The Value of Object-based Learning within and between Higher Education Disciplines

Arabella Sharp, Linda Thomson, Helen J. Chatterjee, Leonie Hannan

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter (peer-reviewed)peer-review

11 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Universities across the world have collections of huge historical value and many use these artefacts and specimens regularly for research, teaching and engaging wider audiences.1 However, little detailed research has been conducted into the impact that these unique collections can have for university student learning. Whereas a generation of scholarship has shown the high-quality learning that can be unlocked through close contact with museum objects in school and museum settings (Durbin, Morris and Wilkinson, 1990; Paris, 2002; Lane and Wallace, 2007), the opportunities for similar educational gains in higher education have gone largely unscrutinised. At University College London (UCL), a programme of research is showing, for the first time, the specific value of object-based learning for university teaching and learning. This research is strongly linked to pedagogies of active and experiential learning and is uncovering the ways in which the use of museum objects can enhance undergraduate and postgraduate learning across a whole spectrum of disciplines. Researchers at UCL have considered both the practical (Cain, 2010) and the theoretical aspects of using objects in university classrooms (Chatterjee, 2008a), and have used mixed methods to interrogate the cognitive effects of sensory engagement with objects of study. The research not only reveals that object-based learning can lead to better outcomes for students by encouraging active over passive approaches to learning, but it is also clarifying the detail of what actually happens when university students learn from specimens and artefacts instead of textbooks and lectures (Duhs, 2010; Chatterjee, 2011; Hannan, Duhs and Chatterjee, 2013). Moreover, by presenting and publishing on these findings, the UCL research team has been able to influence institutional policy on teaching and learning, ensuring that a greater number of students encounter this form of learning as part of their university experience (Chatterjee, 2008b). These advances make teaching-focused collaborations between museums and university staff much more likely in the future and have the potential to change practice across higher education and the museums sector.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationEngaging the Senses
Subtitle of host publicationObject-Based Learning in Higher Education
EditorsHelen J. Chatterjee, Leonie Hannan
Place of PublicationFarnham
PublisherTaylor and Francis
Pages97-116
Number of pages20
ISBN (Electronic)9781317143413
ISBN (Print)9781472446152
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2015

Keywords

  • object-based learning
  • higher education
  • museums
  • universities

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Arts and Humanities
  • General Social Sciences

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