From Information Dissemination to Information Gathering: Using Virtual Exhibits and Content Databases in E-Learning Centers

Abstract

Concurrently, large multimedia databases, termed content databases, are being created to store and manage digital representations of a museum’s physical collections, such as scanned images, text documents and videos. These databases can also provide valuable information and data for use in the development of e-learning centers1 for tasks ranging from presentation of information about the museum’s educational resources to providing a full interactive learning experience for students and casual information seekers. There are at least three ways an e-learning center can support learning: first, by providing information on a given set of topics, second, by providing educational activities to reinforce learning, and third, by supporting information gathering. In this chapter, we will present and discuss how different e-learning center architectures support these different forms of learning.