Museums and HE: rekindling the romance

Use of museums by HE students varies from one-off field trips to museum-based modules which are part of HE curricula. This paper reports on an example of the latter, ‘Breaking into the V&A’, a module for second year art and design students. The module offered students a range of ‘ways in’ to using museums, including exploring the history of museums, visiting behind the scenes at the V&A and designing an exhibition. Sponsored by the Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning through Design (CETLD), it was developed in response to research findings showing students needed support using collections. Student feedback is summarised and elements which could be used in other courses are highlighted