Digital detectives

Team members: Helen Bond, Jeremy Kidwell, Eddie Boyle

Abstract

The Divinity team would like to develop an innovative web-based learning environment to support a new level 8 course, Jesus and the Gospels. We plan to make use of the web-based Omeka software platform to enable students to ‘curate’ a digital exhibition of ancient biblical-related artefacts.

The project will encourage student-produced co-learning within a multi-disciplinary framework. In effect, students will become ‘Digital Detectives’, researching and curating a unique gallery within each tutorial group which will provide a context for them to enhance their understanding of the first century Jewish and Roman contexts of emerging Christianity.

Students will be encouraged to develop content which can serve as a public resource which would remain indefinitely (house within one of the School’s research centres).

Students in successive course sessions will add new artefacts, thus providing an ever-expanding library of resources. Omeka has not yet been piloted at Edinburgh, nor indeed in any School of Divinity throughout the world. Public access to the exhibition will enhance Edinburgh’s standing as a centre for digital resources, and the ‘exhibition’s permanent home within a research centre will reinforce our commitment to research-led teaching.

Final Report

The Final Report for this project may be downloaded from the link below.

Other project outcomes

The article (pre-publication) submitted for review to the Journal of Interactive Online Learning can be downloaded from the link below.