distinguishing pedagogical + research goals

jtrant — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 14:38:13 +0000

Shelley,

i couldn't agree more. there's a real need to distinguish between:

opportunities for basic, introductory training in museum studies (with or without a technological focus)
mid-career professional development, that might be either
1. demonstration projects to test new ideas
2. in-depth study of an area, and
fundamental research in museums and museum studies (at the doctoral level or in the context of research grants that develop new knowledge, or demonstration grants that show how to address issues in new ways.

thanks for your comments.

jennifer

j. trant archives & museum informatics www.archimuse.com

Who is the target for museum technology training?

smannion — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 17:51:57 +0000

Thanks Jennifer. Fascinating post. Just to say that many of the issues discussed above were also touched on in the "School of Tech" forum at MW 2007. All the materials for this session, including the PowerPoint and a summary of the discussion can be found at Claudia Schallert's School of Tech page.

One especially hot topic was the issue you raise about the need to identify and understand the target audience of museum technology programs. At the University of Lugano, which launched a dedicated Masters program for museum technology in 2004, I think they originally anticipated mid-career professionals would enroll. Instead, virtually all the students so far have been young bachelor's graduates with little work experience. This has influenced the curriculum in the sense that students often need to be taught the basics in addition to more advanced material. It takes them time to come up to speed with the relevant discussions in the cultural heritage and museum fields.

At the forum, both Susan Chun and Erin Hersher pointed out that those who have not worked in museums before are not likely to enter at the "executive level" that many students might expect after receiving a Masters. Instead, they need to prepare themselves for the long haul, starting at entry-level or even as volunteers while they work their way up the ranks to the positions they have supposedly been trained to fill. There is no simple answer to this problem, but certainly programs like those in Lugano will have to face them head on in the years to come as traditional museum studies programs also begin to train their students in technology.

museumsandtheweb.com - Comments for "at MCN in Chicago: museum studies then and now"

distinguishing pedagogical + research goals

Who is the target for museum technology training?