This paper reports on a project involving the development of a multimedia and interactive guide that can be used in museums for the learning of visual arts appreciation and criticism. A group of seven university students conducted in-depth studies of ten selected works exhibited at the Hong Kong Museum of Art. The students’ findings concerning these artworks were organised and transformed into relevant audio, visual and textual materials in the form of a portable individual interactive guide. The guide was made available to secondary school Visual Arts students visiting the museum. Constructive learning and contextual art appreciation are the guiding principles in the development of the guide. The content of the guide is divided into two areas: 1) background information on each artwork and 2) interactive learning activities. This guide is a collaborative effort between academics, the education sector Development of A Multimedia and Interactive Museum Guide for the Learning of Visual Arts Appreciation and Criticism and community cultural institutions, bringing benefits to each group of participants from these organizations. The paper ends with a discussion on the ways in which the guide can be improved and the benefits brought to project participants

Education in Hong Kong has undergone many changes in response to waves of curriculum reform since the late 1990s (Poon & Wong, 2008). Major changes have taken place in the content of the Visual Arts curriculum and in the format of public examinations. The New Senior Secondary Curriculum (NSS), which was implemented in September 2009 for Form Four to Form Six students (ages around 16-18, equivalent to senior secondary level of the US school system), postulates ‘visual arts appreciation and criticism in context and visual arts making’ as two major ‘intertwined and inter-related strands’ (Curriculum Development Council & Hong Kong Examinations & Assessment Authority, 2007, p. 9). Making visual arts criticism a compulsory paper and incorporating critical studies into the school-based assessment, the forthcoming 2012 Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) has created much anxiety among teachers regarding how art criticism should be taught and assessed (Wong, 2005). It is evident that the emphasis on art appreciation and criticism in the secondary school Visual Arts curriculum has been greatly increased. Using community and authentic resources such as artworks in museums to teach Visual Arts is also one of the strategies suggested in the NSS. Furthermore, the use of information technology for interactive learning plays an important role in the new teaching environment. Using mobile devices as a tool for teaching art criticism is an innovative way to respond to the needs of 21st century education. It is against this background that the present project was developed.

The principal aim of this project was to develop a multimedia and interactive guide that could be used in museums for the learning of visual arts appreciation and criticism. A group of seven participants from the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd) conducted in-depth studies of ten selected works exhibited at the Hong Kong Museum of Art. Six paintings and four ceramic works were selected on the basis that they are part of the museum’s permanent collections and represent important styles of and developments in Chinese art. The participants’ findings concerning these artworks were organized and transformed into relevant audio, visual and textual materials in the form of a portable individual interactive guide. This guide was then made available for secondary school students visiting the museum. The value of the project lies in its capacity to enhance the visual arts learning of all project participants, including HKIEd and secondary school students. Schoolteachers also benefited from the project in terms of a better integration of museum visit activities with appreciation and criticism using mobile technology. Specifically, the project aimed:

1. To foster the learning of visual arts appreciation and criticism adopting a constructivist approach at the senior secondary level.

2. To help students construct knowledge and learn about art through the use mobile technology that makes use of multiple-sensory learning.

3. To develop a self-learning multimedia and interactive guide that has the marketing potential for museums and heritage trails realising university-promoted ‘knowledge transfer’.

4. To initiate school-museum linkage and better use of community resources.