Digital Humanities in the Classroom

Mapping strategies and possibilities for teaching computational methods in humanities curricula Stef Scagliola Fernie Maas Els Stronks

http://www.rebeccalynneharris.org/category/digital-humanities/

Overview DH teaching in the Netherlands and Flanders

Results of survey on requirements for teaching

Policy requirements for ensuring a next generation of Digital Humanists

Provide answers to these questions:

• Where can I find a course that matches my interest?

• Where can I find course guides and best practices to set up a DH course?

• What do teachers need in the class room?

• What factors impede a fruitful development of DH in Dutch and Flemish academia?

1st phase – June, Benelux 2014 The Hague, pilot registry Nl/Fl

2nd phase – September, Dariah 2014 Rome, registry of Europe

NL/FL survey

International survey + enrich and clean Dariah Course Registry

http://dhcoursereg.hki.uni-koeln.de

Overview DH teaching in the NL. and Fl.

Results of survey on requirements for teaching • We started small: DH within Dutch/Flemish

academic institutions • Distributed among all faculties that teach DH

related subjects in Nl and Fls • 17 respondents • All universities represented

Results: the landscape

• Courses, certificates and degrees • General tools or specific research? • ’New media and digital culture(s)’

Literary studies and linguistics Communication and information science

Results: the obstacles

• Course material • Confined, clear and uncluttered data

collections • Overview of tools often used in DH • Literature and examples of DH research • Customized online environments • E-labs, computer labs

Policy requirements for ensuring a next generation of Digital Humanists

Results: the infrastructure

• Properly educated teachers • Affordable software

o with some help of commercial software suppliers?

o Open Source solutions?

Results: suggestions

• Make room for a new area of expertise in existing curricula

• Support the integration of Digital Humanities practices in regular courses

• Support the integration of Information Sciences and Humanities

• Recognize the high costs of small groups of student in hands-on DH courses

Why is it necessary to join forces across universities? • To avoid overlap in courses • To combine rather than divide the scarce

expertise and interest of teachers and students

• To share best practices and course materials, to improve the quality of courses

• To underline and demonstrate that Digital Humanities benefit from group efforts

How to place Digital Humanities on the deans’ agendas?

• Emphasize the deans’ unique position: only they can achieve nation(s)wide cooperation

• Emphasize the need for Digital Humanities researchers: a population that will not grow without support

• Any suggestions……? • Join the platform for Teaching DH at: …….