Learning at the interface: Museum and University Collaborations
1-2 July 2010, Sackler Centre for Arts Education, V&A
How can museums and universities work together
purposefully to enhance the learning of higher education students?
Recent thinking by the UK government on the
delivery of cultural policy and strategy has
acknowledged the vital role that museums occupy
in supporting and enhancing cultural and
educational provision both regionally and
nationally (DCMS 2008). In this context, work
with schools and community groups has received
particular attention (Anderson 2004, Berry 1998,
Hooper-Greenhill 1994) yet the enormous
potential of museums working with HE remains
under-explored, under-researched and the needs
of higher education students and citizen
scholars are often overlooked by museums.
Research conducted by the Centre for Excellence
in Teaching and Learning through Design (CETLD)
has highlighted the significant potential and
importance of museum-university collaborations
and the need to identify successful practices
and also barriers that prevent institutions from
working together more effectively. With limited
public funding available for interdisciplinary
educational research, CETLD has made the case
for a national review of the opportunities that
museum-university partnerships offer and how the
needs of higher education students and adult
learners can better be supported in museums.
The conference aims to provide a forum for
debate surrounding the policy implications of
this work and a platform for discussion of
issues and ideas that are relevant to the museum
and higher education sectors. It will bring
together policy makers, curators, educators,
academics, students and leading professionals
from the educational, creative and cultural
sectors. Please see the conference programme at the following link:
<http://cetld.brighton.ac.uk/events/learning-at-the-interface-conference-information/conference-programme>http://cetld.brighton.ac.uk/events/learning-at-the-interface-conference-information/conference-programme
A show of work by students from the University
of Brighton and Royal College of Art, created in
response to the V&A and its collections will be exhibited at the conference.
Papers
We invite proposals for contributions from
delegates wishing to present a 25-minute paper.
This can be an academic paper with a theory or
research focus, or presentation describing how
an initiative has been put into practice and its
subsequent value. Papers should respond to the
themes below, and offer a critical perspective
of museum and HE policy and practice and make
recommendations for future practice.
Themes
· Museums and university partnerships - opportunities and barriers
· The role of museums in supporting HE student learning
· The educational philosophies and theories
that underpin learning and research in museums and HE
Museums and university partnerships - opportunities and barriers
For museums and universities to work together
effectively, a series of perceived and actual
barriers that inhibit partnership working must
be addressed - for example differing approaches
to learning, scholarship and research. What
opportunities do such partnerships provide? How
can successful approaches be identified? Who
benefits and how can wider support for collaboration be facilitated?
The role of museums in supporting HE student learning
Museums are increasingly recognised as
educational providers and are required to divide
and spread their efforts between the needs and
demands of different audiences. Can we or should
we expect museums to be all things to all
people? Should they provide a specialist service
for the needs of HE audiences? What form might
this take? How can museums better engage with
Higher Education and draw on their knowledge and expertise?
The educational philosophies and theories that
underpin learning and research in museums and HE
What educational philosophies and learning
theories underpin the learning experience of HE students in museums?
Call for Papers
Those interested in presenting papers at the
conference are requested to submit an abstract
of their proposed paper or presentation by 7
February 2010 by email attachment (the document
should be Word 2003 compatible) to Sol Sneltvedt
(e-mail: <(S.Sneltvedt /at/ brighton.ac.htm)>(S.Sneltvedt /at/ brighton.ac.uk)).
The abstract should not exceed 500 words
presented in font size no smaller than 10pt and
should include the following information: Author
name(s), email address, position title and
overall structure of the paper and 5 keywords.
Authors will be notified of the acceptance of their proposals by 8 March 2010.
Papers will be peer-reviewed and will be
published online. We are currently seeking a
publisher to develop all contributions and to
extend this emerging field of study.
Accepted authors must submit papers of between
2500 and 3500 words (MS Word Document 2007 or
97-2003, in font size no smaller than 10pt) by
e-mail to
<(S.Sneltvedt /at/ brighton.ac.htm)>(S.Sneltvedt /at/ brighton.ac.uk)
<mailto:(S.Sneltvedt /at/ brighton.ac.uk)> by 5:00 pm on 17 May 2010.
Instructions for Papers
The guidelines for submitting a paper will be
sent to each of the contributors.
Sol Sneltvedt
CETLD Project Manager
Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning through Design
University of Brighton
58-67 Grand Parade
Brighton
BN2 0JY
Email <(S.Sneltvedt /at/ brighton.ac.htm)>(S.Sneltvedt /at/ brighton.ac.uk)
Telephone +44 (0)1273 644716
<http://cetld.brighton.ac.uk>http://cetld.brighton.ac.uk
<http://arts.brighton.ac.uk>
