Abstract:

The Museum of Optics and Optometry at the Faculty of Optics and Optometry was inaugurated in 2011 thanks to the donation of a private collection and houses more than 600 pieces from the 18th and 20th centuries. Although it holds a valuable collection, the museum lacks adequate museography that allows for historical, cultural, and technical contextualization of the pieces, limiting the educational experience for students of the faculty and the public visiting the museum.

This project involves students from the History of Optics course for the 2024-2025 academic year (an elective course in the Degree in Optics and Optometry, taught during the first semester, with approximately thirty students from all academic years) who, using project-based learning methodology, will develop the museography for the most relevant pieces in the museum as part of their final project. After the completion of classes, the tools generated in this initial stage can be used for the rest of the museum's collection.

This approach will achieve various goals. On one hand, students will be able to integrate theoretical knowledge with practical experience in a museum environment and acquire transversal skills (teamwork, critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, etc.) and knowledge from various disciplines. Additionally, there will be a significant improvement in the presentation of the museum's collection, providing a more complete and enriching experience for all museum visitors.

The specific objectives include the creation of explanatory narratives for the museum pieces, the development of multimedia content (texts, images, videos) for the exhibits (which includes, among others, plaques with QR codes containing extended information about the pieces), and an exhibition plan for these digital contents displayed in a poster show in the faculty's hall, in collaboration with its Photography Association. This will enhance the museum's presentation, offering a practical curatorial experience for students and equipping them with skills for designing technical and cultural narratives.

The project is structured into six phases:
1. initial planning,
2. resource collection,
3. research and creation of narratives,
4. implementation and assembly of the exhibition,
5. evaluation and continuous improvement,
6. extension of the experience gained to other museum pieces.

Currently, we are in the fourth phase, where students (after the phases of guidance through training seminars, research on selected pieces, and content creation for those pieces) are designing the exhibition posters showcasing their work. The methodology aims to integrate theory and practice within a museum environment, promoting the development of interpersonal skills and the acquisition of interdisciplinary knowledge and competencies.

The expected impact involves two different approaches. On one hand, it includes the acquisition of practical skills by the students, and on the other, the transformation of the museum into a more dynamic educational resource that attracts both the university community and the public.

The dissemination of this experience could facilitate the transfer of strategies and results to other contexts and disciplines beyond the specific field of optics and optometry, potentially benefiting other institutions interested in museographic and educational innovation.

Keywords:

Education, Museum, Optic, Optometry.