Technology-Enhanced Communication for Cultural Heritage (TEC-CH)

Transcription

1 82 Technology-Enhanced Communication for Cultural Heritage (TEC-CH) TEC-CH is a Master of Science in Communication designed to train the next generation of communication professionals using state-of-the-art information technologies (e.g. the Web, Web 2.0, mobile devices, podcasting, and interactive installations). The programme is intended for university graduates with backgrounds in the Humanities, Communication Sciences and/ or Cultural Heritage. Based on an interdisciplinary humanistictechnological approach, the Master enables students to plan and develop communication strategies by means of digital and interactive media. The main field of application is Cultural Heritage, but orientations in Tourism and Marketing are also possible. Career Opportunities TEC-CH graduates are eligible for leadership or project management positions for digital and interactive media projects in the cultural field. Depending on the emphasis of their study plan, they may also work as educators, content developers, producers of interpretive media, or communication specialists in the Cultural, Tourism or Marketing sectors. Contents Students receive a comprehensive preparation which combines knowledge and practical skills at the confluence of the disciplines of Communication Science, Technology, Design, Education, Interaction Design, Management and Economics. The knowledge component includes: Cultural Heritage (CH) and related fields such as marketing, legal issues (e.g., intellectual property rights management), economics, elearning, and international tourism Communication Science (from foundations to best practices) Computer Science (Informatics) and related new media technologies (multimedia authoring, the Web, Web 2.0, mobile devices, podcasting, and interactive installations) Experience, interaction and exhibition design. The skills component includes all stages of the development life cycle of media products: Conception of high-level communication strategies for technology-based experiences Design of user-centred, technology-based experiences Creation of content suitable for technology-based experiences Use of tools for production of multimedia content Analysis and evaluation of multimedia applications, usability and user-testing.

2 83 International, Multicultural and Rooted in Real-world Experience TEC-CH benefits from an international setting, which enhances cultural exchange and encourages openness towards diverse cultural viewpoints. Previous classes hosted students across five continents. TEC-CH instructors come from Europe and North America, and advanced seminars are led by top-level professionals from all around the world. Study Programme The study programme includes lectures, hands-on technical labs, and intensive seminars taught by leading professionals. A wide array of elective courses is offered, enabling students to put a special emphasis in their study plan to different skills e.g. content writing or information organisation and different application areas Cultural Heritage primarily, but also Tourism or Marketing. Besides coursework on campus, students spend a one-semester internship in an institution chosen and arranged by themselves with the University s support. In previous years, students spent their internships in prestigious institutions, such as The Louvre, Centre Pompidou (Paris), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (San Francisco), Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum or The New York Dance Museum (New York). The final semester is dedicated to the completion of the thesis, on a topic of the student s choice. Academic Staff TEC-CH instructors are both reputed faculty and active professionals in the Cultural Heritage and technology-based communication fields. Academics come from prestigious athenaeums and higher-education schools, such as the University of Lugano (Switzerland), the Politecnico of Milan (Italy), the University of San Gallen (Switzerland), the University of Toronto (Canada), the University of California (USA). Intensive courses and seminars are held by professionals working in museums and cultural institutions e.g. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (USA), Victoria Museum (Melbourne, Australia), the Museum of Cultures (Lugano, Switzerland). Other instructors are freelancers or are working in companies specialized in giving innovative solutions for the use of information technologies in cultural heritage communication (e.g. IDEUM, Corrales, USA; Sandbox Studios / Museum411, Minneapolis, USA; Libraries without Walls, California, USA).

3 84 Study Programme* Core Courses Electives Core Courses (63 ECTS) 3 Advanced Seminars (1, 2, 3, 4) 4x3 Communication for CH 3 Communication Technologies Lab (1, 2, 3, 4) 4x3 Design of Interactive Applications for CH 3 Design Lab 3 Economics for CH 3 Field Project 6 Electives (19 ECTS) Cultural Management 3 Destination Management and Marketing 4.5 Economics and Politics of International Tourism 4.5 Exhibits and Museum Scenography 3 Interaction Design 3 Interaction Design Lab 1.5 Field Project Lab 1.5 Interactive Communication for Museums 3 Multichannel Communication Lab 3 New Media in Education 3 Requirements, Quality and Usability 4.5 Usability Lab 3 Virtual Environments for CH 3 Information Visualization 3 Introduction to Marketing 3 Legal Issues in Technological Communication 3 Online Communication and Promotion 4.5 Psychology of New Media 3 Research Lab 3 Pers. Personalisation (38 ECTS) Internship 20 Thesis 18 Total ECTS 120 * Slight changes in the study programme may occur, please check the TEC-CH website for the updated version.

4 85 Course Descriptions Core Courses Advanced Seminars (1, 2, 3, 4) Professional guest speakers are invited to lecture on cuttingedge subjects in the field of Cultural Heritage. The aim is to keep students updated with the newest trends in this area and to benefit from professional testimonials on communication best practices. Subject areas range from digitization of rare artefacts, new trends in cataloguing cultural objects, immersive architectures for Cultural Heritage visualization, educational programmes for Cultural Heritage institutions, etc. Communication for Cultural Heritage This course covers the basics of communication theory with direct applicability to the field of Cultural Heritage. The theoretical part is complemented by examples of communication practices in CH, with the aim of enabling students to acquire critical skills for evaluating communication artefacts and projects in the CH domain. Communication Technologies Lab A wide array of hands-on technology labs is offered (image editing, audio and video editing, database design, web publishing, web animation, panoramic images, etc). The laboratories are taught from basic to advanced level and are adapted to the level of knowledge and skills of the students. Design of Interactive Applications for Cultural Heritage Design Lab These courses focus on acquiring skills for an effective design of applications, satisfying goals and requirements of different types of stakeholders. Various Cultural Heritage contexts (e.g., museums, archives, archaeological sites, etc.) are examined. Students will design their own cultural media application. Economics for Cultural Heritage The course aims at outlining the contribution of economics to the study of Cultural Heritage services, with special focus on museums. Attention will be paid to the role and motivations of different actors (public, private and non-profit sector) operating in the Cultural Heritage field and to the possible models of interaction among them, stressing their different behavioural models and the crucial role of information. Field Project In this real-life practical course, students apply their knowledge and skills in multimedia production in the development of a technological communication project in the field of Cultural Heritage, developed in collaboration with a cultural institution. Work is team-based and done under the supervision of a tutor. Field Project Lab In this laboratory, students will learn how to create mock-ups and prototypes for illustrating the design ideas developed during the Field Project and presenting them to the stakeholders.

