Museum Improvement
The goal in this section focuses on the improvement of the museum based on the set budgetary allocations. It is important to note that a number of areas may need to be addressed. However, that must be done within the set budget guidelines. It means that one must focus on areas that need urgent attention because of their relevance and the level of the need. One of the areas that cannot be ignored is the audiovisual setup. The following goal will be important in the improvement project:
- To set up audiovisual and lighting requirements for the first three months of screening within the budgeted cost of AED 48,000
In the budget estimates, photography and videography have been allocated AED 4000 per night. The audiovisuals fall in this category of the budget. It is also explained that there will be one screening per week for three months. It means that per week, the cost will be AED 4000, which translates to AED 16,000 per month, and AED 48,000 within the three months. It is important to note that within that budget, all the photography and videography needs must be met.
ELCC Standard Element Relevant to the Goal
The goal set above seeks to ensure that the museum is subjected to continuous improvement by providing the necessary facilities needed for it to function appropriately. The ELCC standards focus on numerous areas of continual improvement and it is necessary to select the one, which is most relevant to the goal. Standard Element 1.3 has been selected as the most appropriate for this goal, and it states as follows:
- Candidates understand and can promote continual and sustainable school improvement
This standard emphasizes the need to promote continual and sustainable improvement. Maintaining continuous improvement is not enough, as stated in the above standard. One must ensure that it is sustainable. In the goal set above, a budget has been allocated within which the improvement requirement must be met and must be within a given duration. In this context, it means that the expenses incurred in the improvement within the three months must be recovered from the operations of the museum within the same period.
The museum must be capable of funding its internal activities and improvement programs without relying on external funding. Such self-sustenance is critical for the goal to be achieved sustainably. The ability to achieve the goal set above defines the student’s capacity to meet the ELCC standard element 1.3.
Learning Activities to Address Internship Goal
To achieve the set goal, it will be important to look at a number of learning activities. The activities must make it possible to set up audiovisuals and lighting requirements for the first three months of screening within the budgeted cost of AED 48,000. The following are the important learning activities that can help in achieving the internship goal.
Looking for programs to improve the visitor experience in the museum
It is expected that when visitors come to this museum, their experience will define their ability to revisit the facility in the future. It is also possible that their experience will influence their ability to convince their family and friends to visit this museum. By ensuring that the audiovisuals are improved effectively within the set budget, it will be possible to improve the experience of these visitors every time they visit the museum.
The quality of images and sounds will be as per or beyond their expectations. This particular program of continual improvement of the audiovisuals and lighting requirements is expected to increase the number of visitors coming to this museum. As mentioned in the ELCC standard above, the programs must be sustainable. In this context, the best way of achieving sustainability is to ensure that the activities of the museum can generate enough revenue to support the activities. If the number of visitors to the museum increases because of the improved audiovisuals and lighting requirements, the museum will generate revenues that it can use to sustain its developmental requirements.
Film program with Cinema Akil
Cinema Akil has a comprehensive plan to ensure that it distributes its products across its target market locations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Initiating a film program with Cinema Akil will make it enable the student to achieve the internship goal. Cinema Akil has developed systems and structures in the market that can enable it to reach a considerable audience within Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It has a brand that has achieved some level of market penetration in these two major cities in the United Arab Emirates. It offers the best platform through which customers can be reached with various programs that meet their needs. It will improve the sustainability of the program set in the goal.
Looking at workshops that go along with the museum exhibits
It will also be appropriate to engage in workshops that go along with the museum exhibits. The budgetary goal states that it is a requirement that at least one screening must be done per night, once a week for three months. It may not be advisable to rely wholly on Cinema Akil to reach out to the targeted audiences. Sometimes it may be necessary to take advantage of the workshops that go along with the museum exhibits to increase the audience. Such workshops can also help in promoting the museum.
Working with the current family book activities that can be provided to all families that come to the museum
Working closely with the current family book activities is another important activity that can increase the number of visitors to the museum. By reaching out to the individual families, it will be possible to convince them to visit the museum when they have time to do so. Families form an attractive market segment because when one person is convinced to visit the museum, he or she is likely to come with others.
Analyzing Data and a Current Action Plan
The internship goal in this section focuses on budgeting in line with the current action plan. The goal should help provide an action plan that will in the data analysis and defining the path that can be taken to ensure that the entire process is a success. The following goal will be relevant in this section.
- To undertake effective marketing and public relation activities in the next three months using the allocated budget of AED 13,800
This goal sets an action plan that must be undertaken to ensure that the museum is successful in its operations. For the museum to attract visitors, it must be effectively advertised to inform the target audience of its existence and the products it offers.
ELCC Standard Element Relevant to the Goal
The goal in this section seeks to promote awareness of the existence of the museum through marketing and public relations campaigns. The standard selected must be in line with this goal, and the most appropriate one is ELCC Standard Element 4.1. It states as follows:
- Candidates understand and can collaborate with faculty and community members by collecting and analyzing information pertinent to the improvement of the school’s educational environment.
This standard focuses on data analysis and implementation of an action plan to achieve the desired goal. To undertake an effective marketing activity, one needs to collect and analyze information focusing on the demographics of the target audience. Public relations programs require collaboration with relevant people to know the concerns of the target audience and respond to them effectively. As the standard states, one must be capable of working closely with relevant individuals to achieve a common goal. In this case, it is necessary to promote awareness about the museum and ensure that there is a positive relationship between the public and the entity. That can be achieved by having the right information, collected and properly analyzed, and working closely with others as a community that seeks to achieve a common goal.
Learning Activities to Address Internship Goal
Public relations and marketing require a deep understanding of the needs of the customers and commitment towards meeting them in the best way possible. To achieve the set goal, one of the most important activities that should be emphasized is the need to ensure that those who visit are offered the best service. The following activities will help in achieving that goal.
