Monday 7th August 2017 – Lunchtime Seminar with Professor Michael Twidale (University of Illinois)

Speaker: Professor Michael Twidale, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (USA)
Title: Museum Informatics: GLAMouros Design Thinking

Michael Twidale is a professor of the School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research interests include computer-supported cooperative work, computer-supported collaborative learning, human-computer interaction, information visualization, and museum informatics. Current projects include studies of informal social learning of technology, technological appropriation, metrics for open access, collaborative information retrieval, low-cost information visualization, ubiquitous learning and the usability of open source software. His approach involves the use of interdisciplinary techniques to develop high-speed, low-cost methods to better understand the difficulties people have with existing computer applications and so to design more effective systems. Full information on Prof. Twidale’s work can be found at https://ischool.illinois.edu/people/faculty/twidale.

 

In this talk Michael will share experiences of teaching a course in Museum Informatics over 10 years, both on-campus and online. This small elective (16-25 students in each class) introduces students to various technology uses and possibilities in the cultural heritage sector, with a particular emphasis on technologies for visitor engagement. Students are introduced to the concepts of Design Thinking and work on a semester long project to produce a working demo or proof of concept. Students taking the course frequently self-identify as “non-techie” with minimal experience of programming or even creating a website. Nevertheless they take this technical course precisely because they want to learn about technology, despite often rather dispiriting prior experiences with technology in and outside the classroom. In reflecting on various learning activities that have been refined over the years, Michael aims to develop an idea of “computational metacognition”. That is how to teach people who are less comfortable with technologies how to go about learning and playing around with such technologies.

 

12.00noon – 1.00pm
MONDAY 07 AUGUST 2017
CANTOR 9128

See here for details of other seminars in the series.

All SHU staff and students are welcome to attend the C3RI Lunchtime Research Seminars. If you are from outside of the University and would like to attend a seminar, please email C3RI Administrator to arrange entry.