Abstract:

Despite the fact that over the last two decades there has been a considerable increase in the adoption of digital applications in archaeological excavations, the application of digital educational tools in the excavation training of Archaeology students has not made commensurate progress. As a consequence, it is still difficult to integrate in Archaeology curricula the physical space of an archaeological excavation with that of the university classroom. The impact of the limited use of digital educational tools became even more apparent during the recent COVID-19 pandemic, which created serious problems in conducting face-to-face excavation training in both the classroom and the excavation site. Within this context, the integration of these two physical spaces through the digital “space” of online training is the main objective of project DELTA (Digital Excavation through Learning and Training in Archaeology), a transnational project funded in the context of Erasmus+/KA2 EU programme. Through the DELTA project, students of Archaeology will be able to improve their subject knowledge and develop digital and 21st century skills.

This paper presents the results of the first phase of the DELTA project, during which we conducted extensive desk and field research aiming at recording the existing situation in the three countries regarding:
(1) the use of digital applications in archaeological excavations,
(2) current courses on excavation practices, methods and techniques and
(3) the use of digital educational tools in such courses.

By analyzing the results from Internet search and a survey using online questionnaires, we present:
(a) the most recent trends in the university curricula of Archaeology,
(b) the current level of digital skills and expertise of students and professionals and
(c) the needs and expectations of students and professors regarding the use of digital applications in excavation and Archaeology education.

The results of this research were particularly revealing, especially when comparing the situation between the three countries, but also when contrasting the existing digital skills and the aspirations of the various categories of responders (e.g. educational level, current position etc.).

This research provided us with the necessary evidence for the design and development of a blended training course that combines the use of an online platform with face to face and on-site learning in a joint excavation; the ADDIE model was adapted in the course design. In addition, the online piloting of the course allowed participating Universities to discuss the level of integration of digital applications in Archaeology education and make suggestions for future actions, particularly within the context of the recent pandemic and the problems it created in students’ excavation training.

Keywords:

EU project, digital skills, digital excavation, students, higher education, digital archaeology.