Educational resources in online museums of contemporary art. Typology and scope

Abstract

The number of virtual visitors has overtaken the number of physical visitors in numerous museums. Consequently, museum institutions face the challenge of catering to their virtual audience by developing and consolidating online services. Among these, there is an essential museum mission: education. The current research identifies and analyzes online educational resources in 128 contemporary art museums worldwide to gain insight into their typology and scope. The analysis of data, performed from three perspectives, offers several conclusions. According to the frequency of use, editorial content is most widespread. According to format, resources adapted from educational activities at the physical museum are more common, although there is a relevant number of materials based on online features. According to interactivity and participation, Web 2.0 formats are scarce and cases of collaboration and co-creation are minimal. Additionally, the analysis also provides an overview of the uneven support that online museums of contemporary art provide to formal education and informal learning.