Developing a Non-traditional Lecture, Laboratory, Discussion Style Course Incorporating Resources from Natural Science Museums

 

Laura A. Monahan

Tested Studies in Laboratory Teaching, 2018, Volume 39

Abstract

In this session we will discuss the development of the course, Introduction to Museum Studies in the Natural Sciences, and how it has evolved over the past ten years. This course is unique because: 1) It integrates lecture, laboratory and discussion into the one meeting session per week. 2) It incorporates organizations and specialists from campus and the community. For example, the UW Arboretum, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, UW Collections including the Geology Museum, Wisconsin Insect Research Collection and the Wisconsin State Herbarium, among others. 3) It is a variable credit course. Students who want to receive greater pre-professional experience, can opt for an additional credit, which will allow them to intern at a cooperating institution. This extra internship, arranged by the course coordinator, offers the student a rare opportunity to work one-on-one with professionals at the University and/or with partner museums in the community. At the end of this mini-session, we will tour the UW-Madison Zoological Museum collections.

Keywords:  museum, UWZM (University of Wisconsin Zoological Museum)

University of Wisconsin, Madison (2017)