Behavioral and cognitive practices in the field of museum-related adult education

It is very important for museum curators and museum staff to understand and be able to analyse the activity and behaviour of visitors in their museum. The behaviour of visitors can provide curators with feedback on what is happening at the museum –where do people go, what exhibits visitors spend most time at, what hours of the day are most busy at certain areas, how people interact with the content and exhibits that they have designed etc.
This 6-day course gives participants theoretical background about visitors’ behaviour in the museum, observation methods of measuring various variables, as well as practical guidelines to evaluate visitors’ experience. Discussions, site visits and group work will enrich sharing ideas and exchange of practice between participants.

Objectives:
During the course, participants will:
- get informed about the behaviour of visitors in a museum and the factors that influence it
- learn techniques that analyze visitors’ behaviour
- explore visitors’ motivations
- explore the relation between motivation and identity
- investigate observation methods of measuring various variables
- examine practical guidelines to evaluate visitors’ experience
- visit Cypriot museums and discuss with the museum staff

Course schedule

DAY 1
-Visitors’ behaviour in a museum
-Factors that influence visitors’ behavior
-Analyzing visitors’ behaviour
-Tour to Municipal Gallery
-Tour to Limassol Archaeological Museum

DAY 2
-Techniques that analyze visitors’ behaviour
Visitors’ motivations
-The relation between motivation and identity
-Tour to Theatrical Museum of Cyprus
-Discussion with Museum staff.

DAY3
-Observation methods of measuring various variables
-Practical guidelines to evaluate visitors’ experience
-Group work
-Tour to Kourion with Roman mosaics and other antiquities.
-Exploration of the area.

DAY 4
-Tour to Limassol historical center, Castle area, Carob Mill Museum and other monuments.
-Visiting Medieval Castle & Museum
-Doing activities in the city center
-Data collection for the group work

DAY 5
-Visit to Nicosia, the only divided capital in Europe.
-Leventis Museum,
-Ledra Museum & Observatory
-‘Laiki Gitonia’
-Data collection for group work

DAY 6
-Design of observation sheets for museums
-Presentation of observation sheets
-Review
-Certificates