Using Virtual Museums to Promote Activity Design Competencies for Out-of-School Learning in Pre-Service Teacher Education

Abstract

Virtual solutions of museums can be notably used to promote distance learning activities by providing information about their collections. However, the effective use of this potential depends mainly on the exact alignment of the learning activities with the educational goals. For this purpose, this study focuses on the analysis of pre-service teachers’ activity designs based on virtual museum visits for out-of-school learning environments. Within the scope of the case study design, 40 activity plans developed by pre-service teachers for elementary mathematics, science, and classroom teaching were examined. The activity designs for selected virtual museums emerged as a result of a semester program. The research findings indicated that the activities emphasized the strategies of supporting learning outcomes, the guidance process for students in the virtual museum environment, and the engagement of the student with the virtual environment. Based on this, the study revealed that using virtual museums as a teaching tool for pre-service teachers supports teachers’ knowledge and skills of the activity design.