A Proposal for Innovative Higher Education in Archaeology Through the Use of Virtual Tours

Abstract

The research presents an interactive, stimulating and enrichingmethodology for the students of the Archaeology Degree, using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and the application of virtual environments in the teaching-learning process. Beyond the clear benefits of virtual tours in the interpretation, dissemination and knowledge of historical sites and their surroundings, they can also mean a really useful tool in the teaching practice. In this way, the present proposal is designed to verify how the access to multi-source and spatially geolocated information allows students to acquire basic knowledge and skills to understand multi-causal historical phenomena, which also have to be located in their geographical, historical and cultural/artistic context. This fact makes these virtual tools a unique opportunity for professors to introduce them into the teaching-learning process. This contribution is thus essential to help students to contextualize the theoretical knowledge and bring them closer to the real archaeological practice, allowing them to better understand the challenges they will face in their future professional life.