MCN 2020 VIRTUAL

In the time of social distancing, we need distance learning more than ever. Museums around the country are turning to this medium as a way to sustain their relationships with existing audiences and open their digital doors to new ones. In this moderated panel discussion, the panelists will share how their museums have responded to the novel coronavirus through distance learning, such as virtual field trips, online courses, and mixed reality programs. Each museum has varying levels of experience with distance learning but the global pandemic has caused them to either kickstart, expand, or reexamine the programming they offer in order to meaningfully engage audiences while the physical buildings remain closed.

This session will share those stories and explore questions such as: how does distance learning uniquely explores the tension between transformation and longevity? how can museums transform successful onsite programs into online learning and how do you maximize digital spaces for learning? How do you get institutional buy-in to rapidly shift the focus of staff and resources to new types of programming? How can museums see this as an opportunity to sustain existing relationships with their audiences and invite new visitors in?

This session will investigate the MCN theme of Sustainability by exploring what distance learning technologies and practices look like in the face of disruption as a result of COVID-19 and how this transformation impacts the long-term goals of their department and/or institution. It will address themes from Strand 1 by sharing how museums have created new strategies via distance learning to engage audiences as a result of COVID-19 closures.

The panelists in this session represent three types and sizes of museums, from three geographic areas, and three levels of experience with distance learning. This mixture of experience will provide a rich discussion around transformation and sustainability in engaging audiences through distance learning. They include:
- A regional history museum that has never utilized distance learning but is switching gears to overhaul their programs;
- A national history museum that has existing K-12 virtual field trips, and higher ed and lifelong learning online programming, but exploring online offerings for teacher professional development;
- A statewide art museum that has experiences in different forms of distance learning for various audiences and expanding into mixed reality.

The moderator is a museum consultant with expertise in distance learning and podcasting, so can mediate a lively interactive discussion between panelists and virtual attendees.

During the session, the moderator would facilitate Q&A in the chat throughout the session; attendees and panelists could use the chat to provide resources to each other in real time; use polling to stimulate discussion or focus the conversation in ways that are most relevant to the attendees; and play a game with panelists and attendees at the end of the session!