Incorporating museum, archive, and gallery collections into college courses can enrich learning by providing students with direct access to primary sources, artifacts, and works of art. At Non-Profits for Higher Learning, we’re dedicated to helping educators tap into these invaluable resources to enhance their teaching and inspire deeper student engagement.
This page offers practical guidance and tips for integrating collections into your curriculum, whether for research-based projects, experiential learning, or interdisciplinary studies (eventually). Explore best practices for collaborating with museums, archives, and galleries, including how to design assignments that utilize collections and how to coordinate visits or virtual experiences. You’ll also find strategies for teaching students to analyze and interpret objects, documents, or artwork as part of their academic work.
Using collections brings course material to life and helps students develop critical thinking and research skills. We provide tips on accessing digital collections, creating partnerships with cultural institutions, and aligning collections with your course objectives. Whether you’re teaching history, art, anthropology, or the sciences, integrating these collections offers students unique, hands-on experiences that deepen their understanding of academic subjects.
Check out cool resources such as this free database of 3D objects!
Sketchfab is one of many resources that provides 3D models of scanned artifacts that educators can use to show students how to analyze 3D objects.