Open Archaeological Landscapes: Towards an Educational Approach to Data Sharing and Reuse

Abstract

Based on some general remarks about the state of teaching Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in archaeology, this paper presents an open and participative infrastructure, developed at Roma Tre University to allow students to get a first-hand understanding of data sharing and reuse through project-based learning (PBL). This infrastructure allows students to experience a workflow that is similar to the activities that professionals engage in, by dealing with the imperfections and complexities of real archaeological evidence, as well as the concepts and requirements of data reuse and the development of independent thought and transferable skills. To do this, we briefly discuss the state of teaching GIS and digital archaeology in Italy, emphasising the general fragmentation of curricula, content and scope, as well as the scarce engagement of scholars and trainers with data sharing and reuse. Finally, we briefly discuss the results of a questionnaire-based survey designed to understand the educational success of PBL in GIS teaching, including the capacity to increase students’ engagement with data sharing and reuse.