Object‐based Learning in a World Dress Course

Abstract

Object-based learning (OBL) is an active-learning teaching approach that uses artifacts as teaching tools in the classroom. The purpose of this study was to identify how OBL assignments helped university students in a general education world dress course learn about unfamiliar items of dress throughout the semester. Using a grounded theory approach, student responses from an end-of-semester reflection assignment were analyzed to examine how OBL influenced student learning. Five themes emerged during the analysis: (1) positive reaction, (2) connected course content, (3) senses deepened understanding, (4) affective change, and (5) unique opportunity. The authors concluded that OBL enhanced student learning and improved the classroom experience for participants. Educators, researchers, and museum professionals can benefit from the results of this study.

Towards a Fusion: Embedding Object-Based Learning for addressing Eco-Social Justice in Design Education

“…When creating OBL artefacts, it is important to consider the design characteristics of the object, such as colour, material, weight, and shape, to ensure an effective learning and teaching experience. The analysis from Banning & Gam (2020) highlights that the unique characteristic of OBL relates to an artifact's sensory reactions, including sight, touch, sound, and smell, as well as personal reactions including size, feel, personal preference, and emotions.…”

“…In the last decade, many educators and researchers have defined object-based activities with museum collections as a means of facilitating cross-disciplinary studies in the classroom Chatterjee, 2008;Hardie, 2015;Kador & Chatterjee, 2020;Romanek & Lynch, 2020;Rowe, 2022;Schultz, 2018;Simpson & Hammond, 2012;Thogersen et al, 2018;Williams, 1982). Banning and Gam (2020) offers a study in art and design subject, where students analysed examples of dress presented by lecturers from university collections.…”

“…As Greer et al (2021) advocates for the inclusion of climate change in the curriculum. One way to achieve this is through Object-based Learning (OBL) in a studentcentred learning environment (Cain, 2011;, where students actively engage with artefacts to learn about eco-social justice topics (Banning & Gam, 2020). This doctoral study, from which the paper draws its content, addresses the gap in pedagogical approaches around eco-social justice in higher education.…”

The Student Learning Experience: A Case Study in Object-Based Learning

“…Digital examples are a way for students to understand a concept, especially students who are experienced digital learners (Banning & Gam, 2020). Kirkland et al (2015) examine the how and why of sharing digital collections including those details needed in a digital archive for optimal use in object-based learning.…”

“…According to dress history scholars, object-based learning is a valuable opportunity for students of history and should be encouraged because it can connect the senses of sight, sound, and touch (Edwards, 2019;Mida & Kim, 2015). Such multisensory engagement has been found key in information retention (Banning & Gam, 2020;Chatterjee, 2010).…”