Looking at the humidity and temperature of the temporary gallery
When people visit the museum, one of the main concerns that cannot be ignored is their comfort. Sometimes the number of visitors may be high, especially if marketing and public relations activities are conducted effectively. In such cases, the humidity and temperature of the temporary gallery may be high, especially if the ventilation is poor. It will be important to monitor the temperature and humidity levels at all times. Some of these visitors are sensitive when it comes to issues relating to their health and when they realize that ventilations are not properly taken care of, they may not come back. The comfort and safety of the visitors should not be compromised in any way.
Looking at the visitor’s number that comes to the museum (students, VIP, public)
After assuring the visitors of their comfort and safety, the next concern will be to monitor the number of visitors who come to the museum. At this stage, the assumption will be that all the major needs of the clients are met and the focus will be to determine the outcome of the initiatives made. Classification of the visitors may be necessary. The classes may be students, the public, and VIPs. The reason for the classification is to understand the category of people who are making frequent visits. It may take time to monitor and classify the audiences, but it is important for planning for future activities at the firm.
Looking at methods of collecting data for temporary exhibits in the museum
Looking at methods of collecting data for temporary exhibits in the museum is another critical activity. One of the most important goals that should be achieved in this project is to ensure that there is continual improvement in the services offered by the museum. That can be achieved, in part, by collecting data regularly to know what is expected of the museum. For instance, after classifying the visitors into the three groups above, one can tell the most attractive segment of the market. If students from the most attractive market segment, then the focus will be to come up with more products that target them.
Data can be collected by directly engaging the audience in face-to-face or online interviews. They can be asked about their experiences at the museum to determine if their expectations were met. They can be requested to state areas of improvement they want to see next time they visit the facility. The management of the cinema can also come up with suggestion boxes. As visitors leave the gallery, they will be requested to state their level of satisfaction and briefly explain their choices. Their views can then be analyzed to identify areas of strength and weakness.
Shadowing a Museum Director
In this section, the focus will be to achieve budgetary goals in line with the need to shadow a museum director. The director plays a critical role in ensuring that the museum runs in line with the set strategic goals. However, he or she will need the close support of the subordinates to achieve the vision of the museum. The following internship goal needs to be achieved:
- To promote learning and participatory programs for the tour operators, as part of logistics and operations programs, for the next three months using the assigned budget of AED 16,000
The best way of being of assistance to the museum director is to engage actively in the operational and logistics activities and to learn about the activities that must be conducted to achieve the desired success. Through such initiatives, it will be possible for the subordinate to run the museum even in the absence of the director.
ELCC Standard Element Relevant to the Goal
The above goal must be achieved based on specific standards. The focus in this section is to empower the tour operators so that they can be of help to the museum directors whenever it is necessary. The ELCC Standard Element 2.1 is the most appropriate one and it states as follows:
- Candidates understand and can sustain a school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning through collaboration, trust, and a personalized learning environment with high expectations for students.
To achieve the goal, it will be important to create a culture of learning and collaboration. The tour operators must work closely with the museum director to know what needs to be done, the manner in which a given activity should be undertaken, and teams that need to be involved among other issues. As stated in the standard, it is important to build trust based on very high expectations. The museum director must be comfortable delegating some responsibilities to the tour operators, knowing that the right thing will be done as per the expectations. The high expectations set high standards that must be met for a tour operator to have skills that can enable him or her to act in the capacity of a museum director.
Learning Activities to Address Internship Goal
Building leadership skills among students are critical because it molds them into dynamic individuals who can work with teams and embrace change whenever it is necessary. Students should understand what is expected of them when they become leaders in various institutions after college. They must also understand that learning is a continuous process that does not end after college. In the workplace environment, it is important to develop learning and participatory programs that can help in improving the skills of the employees. The following learning activities will help in achieving the set goal.
Attending talks that are held by the museum director for tour operators
Shadowing a museum director requires one to learn from a person in such a position. It is common for museum directors to organize talks for tour operators with the view of improving their skills. In such talks, the museum directors often talk about the challenges they face in their work and how such challenges can be overcome. They also talk about expectations that they have towards the tour operators. In such forums, the tour operators will get to learn the skills needed of a museum director. They will learn how such directors would guide and assign responsibilities to junior employees. They will learn tasks, which can be delegated, and those, which cannot be delegated.
Going to an opening of the stamp exhibition and preparing the PowerPoint for the director to lead the discussion
One of the most important learning activities is attending the opening of stamp exhibitions with or on behalf of the director. The tour operator may also consider preparing PowerPoint slides that the director can use in leading the discussion. Such responsibilities create leadership mentalities in the tour guides. When preparing such slides, the tour operator must assume that he or she is the director.
The message that is presented must capture issues that the director often deals with and wants to share with the audience. At first, it is possible to make mistakes as one continues to learn. The director will make the changes before the presentation and it helps the tour operators to identify areas of weaknesses. The more such slides are prepared, the more such an operator will gain skills to become a museum director. In some cases, the operator may directly engage the museum director when preparing the PowerPoint slides when issues are unclear. Such cases offer a perfect learning environment for the operators.
Observing curation of the stamp and exhibition catalog
When one plans to become a museum director, one of the most important learning areas is the curation of stamps and exhibition catalogs. One can learn how such activities are done through books and other online materials. However, the best way of gaining such knowledge is through observing the actual processes as conducted by the professionals. The tour operators should create time when they can take part in such curation processes. At first, they will take a passive role, just observing what is done. As they get to learn how it is done, they can start being active participants. It is expected that they can make mistakes during the learning stage. However, the most important thing is to learn from such mistakes and to perfect their skills in such activities.