Singapore University of Social Sciences

Museum Education in Practice

Museum Education in Practice (BAE313)

Applications Open: 01 October 2022

Applications Close: 15 December 2022

Next Available Intake: January 2023

Course Types: Modular Undergraduate Course

Language: English

Duration: 6 months

Fees: $2523 View More Details on Fees

Area of Interest: Education

Schemes: Alumni Continuing Education + (ACE+), Lifelong Learning Credit (L2C)

Funding: SkillsFuture

School/Department: S R Nathan School of Human Development


Synopsis

BAE313 Museum, Culture and Education provides a theoretical and practical understanding of the growing field of contemporary museum education. It includes an examination of the changes occurring in the museum-world, the evolving nature of museums as institutions with educating missions, along with learning and interpretive theories unique to the museum context. The class provides an extensive hands-on component devoted to the special methods, practices, and skills associated with teaching with artworks, and in designing educational material, projects, programs and innovative learning experiences within the art and design museum settings. The course also explores critical issues facing the field through theory, practice, and the analysis of case studies, including audience diversity, collaboration with schools and communities, the rethinking of museum missions and practices, and the potential for innovation and avant-garde practice within the field.

Level: 3
Credit Units: 5
Presentation Pattern: Every January

Topics

  • A history of museums and museology, with an emphasis on the ‘educating-mission’ of museums
  • Museum and education: Why and how does a museum educate?
  • Museum and education: How do museum’s diverse audiences learn from it?
  • The different ways a museum ‘educates’: Theoretical and practical considerations
  • Case study A.1: Museums and the ‘walk-in visitor' (delivery of wall text, docent-guided tours etc.)
  • Case study A.2: Critiquing and improving on a local museum’s education programmes for ‘walk-in visitors’
  • Case study B.1: Museums and school-audiences
  • Case study B.2: Critiquing and improving on a local museum’s education programmes for schools
  • Case study C.1: Museums and programmes for the masses (e.g. Open House days)
  • Case study C.2: Critiquing and improving on a local museum’s education programmes for the masses
  • The challenges of virtual/online museum-education at present
  • The evolution of museums and audiences, and special challenges for museum education in future

Learning Outcome

  • Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the symbiotic nature of the education-mission of museums and the education-needs of diverse museum audiences.
  • Use acquired knowledge to craft new programmes for targeted audiences of museums.
  • Recommend improvements to existing programmes of museum case-studies.
  • Apply key terminology used in museum educational practice and research.
  • Design suitable educational programmes for different museums and their different audiences.
  • Critique existing educational programmes of different museum case-studies.
  • Incorporate educational know-hows into content-development, exhibition design and interpretation.
  • Integrate techniques and technology appropriate to educational goals, content, concepts, and audiences
  • Evaluate the educational tools used in museums for educational purposes.
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