Online Course: Museum Education and Outreach (Oct. 8 - Dec. 3, 2018)

At their heart, regardless of type or size, museums are engaging, dynamic places of education. This AASLH online course is about how we can facilitate visitors’ meaningful and memorable experiences in the informal environments of museums.

Course Logistics

COURSE DATES: October 8 - December 3, 2018

FORMAT: Online, weekly-paced course

LENGTH: 8 Weeks

PARTICIPATION STYLE: Bi-weekly (every-other-week) real-time online chats; weekly assignments; final course assignment

MATERIALS: One required text

CREDIT: Successful completion of this course will earn one credit toward the Small Museum Pro! certificate from AASLH.

Description & Outcomes

This course requires regular check-ins, sharing and commenting on peer work, and participation in scheduled live chats. Various assignments are made throughout the course to allow for regular feedback and dialogue. While work can be done at your own pace, meeting deadlines is encouraged to maximize the experience.

At the end of this course you will be able to:

• describe the characteristics and learning needs of various museum audiences
• summarize what we know about learning in museums
• assess the strengths and weaknesses of interpretive techniques and program approaches
• utilize a system for planning, operating, and evaluating museum educational programs
• access resources to assist you in future development of effective learning experiences

Sample Curriculum

• Week 1: Defining the Museum / Museums and Memory
• Week 2: Interpretation Strengths, Weaknesses, and Best Practices
• Week 3: Audiences and Identifying Your Key Ones
• Week 4: Education Program Planning, Management, and Evaluation
• Week 5: Organizing of Museum Education and Outreach
• Week 6: Community Partners and Funding
• Week 7: Leading Staff and Volunteers
• Week 8: Action Plan for Future Programming at your Museum

Texts Used

Required:

Anna Johnson, Kimberly A. Huber, Nancy Cutler, Melissa Bingmann and Tim Grove. The Museum Educator’s Manual: Educators Share Successful Techniques (2nd ed). The text is NOT INCLUDED with your registration. You must order the book separately from the book seller of your choice.

Who Should Attend this Online Course

This course is a beginning level course designed for professional staff and volunteers of historical organizations and libraries with historical collections who have little to no experience with developing education programs and goals for museums.

Instructor

Tanya Brock is one who tends to take leaps and jumps rather than the straight path. Her career has spanned museum education, visitor services, exhibit planning, historical research, and community partner liaison. Whether teaching food preservation classes or designing and running the nation’s first functioning historical brewery or running a brewpub co-op, her passion has always been centered on food—its power to unite and act as a storyteller for communities.

Her education is a patchwork of cultural anthropology, food preservation, heritage interpretation, and museum administration. This background has built a foundation of various perspectives from which she draws from when designing programs. Over a 20-year period she has worked with audiences of all sizes, ages, and backgrounds yet believes at the end of the day, it is the guest who drives the conversation and the experience.