%0 Journal Article
%T Family matters: The role of university museums in intergenerational learning
%A Rebekah Moran
%J University Museums and Collections Journal
%D 2009
%I International Committee for University Museums and Collections
%X Working within university museums in England, both museum educators and faculty staff are comfortable with pre-defined formal learning groups and subjects that ¡®tie into the curriculum¡¯. However, when engaging with ¡®the wider community¡¯ there is no curriculum and groups are self-selecting and ephemeral ¨C so how do we design, market and map this kind of informal learning? One method of attracting informal or ¡®free-choice¡¯ learners is through the development of a family learning program. Such programs often represent a marketing coup and a boost to visitor figures but they also raise questions about style of delivery, modes of assessment and, most importantly, the validity of such learning within a university context. This paper discusses how family learning can meet university public engagement objectives and provide university students with key transferable skills through innovative ¡®family learning volunteer¡¯ programs. Finally, it illustrates that intergenerational learning is an important area of potential growth for university museums.
%K museums
%K Family learning
%K museum learning
%K universities
%U http://edoc.hu-berlin.de/umacj/2/moran-rebekah-69/PDF/moran.pdf