Digital Archaeological Data in All the Classrooms: Case studies using the Digital Index of North American Archaeology (DINAA) for Teaching Digital Methods in Graduate and Undergraduate Curricula

Summary

This paper presents case studies in developing information literacy about archaeological methods and heritage resources, involving use of the Digital Index of North American Archaeology (DINAA) in graduate and undergraduate programs at Adams State University and Indiana University. DINAA is a linked open data hub which uses archaeological site definitions as a core from which to explore further information, including excavation and collections data, scholarly publications, and related information from other scientific databases. These examples highlight DINAA’s potential for teaching digital archaeological methods, including critical thinking skills about information design, data representation, and reuse strategies. Courses discussed involve heritage management practice and theory, definitions of culture areas and history, and introduction to archaeological science. Perennially critical issues in teaching digital archaeological methods are (1) providing students with primary data or large volumes of data for hands on learning and (2) providing them with affordable software solutions; addressing these issues provides graduating students with important skills for contemporary workplaces that require navigation of diverse data sets and software, often with limited financial resources. DINAA’s open data and open source commitments democratize the educational process for students, and simultaneously provide an avenue for educators to introduce real world data into the classroom.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Methods and Models for Teaching Digital Archaeology and Heritage

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15895