5 86 Interactive Communication for Museums This course explores the world of creative and ground-breaking multimedia for cultural institutions. Students look at the process of multimedia development and at best practices in interpretation for cultural institutions. Emphasis is on museums, in terms of both web-based and gallery-based applications. Multichannel Communication Lab In this practical laboratory, participants will gain practical skills in the development of small-scale digital multimedia applications, using a ready-made design format, a predefined workflow, a fast data upload, and instantaneous publishing of contents through the use of multimedia authoring tools for various channels (web, CD-ROM, ipod, cell phones...). New Media in Education The course highlights the numerous opportunities offered by Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to enrich the learning experience and explores their application in the Cultural Heritage field. A large variety of case studies will be discussed to determine under which circumstances elearning activities can provide added value to Cultural Heritage communication and education. Requirements, Quality and Usability The course introduces the basics for elicitation of requirements, definition of communication goals and key values in designing a Web application. A part of the course is dedicated to usability and accessibility evaluation. Usability Lab This course teaches basic usability principles, established approaches, methods and techniques for the evaluation of Web applications. It includes practical exercises of usability analysis performed on websites. The course combines lectures and lab sessions supervised by tutors. Virtual Environments for Cultural Heritage How effective are virtual environments for the communication of cultural contents? This course attempts to answer this question through a critical analysis of case studies where virtual reality technologies are used in different contexts (e.g., interactive installations within museums, 3D graphic reconstructions for archaeological sites, technology-based information points, etc.). Electives Cultural Management This course examines the methodologies and techniques for effective management of projects in the field of Cultural Heritage. Organisational issues, budget, cost control, monitoring, validation, management, project financing, etc. are explored through case studies analysis. Destination Management and Marketing This course deals with the concept of Destination as the competitive unit of a tourism offering. At the end of the course, students will be able to analyse the competitive position of destinations and be familiar with the methods and tools for strategic destination management.

6 87 Economics and Politics of International Tourism This course covers the special characteristics of tourism compared to other economic sectors. It deals with the motivation for travelling, the variables which determine the choice of destination, the expenditures of visitors, the growth and productivity problem in a sector with personalized services, the structure and dynamics of the world tourism market, and the concept of sustainable development. Exhibits and Museum Scenography This course introduces key topics in museology, museography and exhibition design. After examining a number of methodological tools, students are encouraged to conceive and design an innovative project in the field of museum practices. Psychology of New Media Starting from the theoretical framework of enactive cognition, the course will focus on how new media are introduced and adopted in individual and professional everyday life. Interaction Design The course aims at transmitting competence on the analysis and design of human cooperation tools, on their integration in knowledge management systems, and on the evaluation of their effectiveness in real-world contexts. Interaction Design Lab The course is based on a practical exploration of Human- Computer Interaction design. The aim is to give students extensive practice in the processes involved in designing novel, highly interactive systems and to introduce them to new developments in design methodology. Information Visualization Information Visualization explores the use of computer-supported interactive visual representations, with the aim of explaining data, amplifying understanding, and supporting rational choice. In this course students will learn how to represent pictorially structured and unstructured data, to make them easier to comprehend and interpret. Introduction to Marketing The course deals with basic theories and models in marketing (both strategic and operational). The objectives of this course are to: 1) introduce the students to the concepts, analyses, and activities that comprise marketing management; 2) help the students sharpen their analytical skills and use them to assess and solve marketing problems.

7 88 Legal Issues in Technological Communication The advent of the internet has brought to the foreground new legal questions, and problems that used to be considered as marginal have accrued new importance. The course illustrates typical problems, such as the management of domain names, the security of networks, and the civil and penal responsibilities of intermediaries. Specific attention is devoted to cybercrime, privacy and copyright. Online Communication and Promotion Computer-mediated communication in general, and the internet in particular, have opened new and unexpected opportunities for human communication, through a reinterpretation of space and time, as well as through the integration of many semiotic codes: text, image, audio, video (media convergence). The course explores the role of web sites as communication tools, focusing on the issues of promotion, maintenance, localisation, web-metrics. Research Lab This course allows students to become familiar with the standard methodologies in human sciences research, through a research subject of their choice. Work is done under the guidance of an experienced tutor. General Information Language This programme is held entirely in English. Admission Requirements The formal requirement for admission is a Bachelor s degree (or equivalent) from a recognised academic institution in the Humanities, Cultural Heritage, or related disciplines. Good knowledge of spoken and written English is required. Application Deadline Students can enrol in the programme in the Fall semester (starting mid-september) or in the Spring semester (starting mid- February). Thus, application periods run twice per year. Please refer to the website for details. Contacts For content-related questions, please contact TEC-CH Tel tec-ch@usi.ch For further information: