Internet Archaeology 12

An overview of efforts to provide online training and educational resource materials in lithic analysis for beginners to intermediate level university students. A CD-ROM entitled Digital Stones was scripted by two of the authors. It presents an interactive introduction to analysis of stone tools (Lohse and Sammons 1998; 1999). The analytical system presented in the CD has been used at Idaho State University as part of standard laboratory and field training for the past decade (Lohse 1998). In the Fall semester of 1999, these materials were used as the basis for a completely online course entitled 'Anthropology 491: Stone Tool Analysis'. This course included online chat rooms with recognised experts in lithic analysis and these conversations are preserved as online documentation. Some aspects of the work have added to a solid foundation for future building of this online lab course. Some aspects need to be drastically revised and others need refinement. The online experience in teaching a hands-on subject has reinforced some concerns expressed for online education in general and has led to some strong conclusions regarding the potential for this type of teaching.

This article is a reflection on the problems, challenges and strengths of network-based distance learning in archaeology. Based on the experience of one project - the PATOIS (Publications and Archives Teaching with Online Information Systems) Project - it looks at how archaeologists might best respond (and by implication how they ought not to respond) to the use of information technology in teaching.The PATOIS project is an attempt on behalf of a consortium of UK higher education institutions and allied research bodies to tell students about the information tools that are emerging in archaeology, and which are changing the culture of scholarship. Funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) and led by the Archaeology Data Service (ADS), PATOIS presents students with these new research tools and novel forms of academic literacy by direct exposure to 'primary' datasets. The PATOIS project is producing a set of Internet-based tutorials that lead students through different datasets and show how they may be deployed in research. This article describes the institutional and intellectual background to the project, and reports on the content of the tutorials themselves. Perhaps more importantly, it looks at the process through which PATOIS was developed, reviewing the challenges and constraints that the development team faced. Thereafter, we turn to the implementation of PATOIS in real teaching scenarios and look at how and when these have been successful as well as the challenges that remain unanswered. The project is not yet complete, so at this stage we can come to no firm conclusions about the long-term impact of PATOIS in facilitating change in undergraduate research training. Nonetheless, from the perspective of development work, the project has largely been completed, so those conclusions that may be drawn are most appropriately addressed to developers hoping or planning to undertake similar work in the future, or academics looking to develop research skills among their students. Reflecting the experience of one computer-based learning project, this article provides thoughtful guidance and advice that will be relevant to anyone interested in developing online teaching and learning resources.

In the UK, increased levels of developer funding has led to increased demand for archaeological fieldworkers, the producers of the primary data upon which all archaeological work and research depends. But archaeologists entering the profession are underskilled -- while increasing numbers of students are receiving archaeological degrees, recent graduates do not have the levels of practical knowledge that are required to work on major projects. This skills shortage is not restricted to junior fieldstaff. Throughout the profession there is a lack of structured vocational learning, and training is undervalued both by organisations and individuals. This article discusses archaeologists' engagement with the challenge of creating a skilled archaeological profession in the UK. The Institute of Field Archaeologists (IFA), as the professional association for all archaeologists in the UK, advocates the development of a co-ordinated training structure in archaeology which connects skills across a range of disciplines with formally recognised qualifications and defined professional roles. It envisages that this structure should have the potential for a link with pay and conditions and could lead to the development of a stronger career structure in professional archaeology. The IFA has set out an agenda, identifying that structured training is required in terms of basic training (e.g. for undergraduates); entry-level (equipping graduates for the workplace) and progressive training through continuing professional development (enabling practitioners to progress in their careers by maintaining and updating their skills).

This article discusses the potential of digital resources to add value to learning. It will consider current ideas about learning in order to identify some of the key ingredients of a good learning experience. It will then identify the different ways in which a digital resource base can contribute to such an experience. Specifically, it will discuss how the resources contained within the Scottish Cultural Resources Access Network (SCRAN), an online multimedia resource base for education, can be used in the context of learning and teaching in archaeology.

Review of the CD-Rom Journeys in the Roman Empire, produced by the British Museum, Verulamium Museum, and Channel Four Television, providing a snapshot of the Roman Empire through four interactive stories.

Review of the joint CD-Rom/book publication Virtual Dig: A Simulated Archaeological Excavation of a Middle Palaeolithic Site in France by H.L. Dibble, S.P. McPherron and B.J. Roth.

This review aims to describe a variety of activities that have taken place at Whitby Abbey since 1999 and consider some of the issues raised from these various activities, in particular issues of community learning, widening audiences and social inclusion.

Review of BBC online game 'Hunt the Ancestors,' a simulation of the rescue excavation of a prehistoric burial.