Abstract:

Since the 21st century, advanced digital technologies have been incorporated into cultural institutions, such as museums, libraries, and archives, to improve user experiences and visitor access. For museums, the use of digital technologies has meant diversified exhibitions, including hands-on displays and multitouch tabletops.

Formerly, virtual museums were installed at only a few museums because of the high level of computer programming that was necessary. However, today’s digital technologies such as virtual reality (VR) have made it easier to set up virtual museums. Virtual museums play the following significant roles:
1) disclosing digitized data,
2) conserving collections and objects by digitizing them,
3) overcoming storage limitations,
4) helping with exhibition design,
5) making the museum accessible to different types of learners, including those with audiovisual/oral disabilities, and
6) developing virtual-specific exhibitions such as 360-degree museums. Moreover, virtual exhibitions can be more dynamic and interactive than that in physical exhibitions.

Especially, in the context of the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, museums have faced various struggles (Noehrer et al., 2021). For instance, the public has been prevented from physically visiting museums due to health concerns, meaning that it is a timely endeavor to utilize digital technologies to develop 360-degree museums (Styliani et al., 2009). University museums also must consider how to function as learning environments for students (Simpson & Lourenço, 2020). This paper describes how to foster positive student experiences in a 360-degree museum, focusing on learning, enjoyment, and accessibility.

Tokyo Institute of Technology is a science university with six schools that offer undergraduate and graduate programs in science, engineering, materials and chemical technology, computing, life science and technology, and environment and society. The university has a strong history of leading industry in Japan. When it was established as Tokyo Vocational School in 1881 during the Meiji era, the aim was to combine traditional knowledge with scientific theory. It was later renamed the Tokyo Institute of Technology. Now, its historical collections of education and research materials are exhibited in the university museum and archives, including more than 10,000 in-house material objects related to industry. These objects range from ceramic arts to architectural models and electro-optical instruments.

Building immersive material with 360-degree views and VR is required for 360-degree images. To this end, the author photographed all the exhibitions in the museum with RICOH THETA, a 360-degree camera. Objects were photographed in high resolution with PowerShot, a compact digital camera. Then, the author wrote captions for each image. To integrate them, image processing was carried out with several software applications or professional services.

These materials can be used to offer museum experiences of learning, enjoyment, and accessibility for students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, virtual museums without object handling did not provide learners with multisensory experiences. However, 360-degree museums and VR may enable multisensory experiences in immersive learning settings. The author hopes to strongly develop this work-in-progress study to enhance students’ learning and enjoyment as well as museum accessibility with multisensory engagement.

Keywords:

360-degree museums, virtual exhibitions, COVID-19 pandemic, university museums.