Heritage Interpretation

If you want to develop your understanding and application of interpretive good practice, then this course is for you! 

Bookings now open! Click here to book your place.

Thursdays, 20th June  – 25th July 2024

Heritage Interpretation was developed in 2017 by Sarah Oswald (the Authentic Spark) in a partnership between GEM and AHI. The online course brings together heritage learning and interpretation professionals to share practice, ideas and approaches, and work through the challenges we mutually face. GEM and AHI continue to work together to develop CPD for the heritage sector that supports the multi-faceted roles and skillsets growing in the workforce. If there is anything you would like to see this partnership working on, contact [email protected] or [email protected].

Who is it for?
This course is aimed at professionals with responsibility for planning, delivering or managing learning programmes or interpretation across the heritage sector. It is flexible to the individual needs of the participant, supporting those already involved in interpretation and looking for ways to improve or build upon their practice, and providing essential skills and knowledge for those new to the field.

Who runs the course?
The course director is Sarah Oswald. Sarah is a creative coach with over 20 years’ experience in heritage interpretation, which she shares as the course director for Heritage Interpretation. She has worked in consultancy, on projects large and small, and in community heritage and loves to use that experience to help coach, mentor and train others in the sector. Steve Slack will be contributing to this course as a guest speaker.

Steve Slack is an interpretation consultant, working with museums and heritage organisations to create visitor-facing content – from interpretation plans and public programming to exhibition text and audio guides. He began his career in heritage strategy and national museums and has been freelance since 2008. Steve’s book Interpreting Heritage: a guide to planning and practice was published by Routledge in 2021. 
He is currently writing the exhibition text for a new museum in Kilmartin Glen, Argyll; creating outdoor interpretation for a High Street Heritage Action Zone in Kettering; facilitating interpretation planning workshops for a university exhibition space and writing a book about museum labels. 

When & where is it?
This virtual course will take place over 6-weeks and will be run online through a series of virtual lectures, ‘at home’ activities, and participatory discussion. Participants are highly encouraged to take part in the live lectures, but there will also be a possibility to engage with the recorded sessions afterwards.

The course will be a mix of discussion and sharing of perspectives and experiences, practical working individually and in small online groups and some presentation of theory by the course director.

’Participants are encouraged to ensure that they can allocate time between the webinars to undertake the ‘at home’ activities.

Heritage Interpretation will be hosted on GEM’s new Online Learning Platform, creating a secure space for students to access course resources forever.

Dates?

  • Thursdays, 20th June – 25th July 2024 (10 am – 12 pm)

Course fee?
It is £150 for GEM and AHI members and £190 for non-members.

Please note that a £30 fee applies if you cancel your booking.

It was my first online course and I really enjoyed it. I think I got more out of it than I would have had it been delivered over one day as originally proposed. The structuring over 6 weeks allowed time for reflection and for our ideas to develop.” – Past participant

Hear from our course director, Sarah Oswald, on what the course is about, what you will learn and who should attend:

This course was developed in 2017 in partnership with the Association for Heritage Interpretation with thanks to Arts Council England funding. 

 

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