Mauricio’s thesis: low-cost IET with impact on visitors

Well-presented, well-researched subject, Mauricio’s defense was great to attend from beginning to end. His theme was low-cost technologies and cultural heritage diffusion. He tried to determine how the IET (interactive educational technologies) currently used by museums have an impact on the visitors/users’ learning curve and whether/to what extent these are more effective than educational resources used traditionally. Mauricio used his practical experience gained while conducting his curricular internships – one at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, where he is working at the present and the second one at the San Francisco MOMA. He drew research data from the survey conducted at the MOMA – user observation and self-administered questionnaires for the “Anselm Kiefer: Heaven and Earth” exhibition; he evaluated how visitors perceived the impact of interactive technologies vs. traditional educational resources. The research results were proven solid by a sound methodology and a good interdisciplinary sense in the analysis - thanks also to Mauricio's academic background in psychology.
And congratulations for his re-consideration of established patterns of targeting: “of course youngsters are more drawn to technologies, but aged people have the time and the resources and the interest in arts and culture. They take computer classes and are eager to learn how to use technologies. Therefore this target should not be overlooked when designing interactive educational technologies for museums”. (inexact quote from his oral presentation, we all loved that!)

See pics (last in the set)