Abstract
This chapter intends to describe the case of the MIEC virtual exhibition as well as reflect upon the relevance of ICT, namely Google Arts and Culture, for the promotion of cultural heritage tourism. In this vein, the authors will first approach the issues of cultural tourism and ICT, exploring how virtual exhibitions and digitization have become an important tool to empower institutions and audiences. Secondly, the authors will present, discuss, and assess the project-based learning (PBL) activities, starting with the presentation of the platform, its advantages and disadvantages for learning and teaching. Then, the authors will analyze some of the results obtained from a pedagogical perspective by scrutinizing students' surveys and opinions. These results will also report on the research outcomes of the project, and an accountability of its marketing purposes will be proposed. The chapter will finally put forward the limitations of this ongoing project and intended future research, suggesting how similar projects can be implemented, managed, and assessed.
Top1. Introduction
In the academic year of 2017/2018, the Porto Accounting and Business School (ISCAP), belonging to the Polytechnic Institute of Porto (P.Porto), one of Portugal's largest and most prestigious state-run Polytechnic Institutes, opened a pioneer study program in Portugal, the MA in Intercultural Studies for Business – MaISB. This new program offers in-depth training focused on the business world, in order to develop practical, analytical and critical skills for effective communication between cultures, as well as the profitability of knowledge and entrepreneurship in the field of culture. The program presents an innovative approach to the Humanities, based on interdisciplinary methodologies and the application of ICT. It trains professionals capable of autonomous, efficient and integrated performance in intercultural contexts, able to introduce initiatives for the understanding between cultures into business practice, in line with the new epicenters of economic flows and their agents. The objectives of and competencies fostered by MaISB address the need to design highly specialized output profiles, able to respond to the demands of the global market, and to be incorporated in multinationals, expanding domestic and foreign companies, as well as creative and cultural industries, NGOs, local and national public services, international organizations, e-business and ecommerce, educational institutions, tourism enterprises and international marketing, with a focus on self-employment, by providing consulting, mediation, coaching and training services.
MaISB benefits from the activities of the Centre for Intercultural Studies (CEI)1, which develops basic and applied research on interculturalism and multiculturalism, with a renewed focus on business studies. CEI is a research associate of Lisbon’s Universidade Nova2 and has collaboration partnerships with numerous universities in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, as well as with companies, networks and international entities based in Portugal. Finally, MaISB provides cultural training focused on the new routes of global economic expansion, granting equal importance to the centers from which cultural matrixes once emanated and to the contemporary postcolonial peripheries (or new centers), aware that center and periphery are now interchangeable concepts, in constant renegotiation. In order for graduates to have high potential for employment in the country and abroad, and also be able to create their own employment, MaISB understands the knowledge of culture as a profitable commodity, as added value to any company with global aspirations, as a tool and subject for business and economic growth.
In this vein, the course units of French, German and Spanish Culture for Business III, and of Intercultural Communication Technologies of MaISB, engage their students in a project-based learning activity, spanning the entire first term of their second year. With the purpose of encouraging reflection on both cultural heritage and the transformation of cultural assets into marketable cultural tourism products, in the academic years of 2017/2018 and of 2018/2019, MaISB students and respective teachers actively participated in the design and curation of a virtual exhibition hosted in the Google Arts & Culture platform, in partnership with the International Museum of Contemporary Art of Santo Tirso (MIEC).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Interculturalism: Involves moving beyond mere passive acceptance of a multicultural fact of multiple cultures effectively existing in a society and additionally promotes dialogue and interaction between cultures.
Google Arts and Culture: An online platform of high-resolution images and videos of artworks and cultural artifacts from partner cultural organizations throughout the world.
Culture Commoditization: Process of transforming cultural assets in a commodity, for commercial purposes.
Multiculturalism: The co-existence of diverse cultures, where culture includes racial, religious, or cultural groups and is manifested in customary behaviors, cultural assumptions and values, thinking patterns, and communicative styles.
MIEC: The International Museum of Contemporary Art of Santo Tirso, conceived as a forum for dialogue between different contemporary art trends, as well as for debating and disseminating public sculpture. MIEC comprises 57 sculptures distributed across the town of Sato Tirso, created by 53 distinct artists, from more than 20 nationalities giving shape to an authentic open space museum.
Virtual Exhibition: A Web-based hypermedia collection of captured or rendered multidimensional information objects, designed around a specific theme, topic concept or idea.