In the frame of EDUU Project – WP 2, a training unit called “The Museum and the Society. Some Concepts of Collection Management, Communication Strategies and the Educational Impact of Museums” was developed in e-learning (MOOC). It was created in synergy with the IT Systems Area of UNIBO (CESIA) and then uploaded on the free open-access platform of the University of Bologna (BOOK – UNIBO Open Knowledge) in October 2018.
This free course reached a large amount of Iraqi people interested in cultural heritage preservation and management. The main target groups were all the operators working, at different decision-making levels, in museums and cultural institutions, and the University students interested in deepening topics related to museology. The lesson were given in English, with an Arab translation beside. The course was divided into four weeks and several modules, each one focusing on a specific theme concerning museums development and management.
Specifically, week 1 was devoted to the modern concepts of museum, to the importance of communication in cultural institutions and to some concepts of public archaeology.
Week 2 focused on the role of museums in the educational entertainment of the public: some teaching strategies facilitating learning for different types of audiences within cultural institutions are explored, together with the concepts of “edutainment” and of “participatory museum”. The second module of the week was mostly focused on the management of museum collections and the creation of well-designed exhibitions, with an insight of the digital strategies applied to museums.
The lessons of week 3 were concentrated on the impact of museums on the society: the role of museums for the protection and enhancement of cultural heritage was deepened, as well as the social, economic and political role of cultural institutions within the society.
Finally, the theme of week 4 completed the theoretical framework, by presenting an in-depth analysis on the Iraq National Museum of Baghdad as a good case study of museum's renovation.
The lessons, which were held by experts from the Universities of Bologna and Torino, were enriched by a series of interviews to Directors and Curators of Italian prominent museums. At the end of the course, students and cultural heritage operators were provided with a consistent series of good practices in museum and collection management, exhibitions design, communication strategies for engaging visitors, emergency preparedness, among other competences.
The e-learning training course was presented during an event that took place on Sunday the 4th of November 2018 at University of Kufa in the presence of 100 representatives of the Iraqi civil society such as University professors, researchers, students and operators working in museums and cultural institutions.
