ARCH44030: Professional Placement (Museums)

• None

• ARCH54530 - Museum Principles and Practice; ARCH54630 - Artefact Studies

• Familiarisation with principles of museological practice.

• This module is intended to develop relevant professional skills in museums, through seminars, workshops and a 20-day Easter vacation or Summer placement, undertaken at a local, national or international museum.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• Developments, current issues and debates in professional principles, policies and good practice relating to the management of collections and museums, particularly in the UK but also abroad.

Subject-specific Skills:

• Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a museum or related institution, based upon a combination of personal experience and the application of subject-specific knowledge, with particular reference to policies and debates relating to present and future collections management and museum management in that institution.

Key Skills:

• Use computer and information technology.
• Access library, museum, archive and World Wide Web resources.
• Undertake advanced independent study, research and problem solving.
• Participate responsibly in, and critically reflect upon, work in a defined role as a member of a team, both independently and alongside colleagues using the professional reflective practice approach.
• Communicate information and arguments effectively, in written, visual and computerised form, to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
• Take responsibility for personal, professional and ethical development within the museum and cultural heritage sector or within academia, responding actively to critical feedback.
• Assess relevant insurance and health and safety risks in the work-place, and comply with appropriate procedures.
• Cope with contingencies and make decisions in complex and unpredictable contexts.
• Manage time effectively, working to timetables and meeting deadlines.

• TEACHING & LEARNING METHODS
• Seminar to prepare for the placement and advanced independent study, with guidance on participating responsibly in team work, communicating effectively, and managing time effectively.
• Museum placement experience, comprising workplace experience in the professional working environment of a museum or related cultural heritage institution, with a degree of personal guidance and tuition from a knowledgeable member of staff employed by that institution. Museum placement experience enables learners to develop their knowledge and critical understanding of museums, including their development, context, nature, purposes, principles, policies, practices, discipline-specific issues, environmental factors, collections care, and approaches to communication, to gain direct experience and competence in subject-specific skills pertaining to the management of collections and of museums, and in the full range of key skills.
• If a Museum placement is not possible, then a Professional Practice Research Project would be the alternative for this elective. This would use available data to evaluate the professional practices of museums and heritage organisations. This experience would also enable learners to develop their knowledge and critical understanding of museums, including their development, context, nature, purposes, principles, policies, practices, discipline-specific issues, environmental factors, collections care and approaches to communication.
• Self-guided learning, comprising personal and group-based study, research, revision, problem-solving and evaluation associated with classes and assignments. Self-guided learning enables students to increase their knowledge and critical understanding of the full range of subject-specific knowledge, and to gain experience and competence in the full range of subject-specific skills and key skills.
• ASSESSMENT METHODS
• 1 Portfolio (Placement) or Report (Professional Practice Research Project), comprising 2,500 word knowledgeable and critical written evaluations of museum placement experience as a portfolio, which may be supported by clearly presented appendices of relevant data or a 2,500 word knowledgeable and critical written evaluation of museum or heritage organisation professional practice as a report with comparable appendices. The portfolio ensures demonstration of the achievement of a sound knowledge and critical understanding of subject-specific knowledge relating to collections management and museum management in a specific type of museum and to museum communication, the achievement of direct experience and competence in subject-specific skills involving working with museum- and artefact-related research information, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of a museum or related institution, and museum communication, and the achievement of direct experience and competence in the full range of key skills.
• Formative assessment, accompanied by written feedback from tutor/s, is regarded as an integral part of the learning process. It helps learners to consolidate knowledge and understanding and to explore and develop subject-specific and key skills. Formative assignments relate to specific learning outcomes, as well as a few additional learning outcomes not assessed summatively. If a museum placement is not possible then a Professional Practice Research Report would be undertaken. This would identify an issue which is of current concern to the museum sector and potentially of interest to the student's future career. The student would explore this in terms of its significance for museum critical thought and principles and for professional practice by examining the issue in depth, looking at relevant literature, capturing data as appropriate and exploring it the issue in depth, usually through a number of case studies. As appropriate, such a report may end with a series of recommendations for the sector.
• The formative assignment include:
• 1 Seminar Presentation, of between 10 and 20 minutes, to consolidate knowledge and understanding of the museum placement or professional practice report. Written feedback on seminar presentations deals with the following areas: choice of topic, including appropriateness of title; knowledge of the subject, including definition of its scope and key issues; clarity of explanations of key terms and concepts; clarity of structure; use of examples; use and clarity of appropriate visual materials; facilitation of discussion, including response to questions; presentation, including pace and tone of delivery, vocal clarity and projection; audience attention, including eye contact and audience response; and anxiety behaviour.

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