Virtualization of knust’s tangible heritage: an Alternative medium to enhance access
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Date
2020-11
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KNUST
Abstract
Indisputably, museums provide research, educational and recreational benefits to
mankind. This has been carried out manually for centuries. But with the emergence,
and spread of Information Communication Technologies (ICT’s) this manual services
are changing rapidly to virtual services; all because the current generation of students
and researchers alike unconsciously resonate towards electronic platforms to access and
utilize information. Not very mindful of this, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science
and Technology attempted to establish a brick and mortar museum between 2002 -2012
to showcase her heritage but to no avail. Meanwhile huge sums of money, technical and
managerial resources had gone into it. In order to salvage such investment and to be
able to enjoy the benefits inherent in museum services, the idea of a virtual museum
was hatched as an alternative medium to achieve the same goals. The study therefore,
analyzed museum services in Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
(KNUST), designed, developed and implemented a demonstration virtual museum
(Virtual Museum of KNUST– (VIMU KNUST) and finally evaluated the effectiveness
and efficiency of VIMU KNUST in enhancing access to KNUST’s tangible Heritage. In
advocating for the creation of such a resource, the Sequential Exploratory Design in
(mixed method) was employed. Questionnaires, interviews, documentary reviews and
observation were used to gather data. Initial assessment results were reinforced by a
subsequent survey in order to be sure of the preference of the virtual museum by the
University. Additionally, a demonstration virtual museum was designed for evaluation
and the evaluated opinions were used to refine it for implementation. Analysis of Data
revealed that, apart from access enhancement of Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science and Technology’s (KNUST) heritage by the Virtual Museum (VIMU
KNUST), it will also provide monetary, visibility and educational benefits. More so, it
became evident that the preference of the university community was on a virtual
museum where patrons could sit anywhere and access it via the internet. As a sequel to
these, the study recommended among others that the University Management
Committee prioritizes the creation of a virtual museum as needed by the University
community while ensuring that, the resource is well advertised and that the interactivity
as well as navigability features of the resource is up to task.
Description
A thesis submitted to the Department of Educational Innovations in Science and Technology Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN AFRICAN ART AND CULTURE