With a joint teaching project led by Professor Julia Schnitzer, Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences is continuing its activities in the field of “Digitalization of Cultural Heritage” this winter semester. As part of a week-long excursion, more than 40 participants – lecturers, students and experts – came together in Jordan from 24 to 30 October.
In the teaching project, which is offered as an English-language teaching increment (ELI) at Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences, students from the Computer Science and Digital Media degree programmes and students from the German Jordanian University in the field of Design and Visual Communication work together in interdisciplinary teams. The aim is to digitalise cultural heritage and make objects in the Jordan Museum more accessible to visitors through innovative digital tools, storytelling and interactive elements.
Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences and the German Jordanian University have been working together since 2022 under the direction of Prof. Julia Schnitzer on projects and networking related to the digitalization of cultural heritage. This year, the project is being expanded to include the Jordan Museum as a cooperation partner, opening up new and exciting opportunities for students. The Jordan Museum houses some outstanding collections, including replicas of water mills and the Mesha Stele, the Dead Sea Scrolls and historical garments.
During the project week, students had the opportunity to scan objects in the museum, conduct interviews and develop creative ideas. After a guided tour through the exhibition by Dr Yosha Alamri, Senior Curator of the Jordan Museum, the students worked in groups to develop their projects, ranging from video mapping to games and the development of 3D models for augmented reality.
A particular challenge was to research the stories behind the artefacts and find creative solutions for communicating them using digital tools. Accessibility and inclusion for different visitor groups were also taken into account. The students were supported in their work by Christoph Luchs, associate lecturer at Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences, and Mohammad Al-Nusairat, industrial professor and academic staff member at the German Jordanian University. The projects will be further developed until the end of the winter semester and then made available to the Jordan Museum for further use.
In addition to the project activities in the museum, an excursion programme was organised to give students the opportunity to explore Jordanian culture, including visits to the Dead Sea and the historic site of Petra. These cultural encounters provide an important foundation for understanding the cultural heritage that is being digitalised as part of the project.
The initiation of the teaching project is funded by the ELI-Incubator project as part of the German Academic Exchange Service's UAS.International programme with funding from the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space. The activity is supported by Anika Kettelhake and Sebastián López Castellanos. Together, the German Jordanian University and Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences are planning to continue the teaching project in the coming years.
This year, students from Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, led by Prof. Paul Grimm, also took part in the excursion to contribute to the intercultural exchange.
Julia Schnitzer: “The teaching project ‘Digitalization of Cultural Heritage’ in cooperation with the Jordan Museum gives students deeper insights into Jordanian cultural heritage and motivates them to engage with its history and mediation. We are grateful to the Jordan Museum and Dr Yosha Alamri as well as the German Jordanian University – its students, teachers, the International Affairs Department and the university leadership – for their hospitality. We look forward to continuing our contribution to preserving and making cultural heritage accessible to future generations.”