Working groups

During the conference, you can join any of the different working groups.

The academic heritage objects that are kept and cared for in our museums, archives and libraries have a great potential for higher education. They and their associated stories have a unique power to enrich teaching and learning. Surprise, wonder, awe, curiosity, sometimes shock: these are emotions and reactions object interactions can elicit among students. Teaching with objects enables them to engage deeply and creates profound and meaningful learning experiences. Using university collections in the classroom can also provide a concrete and tangible view of the place and role of universities in society through time. It is therefore a great opportunity to highlight the importance of university collections, often unknown and unapproachable for students and teaching staff. 

We would like to invite you to join us for our workshop about teaching with objects. Everybody is welcome! Whether you are a curator who wants to know about the potential of your collection, or a teacher who would like to share or learn more about the many possibilities of object based learning. 

Erasmus+ Teaching with Objects project. 

The Workshop is part of the Erasmus Plus project “Teaching With Objects”, which started in March 2022 and will run for 3 years. This project will provide examples, tools, methods and reflection for the use of heritage objects in higher education teaching. The results will cover offline and online teaching: whether the lessons take place in classrooms, online environments or in hybrid situations. We are convinced this will valorize and promote university collections and their rich potential. 

In the next three years we are looking to build a network of teachers, curators and people engaged in and with academic heritage to explore the opportunities and challenges of teaching with objects in the digital age. Our workshop at the Universeum Conference is the start of this journey, and you can (and should) be part of it!

The Workshop

During the workshop we would like to hear from you: your ideas, your experiences and your questions regarding object-based teaching with your Universeum colleagues. We will facilitate an open conversation about the multitude of aspects regarding teaching with heritage objects, both from a curatorial and a teaching perspective. We will discuss objectives, methodologies, and the transfer from the classroom to the digital/online. 

To spark inspiration, we will present our first research results. And you will get the opportunity to experience a hands-on presentation of teaching practices by Dominick Verschelde, from the Ghent University Museum. 

We’re looking forward to seeing you all at the workshop!

Delphine Issemann, Martin Stricker and Frank Meijer, co-chairs of the Working Group Digital Initiatives, together with our partners in the Teaching With Objects project: 

• Sofia Talas & Monica Zagallo of the University of Padua; 
• Marjan Doom & Dominick Verschelde from Ghent University Museum;
• Fresco Sam-Sin from Things That Talk Foundation;
• Jill Decrop Ernst & Linn Borghuis from the Dutch Foundation for Academic Heritage;
• Sarah Elena Link from the Coordination Centre for Scientific University Collections in Germany and 
• Julie Morgen from the Jardin des Sciences, Université de Strasbourg. 

Here is the PDF, if you want to download it:

---

The aim is to develop a toolkit for acting on decolonisation discussions in our engagements with students and to create a forum where issues faced in applying decolonisation to a university museum/collection context can be discussed openly, respectfully and without judgment (particularly for those with no background in this area).

Annelies Van de Ven (Université catholique de Louvain) and Ana Baeza Ruiz (Loughborough University/University of Bristol), co-chairs of the Working Group Student Engagement.

---