Telematic network for teaching art history in universities

1. Introduction

The aim of the project is to introduce and test a mechanism that will allow the exchange of digital images reserved for the university teaching of art history. It will realise a rational development of image databases planned within each of the partner universities (FUNDP, KUL, UCL and ULg) by using a.o. high-quality pictures from specific image suppliers (KBR and KIK-IRPA).

The project makes provision for the introduction of digital photo libraries within the different partners to replace conventional multimedia slides. This will involve a richer and more flexible perception of the works of art. A critical mass of around 1,500 digital photographs supplied by KIK-IRPA and a further 300 supplied by the KIK-IRPA/KBR consortium is essential in order to test the system's technology as well as its educational value. However, this number will allow tests to be conducted on only one complete course subject.

With the support of the technical provider, who will be selected following the establishment of a focused set of specifications, the partners will test the mutualisation of picture digitisation within the framework of databanks that are distinctive, yet accessible from a single gateway. Above and beyond this, the partners will study the technical, educational and legal implications of multimedia use in the teaching of art history.

They will define a set of recommendations involving processes for the exchange of artistic heritage imagery, from generation through to dissemination and including database descriptions. They will also define standard metadata, adopt a technique for watermarking disseminated images and propose measures relative to the long-term conservation of integrated data and the enhancement of image delivery procedures.

Furthermore, the university partners will participate in enhancing the information contained in KIK/IRPA and KBR databanks. Lastly, the partners will determine the structure necessary in order to continue efforts on a grander scale once the project has been completed by widening the partnership to include other learning centres (university or other).

New information and communication technologies will also enable the introduction of this imagery and scientific information in order to meet the long-expressed desire of politicians to see better interpenetration between the work provided by the universities and Belgium's federal scientific establishments, whose ranks include KBR and KIK-IRPA.

Substantively, an operational module will be proposed at the end of phase one of the project for the production, classification and dissemination of images to professors at the university partners. The validity of this module and its educational implications will have been tested and evaluated on a course subject.

At the end of this initial phase, a critical report will be presented on the legal implications of this new teaching method along with recommendations for the experiment's development during phase two.

Phase two itself will be devoted to system testing and initial system applications. In addition to the images digitised by KBR and KIK-IRPA during phase one, illustrations from a different course will be digitised at each of the partner university institutions and made available to professors in the network. There are also plans to make the pilot system available to other interested institutions. At the same time, the system's multimedia bases will be presented to the students.

2. Partnership and contacts

3. Financing

The project is part of the "Multiannual Information Society Support Programme, 2001-2008. First phase".
It is managed and financed by the OSTC