Supervisors info:
Δρ. Μούλιου Μάρλεν, Επίκουρη καθηγήτρια Μουσειολογίας, Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών, Φιλοσοφική Σχολή, Τομέας Αρχαιολογίας και Ιστορίας της Τέχνης.
Δρ. Ρούσσου Μαρία
Δρ. Καλεσοπούλου Δέσποινα
Summary:
As part of the Postgraduate Program “Museum Studies,” the subject of this dissertation is Museum Kits and their use as an educational tool, mainly in primary and secondary schools, as well as in other educational organizations or cultural institutions. Lastly, ways of digitizing Museum Kits for their use in the digital age is proposed.
The theoretical part of the thesis answers the question “what are Museum Kits.” By providing historical context, the educational role of museums, the creation and use of Museum Kits, as well as their contribution to the educational process are presented. Lastly, an analysis of pedagogical theories and methods is provided, along with an investigation of their connection with the goals served by the design of the content of Museum Kits.
The Museum Kits of the Museum of Cycladic Art serve as a case study for this paper. The stages of construction of the Museum Kits are presented, along with their content design and educational objectives. Reference is made to the form of the first Museum Kits that were designed, to the modifications that took place over the years, both in terms of design and the enrichment of their content, in the effort of the Museum to meet modern educational needs. Lastly, the proposal to digitize a Museum Kit is developed, in the context of a new era when, on the one hand, digitization has gained significant ground and, on the other hand, the conditions and consequences of the pandemic have created a pressing need for digitization, as a means of access, communication and education.
The methodology that was followed, focused on the research that was conducted with the participation of thirty-six teachers, who use Museum Kits, and ten professionals from museums and other institutions, who design and have Museum Kits at their disposal. The objective of the research was to examine the effectiveness of the use of Museum Kits as a tool in the educational process and to investigate the usefulness of a digital Museum Kit.
Lastly, the proposal to digitize a Museum Kit was developed, which will be available online, and used as a tool for access, communication and education. The results of the research led to another proposal for a hybrid Museum Kit model; i.e., a physical, tactile Museum Kit that will also include digital content.
The research carried out—including the bibliographic research—and the analysis of the results from the interviews and the questionnaires, confirm, on the one hand, the effectiveness of Museum Kits as useful tools in the educational process and, on the other hand, the need to digitize Museum Kits, but also the need for the existence of digitally augmented Museum Kits, which will offer a tactile experience, in combination with digital content.
Keywords:
Museum Kit, museum, digitization, pedagogical theories, school, evaluation, educator, student, formal education, informal education.
