From it-education in archaeology to reality.

Benno RIDDERHOF

(Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

It-Education in archaeology at universities and special schools has always been a problem child. Either the education is non-existent or is limited to basic knowledge like PowerPoint, setting dots in illustrator or scanning for word documents. Even with the new technologies, it-education at universities usually limits itself to an introduction into GIS en Robotic total stations. Students are taught how to use these applications, but not how to understand them. If they are lucky there is a comprehensive database course.
Yet even if there is an it-education program at a university, it stands as an exception and is not integrated in the curriculum of the education of the university. Worse still the education has usually no relation to the demands of commercial archaeology, research institutes and heritage.
It-education at the Vrije Universiteit is different. The university has developed an it-curriculum in archaeology in collaboration with commercial companies, heritage and research institutes. During the courses the students learn the basics in it-archaeology. From there they have the possibility to expend their knowledge (GIS, Data design, statistics, Cad drawings, cartography and measuring techniques). With these courses it is possible for the students to go to heritage, commercial archaeology and research projects.
The poster consists of two parts. The first part depicts It-education during the bachelor and master in archaeology at de Vrije Universiteit . The second part depicts the continuation of the students after the courses at the various projects in The Netherlands and abroad as there are HBS, RACM, CLUE and DCCD.
The poster will be accompanied by a flyer with more information about the Vrije Universiteit, HBS, RACM, CLUE and DCCD.

Keywords: it-education at university, heritage, research institutes and international projects.