
  realistic and assessable?

52
Discussion 1

• Using current Norwegian practice as a basis for
  teaching
• Identify
• Strengths and weaknesses in current practice
• Gaps between macro-appraisal theory and practice
• Resources for teaching.

53
Documenting a people

• Does Norway have a system for documenting the
  Sami in the same way that Australian blanket
  disposal authorities require retention of all
  files relating to Aboriginal people?
• Where does a requirement like this fit in a
  purely functional / structural macro-appraisal
  strategy?

54
Discussion 2

• Case files as collective biography
• Evaluating appraisal strategies for case files
• Demonstrating government interaction with the
  public
• Providing for future (unknown) users needs.

55
References

• Anderson, K. (2005). Teaching about electronic
  records in an online learning environment.
  Archival Science 5(2-3).
• Bailey, C. (2005). Teaching macroappraisal a
  view of the literature. Archival Science 5(2-3).
• Bastian, J. Yakel, E. (2005). Are We There Yet?
  Professionalism and the Development of an
  Archival Core Curriculum in the United States,
  Journal of Education for Library and Information
  Science 46(2) (Spring 2005) 95114.
• Bastian, J. (205). Teaching appraisal in an
  American (U.S.) archives program. Archival
  Science 5(2-3).
• Cook, T. (2005) Macroappraisal in Theory and
  Practice Origins, Characteristics, and
  Implementation in Canada, 19502000. Archival
  Science 5(2-3).
• Cook, T. (19 ) Many are called but few are
  chosen. Archivaria, 32. Accessed 03 Jan. 2007
  http//journals.sfu.ca/archivar/index.php/archivar
  ia/article/view/11759/12709
• Craig, B. Setting the students bearings and
  balance in appraisal. Archival Science 5(2-3).
• Cunningham, A. (2005). Some functions are more
  equal than others the National Archives
  macro-appraisal project. Accessed 06 January,
  2007 at http//www.naa.gov.au/recordkeeping/rkpubs
  /papers/cunninghamjul05.pdf
• Cunningham, A. (2005). Some functions are more
  equal than others the development of a
  macroappraisal strategy for the National Archives
  of Australia. Archival Science 5(2-3).
• Eastwood, T. (2005). Teaching and learning about
  macroappraisal. Archival Science 5(2-3).
• NAA. Macro-appraisal. Accessed 06 January, 2007
  at
• www.naa.gov.au/recordkeeping/disposal/appraisal/m
  acro-appraisal.html
• NAA. Macro-appraisal project results of
  consultation, 2006. Accessed 06 January, 2007 at
  www.naa.gov.au/recordkeeping/disposal/appraisal/Ma
  cro-appraisal-report.html
• NAA. Why Records Are Kept Directions in
  Appraisal. Accessed 06 January, 2007 at
  www.naa.gov.au/recordkeeping/rkpubs/summary.html