Abstracts
Abstract
Museums play an important role in out-of-school learning. Many museums have begun offering distance learning programs to increase their reach and the accessibility of their collections. These programs serve a wide range of audiences from pre-kindergarten to lifelong learners. This descriptive study examined the current practices in museum-based distance learning programs. Additional data was collected once museums began closing due to COVID-19 and transitioning to distance learning programs. The study found that museums offering programs before COVID-19 predominately offered school-based programs via teleconferencing software. Museums transitioning to distance learning programs following closures due to COVID-19 mainly utilized social media platforms to offer a wide range of programming for the general public. Additional information was gathered regarding how the programs were developed and who facilitated them. Museums are still determining how to respond to COVID-19 closures. This study described the current landscape and potential opportunities for research related to museum-based distance learning programs. These areas for research include establishing best practices, defining high-quality programs, opportunities to engage in instructional design, and professional development for the museum staff facilitating these programs.
Keywords:
- distance learning,
- online learning,
- museums,
- COVID-19
Appendices
Bibliography
- American Alliance of Museums. (2021). Museum facts and data. https://www.aam-us.org/programs/about-museums/museum-facts-data/
- Bradford, B., & Rice, D. (1996). And now, the virtual field trip. Museum News, 75(5), 30.
- Butcher, J. (2020). Public-private virtual-school partnerships and federal flexibility for schools during COVID-19 [Special edition policy brief]. Mercatus Center. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3564504
- Conrad, D. (2014). Interaction and communication in online learning communities: Toward an engaged and flexible future. In O. Zawacki-Richter & T. Anderson, (Eds.), Online distance education: Towards a research agenda (pp. 381-402). Athabasca University Press.
- Crow, W. B., & Din, H. (2011). All Together Now: Museums and Online Collaborative Learning. AAM Press.
- Dilenschneider, C. (2019, July 31). Admission fees aren’t what keep millennials from visiting cultural organizations. Know Your Own Bone. https://www.colleendilen.com/2019/07/31/admission-fee-isnt-what-keeps-millennials-away-from-cultural-organizations-data/
- Elena-Bucea, A., Cruz-Jesus, F., Oliveira, T., & Coelho, P. S. (2020). Assessing the role of age, education, gender and income on the digital divide: evidence for the European Union. Information Systems Frontiers, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-020-10012-9
- Ennes, M., Jones, M. G., & Chesnutt, K. (2020). Evaluation of Educator Self-Efficacy in Informal Science Centers. Journal of Museum Education, 45(3), 327-339. https://doi.org/10.1080/10598650.2020.1771993
- Ennes, M., & Lee, I. N. (2021). Distance learning in museums: A review of the literature. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 22(3).
- Gall, M. D., Gall, J. P., & Borg, W. R. (2003). Educational research: An introduction (7th ed.). Pearson.
- Gaylord-Opalewski, K., & O’Leary, L. (2019). Defining interactive virtual learning in museum education: A shared perspective. Journal of Museum Education, 44(3), 229-241. https://doi.org/10.1080/10598650.2019.1621634
- Gunawardena, C. N. (2014). Globalization, culture, and online distance. In O. Zawacki-Richter & T. Anderson, (Eds.), Online distance education: Towards a research agenda (pp. 75-108). Athabasca University Press.
- Hase, S. (2009). Heutagogy and e-learning in the workplace: Some challenges and opportunities. Impact: Journal of Applied Research in Workplace e-Learning, 1(1), 43-52. http://doi.org/10.5043/impact.13
- Hilton, D., Levine, A., & Zanetis, J. (2019). Don’t lose the connection: Virtual visits for older adults. Journal of Museum Education, 44(3), 253-263. https://doi.org/10.1080/10598650.2019.1625015
- International Council of Museums. (2020, April-August). Museums and the COVID-19 crisis: 8 steps to supporting community resilience. ICOM Secretariat. https://icom.museum/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/CommunityResilience_UpdatedArticle_EN_final_20200930.pdf
- Kraybill, A. (2015). Going the distance: Online learning and the museum. Journal of Museum Education, 40(2), 97-101. https://doi.org/10.1179/1059865015Z.00000000085
- Kraybill, A., & Din, H. (2015). Building capacity and sustaining endeavors. Journal of Museum Education, 40(2), 171-179. https://doi.org/10.1179/1059865015Z.00000000093
- Latchem, C. (2014). Quality assurance in online distance education. In O. Zawacki-Richter & T. Anderson, (Eds.), Online distance education: Towards a research agenda (pp. 311-342). Athabasca University Press.
- Mazzola, L. (2015). MOOCs and museums: Not such strange bedfellows. Journal of Museum Education, 40(2), 159-170. https://doi.org/10.1179/1059865015Z.00000000092
- Piqueras, J., & Achiam, M. (2019). Science museum educators’ professional growth: Dynamics of changes in research-practitioner collaboration. Science Education, 103(2), 389-417. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21495
- Reddick, C. G., Enriquez, R., Harris, R. J., & Sharma, B. (2020). Determinants of broadband access and affordability: An analysis of a community survey on the digital divide. Cities, 106, 102904. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2020.102904
- Samuel, A. (2015, May). Faculty perception of “presence” in the online environment [Paper presentation]. Adult Education Research Conference, Manhattan, KS, United States. http://newprairiepress.org/aerc/2015/papers/47
- Sanger, E., Silverman, S., & Kraybill, A. (2015). Developing a model for technology-based museum school partnerships, Journal of Museum Education, 40(2), 147-158, https://doi.org/10.1179/1059865015Z.00000000091
- Strauss, A. L., & Corbin, J. M. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Sage.
- Tran, L. U., Gupta, P., & Bader, D. (2019). Redefining professional learning for museum education. Journal of Museum Education, 44(2), 135-146. https://doi.org/10.1080/10598650.2019.1586192
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (n.d.). Education: From disruption to recovery. https://en.unesco.org/COVID19/educationresponse
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2020, April 21). Startling digital divides in distance learning emerge. https://en.unesco.org/news/startling-digital-divides-distance-learning-emerge
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2020, May 27). Launch of UNESCO report on museums around the world in the face of COVID-19. https://en.unesco.org/news/launch-unesco-report-museums-around-world-face-covid-19
- Wang, M., & Kang, M. (2006). Cybergogy for engaged learning: A framework for creating learner engagement through information and communication technology. In D. Hung & M. S. Khine (Eds.) Engaged learning with emerging technologies (pp. 225-253). Springer.
- Zawacki-Richter, O., & Anderson, T. (2014). Research areas in online distance education. In O. Zawacki-Richter & T. Anderson (Eds.), Online distance education: Towards a research agenda (pp. 1-35). Athabasca University Press.