Object Based Learning: A Powerful Pedagogy for Higher Education: A powerful pedagogy for higher education

This chapter explores experiences of implementing Object-Based Learning (OBL) using university museum collections across a range of academic departments at University College London (UCL). In the last decade, the Museums and Public Engagement department has made significant progress in its mission to promote the benefits of OBL for teaching and learning in higher education (HE). Since the 1970s, the advantages of active, experiential and student-centred learning have been promulgated by a large and growing literature on education. Active learning systems where OBL sessions are designed to fit transparently into courses’ intended learning outcomes have the potential to create a sense of purpose and direction for students. The appointment of an Object-based Learning Teaching Fellow at UCL has accelerated the promotion of collections-based teaching and helped to ensure it is widely embedded in practice. At UCL researchers have collected information on the specifics of how this method can achieve desired results for university students.