COURSE INFORMATION
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This course is not currently open for online registration
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register@uvcs.uvic.ca or +1 (250) 472-4747
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Computer-based interactive exhibits are undergoing a major transformation. The lone, single-user kiosk is now being replaced by multi-touch tables and walls, motion-sensing spaces, networked installations, and RFID-based exhibits. Advances in augmented reality, speech recognition, eye tracking, and other technologies promise even more radical change for exhibits in the near future.
Collectively these new technologies represent a fundamental advance in Human Computer Interaction (HCI). This course will look at a new generation of computer-based exhibits that are more physical, more intuitive, and have more social qualities than their predecessors.
The new models for HCI provide us with opportunities to rethink how technology is used in museums and other public spaces. Computer technology is on the cusp of finally living up to its promise in the museum world, providing a platform for developing compelling and authentic experiences for the public.
In this course, you will investigate the new HCI technologies, explore examples of effective practices and develop your ability to:
- understand the workings of multi-touch, motion-capture, RFID, augmented reality, and others
- explore the early “exemplar” exhibits in the field that utilize new computer technology
- identify informational, hardware and software resources for new HCI technologies
- define various types of visitor experiences, and identify the most effective practices in the field
- understand the design parameters involved in creating multi-touch and multiuser exhibits
- conceptualize and design more effective computer-based exhibits
- create more engaging exhibits, with stronger social interaction
- plan, implement, and evaluate computer-based exhibits
Instructor
Jim Spadaccini is the founder and director of Ideum (www.ideum.com), a New Mexico-based multimedia design firm that works with museums, nonprofits, and socially responsible companies. He is also the Principal Investigator of the Open Exhibits (www.openexhibits.org), a National Science Foundation sponsored open source exhibit software project. Ideum focuses on the development of multitouch and multiuser software, hardware products, and custom installations. For the last 11 years, it has designed and developed over 70 projects with top museums and cultural institutions across North America. Before founding Ideum, Jim was the Director of Interactive Media at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. You can view some of Jim's work here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ideum/4306401574/
Accommodation Options in Toronto:
http:://ontariosciencecentre.ca/hotels/default.asp
*Note: Since there are no hotels near the Ontario Science Centre, students should be advised that hotels near Yonge St. or Bloor St. will provide the easiest access to subway stations that connect to the Ontario Science Centre via the Yonge or Bloor lines.
Come for the Course, stay for the CMA Conference!
HA488H: Emerging Exhibits will now coincide with the Canadian Museum Association’s 65th annual conference. The national conference will take place at the Hilton Lac-Leamy in Gatineau, Quebec, April 23-27, 2012. For more information, please visit the CMA website:
http://www.museums.ca/?n=14-98-284
Students wishing to travel from Toronto to Gatineau can explore several affordable options.
Air Canada: http://www.aircanada.com/en/flights/Toronto-to-Ottawa.html
WestJet: http://www.westjet.com/guest/en/flights-from/toronto-to-ottawa.shtml
VIA Rail Canada– from Union Station: http://www.viarail.ca/en/trains/ontario-and-quebec/toronto-ottawa