International student projects make Jordan’s cultural heritage digitally tangible
How can cultural heritage be re-recounted by digital means and made accessible to a wide audience? An international teaching project of the Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences (THB) and the German Jordanian University (GJU) is dedicated to this question, which was successfully implemented again in the winter semester. Under the direction of Prof. Julia Schnitzer met from 24. to 30. October more than 40 students, teachers and experts in Jordan to work together on the digital processing of selected cultural heritage.
The project is anchored as an English-language teaching increase (ELI) at THB and brings together students from the study programs in computer science and digital media with students of the GJU from the fields of design and visual communication. In interdisciplinary and intercultural teams, they develop digital concepts that convey Jordan’s cultural heritage in a contemporary way. A special focus is on making museum objects experienceable for visitors to the Jordanian National Museum with the help of innovative technologies, interactive formats and narrative approaches.
The cooperation between the THB and the GJU has existed since 2022 and has established itself as a viable network in the field of digitisation of cultural heritage. This year, the cooperation was supplemented for the first time by the Jordanian National Museum, which as a practice partner offered central insights and work opportunities. The museum’s collection includes important exhibits such as replicas of historic watermills, the Mesha stele, Scrolls of the Dead Sea, and traditional clothing.
During the one-week project phase, the students worked directly with the museum objects: they performed 3D scans, collected background information, conducted interviews and developed creative digital prototypes. After an expert introduction to the exhibition by the senior curator Dr. Yosha Alamri, the teams began with the conception of their projects. The results ranged from interactive video mapping to playful applications to augmented reality scenarios with specially created 3D models.
A central challenge was to convey the historical and cultural background of the artefacts in an understandable, sensitive and at the same time innovative way. Aspects such as accessibility and inclusion played an important role in this. The students were accompanied by Christoph Luchs, lecturer at the THB, as well as Mohammad Al-Nusairat, professor of industry and research assistant at the GJU. The concepts developed in the museum will be further developed during the winter semester and then made available to the Jordanian National Museum.
The project work was supplemented by a cultural supporting program that provided participants with insights into the country and its history. Excursions to the Dead Sea and the ancient rock town of Petra, among others, deepened the understanding of the cultural context underlying the digital works.
The teaching project is funded by the ELI incubator within the framework of the HAW.International program of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and is supported by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space. It is accompanied by Anika Kettelhake and Sebastián López Castellanos. In addition, this year students of the University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt under the direction of Prof. Paul Grimm participated in the excursion and enriched the intercultural exchange.
“The cooperation with the Jordanian National Museum opens up unique learning and design opportunities for our students,” emphasises Prof. Julia Schnitzer. “They are intensively dealing with Jordanian cultural heritage and developing digital formats that make its significance visible to future generations. We would like to thank all partner institutions for their support and hospitality.”