Museology is an interdisciplinary field that brings together students from various humanities disciplines. In the programme, students explore how cultural and natural heritage can be preserved and used. From ancient artefacts and medieval traditions to contemporary art and culture-historical objects.

They investigate how objects and traditions become cultural heritage, who influences this process, and how to engage visitors in meaningful ways. A key focus of the programme is how to create compelling exhibitions and relevant institutions.

The students’ academic backgrounds are often rooted in history, such as history, art history, anthropology, and archaeology. However, museology also attracts students from other fields, including language-based disciplines and media studies.

Vinnie Nørskov is an associate professor part-time at the School of Communication and Culture, where she teaches at the museology programme. She also serves as director of the Museum of Ancient Art. Throughout her career, she has gained substantial experience in teaching interdisciplinary courses, where students from various disciplinary traditions collaborate on a specific topic.

“The students bring their core academic competencies into a shared pool, where, through different assignments and approaches, we explore the subject from multiple disciplinary perspectives – and examine what happens when everything merges in this collective process,” says Vinnie Nørskov.

Group work sharpens both knowledge and methodology

Group work is a central learning tool in the museology programme. It is used actively to prepare students for collaboration in interdisciplinary environments, challenge their perspectives, and strengthen their disciplinary identity.

Groups are formed before the teaching sessions. Disciplinary background, gender, and other factors are considered to ensure group diversity. This approach aims to prepare students for professional environments beyond the university.

“Most students will end up working in organisations from diverse disciplines – and that is exactly what we aim to simulate in the study environment,” Vinnie Nørskov explains.

Although group work often has a reputation for being unpopular among students, the experience at the museology programme is different:

“It is often said that students do not like group work, that they find it boring, or something like that. But that is not what we see in the evaluations,” she notes.

She explains that in the museology programme, group work is not merely a practical working method, but an important method for addressing disciplinary challenges. It creates space for discussions about how to work with different types of sources and topics. Naturally, disagreements arise. However, it is exactly through these differences of opinion that students learn to exchange perspectives in a respectful manner and navigate complex issues.

“For example, archaeologists are strong in analysing objects while historians focus on written sources. Art historians have a keen eye for aesthetics, which they apply when working with exhibitions. Each discipline contributes with unique perspectives and interdisciplinary collaboration provides them with a broader understanding of both theory and empirical knowledge,” says Vinnie Nørskov.

The groups that are formed before the start of the programme are often reused the following semester. By then, students know more about the competencies that each group member brings to the table and how they can contribute to achieving a shared goal.

Vinnie Nørskov also explains that students strengthen their disciplinary expertise when they must articulate their knowledge to students from other fields. They also become more aware of their own working methods, particularly at the beginning of their collaboration when they are required to sign a group agreement.

“Some might feel that writing a contract within the group is a bit of overkill, but it is a good idea because it forces the students to talk things through; how they prepare and study, how they work and learn the best, and how these approaches affect the collaboration,” elaborates Vinnie Nørskov.

She remarks with a smile that she only first became aware of her own work processes when writing her master’s thesis, which she admits was rather late. She continues:

“It is important that students reflect on what their academic working style is: What is the best way for me to learn? What matters to me when I need to complete assignments? Am I good at meeting deadlines? Do I work better under pressure, or do I need plenty of time? Do I learn through the writing process, or must I know everything before I start writing?”

Interdisciplinary group work as a tool for inclusion

Collaborating with people with different working methods is not just an academic exercise but a crucial professional skill for the labour market. The museology programme is not only aimed at blending disciplines but also at creating an inclusive work environment where diverse approaches and approaches are viewed as resources and brought into play.

Today’s students come from different backgrounds and needs, which can influence how they work in groups. Some require a clear structure while others thrive in flexible working environments. For some, giving presentations or participating in fieldwork is challenging, while others have extensive experience in these areas. Working interdisciplinarily allows students to learn from one another’s strengths and develop new strategies for collaboration.

"Today, more time needs to be spent on introducing group work and discussing how to create an inclusive work environment. And how differences can be used in a positive way. This is a new reality we must take into account. After all, it is simply another factor in today’s working conditions, and we might as well introduce it early on during their studies,” notes Vinnie Nørskov.

She acknowledges the balancing act of accommodating students’ diverse needs while upholding academic standards. In the museology programme, there are clear expectations regarding what the students must be able to do, such as presenting in front of others. This raises questions about how to handle situations where a student cannot meet such requirements – should they still be allowed to take the course, or do they need to find an alternative path?

“This is a challenge many teachers face today. What do we do with the standards we set? We cannot completely redesign our programmes and content just because we have many young people who face certain challenges. We need to tackle it pedagogically and find solutions that ensure our students still achieve the same high level, while at the same time allowing for different ways of participating,” concludes Vinnie Nørskov.

She highlights interdisciplinarity as a useful approach to navigating such conditions, as it naturally teaches students to work with people who have different professional and personal backgrounds. 

Resources for your teaching

The CED offers a range of resources to support teachers in working with interdisciplinary group work.

On AU Educate, you can learn more about interdisciplinary competence spotting, which is a reflection exercise with handouts designed to help students identify their competences and understand how these might contribute in an interdisciplinary context. On AU Studypedia, students can help build a good working relationship by aligning expectations.

If you want to know more about study group practices at AU, you can read the CED report Studiegrupper – Hvordan gør vi? (translation pending).

If you need help implementing interdisciplinary teaching in your teaching, you can book a consultant through our website. Fill in the form, and we’ll match you with the right consultant.