Purpose of the workshop

The research project „Learning in Museums — The Role of Media“ examines the learning potentials of digital media in science and technology museum exhibitions. A series of workshops makes an important contribution to further developing the project’s practical, theoretical and empirical base in two main areas: first, the role of digital media within exhibition practice, and second, informal learning theory. After completing a national workshop looking at the role of media in museum exhibitions in March 2006 (“Lernen im Museum: Die Rolle von Medien” — 
AcrobatProceedings in German) and several internal workshops, this 5th workshop is dedicated to fostering the project’s theoretical and empirical foundations in terms of museum learning in an international perspective.

There exists an abundance of publications relating to museum learning, ranging from basic research to applied visitor studies, opening up a broad spectrum of potentially relevant theoretical orientations, useful methodologies and variables. In order to support the theoretical localisation of the research project, there is a need for a concise and well-supported body of core theories that incorporates the most relevant variables and most suitable approaches. To devise such a theoretical base is the major goal of the workshop “Learning in Museums — International Positions”.

The workshop will host about 30 invited participants. Central to the workshop are position papers given by renowned university researchers from the US, Canada and Ireland, all taking different approaches and perspectives in investigating museum learning experiences. Their contributions are expected to combine to a picture of the actual state of the art in museum learning theory and empirical research. We hope that, from the discussions, synergies will emerge that allow the formulation of a joint statement about museum learning theory.

The questions to be discussed are:

  • What does count as learning in museums?
  • What does the term learning encompass when applied to visiting exhibitions?
  • What are the central relevant theories to refer to when examining learning in museums?
  • What are relevant indicators and methods for measuring learning?
  • How can learning in exhibitions be enhanced through digital media?

We are planning a comprehensive documentation of the presentations and discussions put forward at the workshop. For that purpose, the organizers intend to edit a book.

 

Project background

In modern information and knowledge societies knowledge acquisition is not limited to formal educational institutions such as schools or universities. Information provision in the mass media, the internet as well as out-of-school environments such as museums and exhibitions play an increasingly important role for life-long learning. Whereas museums cannot not exclusively be seen as places for learning, they have nevertheless a visible tradition as places of learning. In executing their educational function museums use a number of different media for interpretation in exhibitions, ranging from classical text panels to the newest digital technologies.

Through dynamic aspects, immersive elements and new forms of user adaptation and interaction digital technologies can contribute to the further development of interpretation practice in museums. But so far research on the educational potential of new technologies in museum exhibitions has been scarce. The project “Learning in Museums — the Role of Media” seeks to bridge this gap in exploring how different forms of media can best support learning in science and technology exhibitions.

The project runs from January 2006 to December 2008. It is funded by the German Government and the Federal States in the context of the “Pact for Innovation and Research” initiative. Project partners are the Knowledge Media Research Center (IWM/KMRC) in Tuebingen, the Deutsches Museum in Munich and the Leibniz Institute for Science Education (IPN) at the University of Kiel.

Project web site: http://www.iwm-kmrc.de/museum/en/