Heritage Interpretation Online

If you want to develop your understanding and application of interpretive good practice, then this course is for you!

AHI will be running the popular Heritage Interpretation course in partnership with GEM on Thursdays, between 15th February 2024 and 21st March 2024

Heritage Interpretation was developed in 2017 by Sarah Oswald (the Authentic Spark) in a partnership between GEM and AHI. The online course brings together heritage learning and interpretation professionals to share practice, ideas and approaches, and work through the challenges we mutually face. GEM and AHI continue to work together to develop CPD for the heritage sector that supports the multi-faceted roles and skillsets growing in the workforce.

If there is anything you would like to see this partnership working on, please contact admin@ahi.org.uk.

Who is it for?

This course is aimed at professionals with responsibility for planning, delivering or managing learning programmes or interpretation across the heritage sector. It is flexible to the individual needs of the participant, supporting those already involved in interpretation and looking for ways to improve or build upon their practice, and providing essential skills and knowledge for those new to the field.

Who runs the course?

The course director is Sarah Oswald. Sarah is a creative coach with over 20 years’ experience in heritage interpretation, which she shares as the course director for Heritage Interpretation. She has worked in consultancy, on projects large and small, and in community heritage and loves to use that experience to help coach, mentor and train others in the sector.

When & where is it?

This virtual course will take place over 6-weeks and will be run online through a series of virtual lectures, ‘at home’ activities, and a participatory discussion forum. Participants are highly encouraged to take part in the live lectures, but there will also be a possibility to engage with the recorded sessions afterwards.

The course will be a mix of discussion and sharing of perspectives and experiences, practical working individually and in small online groups and some presentation of theory by the course director.

Dates?

• Thursdays, 15th February 2024 to 21st March 2024 (10 am – 12 pm)

Week 1 - introductions, how the course works and what we will be covering; introducing interpretive audits - 1.5 hours
Week 2 - What is interpretation and interpretive principles, what goes in a plan; Who are we interpreting for? (audiences) - 2 hours
Week 3 - Why are we interpreting and what are we interpreting? (interpretive objectives and messages) - 2 hours
Week 4 - How and where are we interpreting? (interpretive media and the visitor journey) - 2 hours
Week 5 - How much will it cost and when will it happen? (budgets and programme) - 1.5 hours
Week 6 - How will we know it works? (building in evaluation) - 1.5 hours

Every week includes time in small discussion groups and participants are also encouraged to work on building up their interpretive plan between each session. There will be a guest speaker in either week 5 or 6.

Course fee?

It is £150 for GEM and AHI members and £190 for non-members.

The deadline for booking onto this course is 9 February 2024.

Please note that a £30 fee applies if you cancel your booking.

More information?

Please contact the AHI Office at admin@ahi.org.uk.

Got a question?

To find out more, please download the course brochure.

“It was my first online course and I really enjoyed it. I think I got more out of it than I would have had it been delivered over one day as originally proposed. The structuring over 6 weeks allowed time for reflection and for our ideas to develop.” – Past participant

Hear from our course director, Sarah Oswald, on what the course is about, what you will learn and who should attend:

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This course was developed in 2017 in partnership with the GEM with thanks to Arts Council England funding. 

If these dates are not suitable for you, GEM will be running the same course on Thursdays, between 20th June and 25th July 2024.  More information on this course is available from the GEM website.