MCH8550 : Working on a Project in the Museums Sector
- Offered for Year: 2022/23
- Module Leader(s):
- Owning School: Arts & Cultures
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
Aims
The aim of this practice-based module is to provide students with the opportunities to work both in teams and individually on designing and delivering a project in collaboration with a museum or other public venue. The module aims to assist students to develop their professional portfolios for career advancement.
Outline Of Syllabus
This practice-based module allows students to work in teams on museum-based projects designed through discussions with academic staff and museum practitioners in a public cultural venue. Projects may take place either in a physical or online environment (or a combination of both) and may include, for example: developing an exhibition brief, designing and installing an exhibition; designing and delivering a learning programme with supporting materials; designing and delivering a public intervention or an audience participatory event. The module provides students with opportunities to gain practice-based teamwork experience as well as interpretive, curatorial and audience engagement skills appropriate to the museum sector. During the module, students will be expected to use theoretical ideas to enrich their practice, and vice-versa, and to reflect on their learning experiences.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 30:00 | 30:00 | N/A |
| Structured Guided Learning | Lecture materials | 11 | 1:00 | 11:00 | Non-synchronous. Interactive lecture materials and online activities. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Practical | 3 | 2:00 | 6:00 | On campus or other site. Site visit to host organisation. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Practical | 1 | 3:00 | 3:00 | On campus or other site. Site visit to host organisation. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 9 | 1:00 | 9:00 | On campus. Can be delivered online if necessary. |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 8 | 1:00 | 8:00 | Preparation for small-group teaching. |
| Guided Independent Study | Project work | 1 | 46:00 | 46:00 | Small-group work on group project. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 8 | 0:30 | 4:00 | Online synchronous group drop-in surgery to clarify scope of project tasks. |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 80:00 | 80:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Module talk | 3 | 1:00 | 3:00 | Module introduction, assessment briefing, module closure. Can be delivered online if necessary. |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Students will experience scheduled learning and teaching activities; however, the majority of their learning on this module comes from guided interdependent small-group study. The scheduled time is a combination of interactive lecture material on museum curatorial practices, regular small group workshop sessions and practical sessions, where students will work in small groups on a museum project. This balance between theory and practical sessions will allow students to gain the knowledge and skills needed to make the transition from being students to becoming better equipped to develop their personal professional portfolios for a career foundation and/or advancement.
Module talk: This teaching method will be used to introduce the module and brief students about assessment.
Lecture materials: This will include online content and activities to achieve all of the knowledge learning outcomes.
Small-group teaching: This teaching method is intended to allow students to consolidate knowledge learning outcomes and to meet the skills outcomes through critically applying their new knowledge. It also allows students to practice all of the skill-sets within the Graduate Skills Framework. A portion of the small-group teaching sessions will normally be delivered through a Crit format.
Practical: This is used to support knowledge and skills outcomes associated with creating a public intervention in a museum context (this can be online, on-site, or a combination of both).
Drop-in/surgery: This method allows students to receive clarifications on project tasks/activities in smaller task-oriented sub-teams in order to progress with their group assignment.
Project work: This is used to support the development and completion of the project assignment and will involve individual and group-based independent study.
Independent study: This teaching method enables students to independently deepen knowledge outcomes and to practice all skills outcomes, as well as applying cognitive/intellectual and self-management skills in particular through reading, engaging with materials and resources.
Structured research and reading activities: This teaching method will allow students to engage with preparatory reading and tasks related to the small group teaching sessions.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design/Creative proj | 2 | A | 30 | This will be a group mark for the outcome of the small-group project(s).This outcome may occur in a physical and/or online space. |
| Report | 2 | A | 70 | Self-reflective individual report on the project process and outcome (2500 words) |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The module is designed to allow students, working in one or more teams, to complete small-scale interpretive, curatorial and audience engagement projects relevant to the museums sector. The project is normally developed in collaboration with a public cultural venue.
The final summative module assessment is divided between a group-mark for the outcomes of the team’s museum project (30%), along with the submission of an individual report (70%).
Formative assessment - there are multiple opportunities for the students to give and receive feedback during the project process. Formative feedback will be provided through small-group teaching by academic and professional staff.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- MCH8550's Timetable