A framework for students' digital heritage education in the classroom - a human-engaged computing perspective

In the Digital Heritage Education (DHE) classroom, students use digital tools to assist in understanding intangible cultural heritage (ICH), which comprises intricate knowledge. However, students may still encounter obstacles when trying to produce creative designs. To address this issue, we propose a framework that adopts a human-engaged computing perspective to enhance the understanding and design of ICH through phased synergized engagement between engaged students and engaging digital tools. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed framework, we designed, implemented, and tracked Cantonese Porcelain (CP) Creative Design courses over five years. We then evaluated the framework using the probing method, i.e., interviews and focus groups, to obtain lessons learned about understanding and designing CP in the classroom from students and teachers. The findings demonstrate that the framework effectively facilitates students' step-by-step understanding of the knowledge of CP and improves their creative design performance by integrating digital tools and the knowledge of CP. The framework emphasizes both the human and digital aspects of the learning process, encouraging students to engage in a synergized relationship with digital tools to enhance their understanding of ICH and creative design skills. We also discuss the theoretical and practical importance of this framework and outline a future research agenda for DHE in the classroom. Our framework provides researchers and educators with a new approach to explore how digital technology can effectively support students in understanding and designing ICH. It can be applied to other domains of cultural heritage beyond CP. In general, our study contributes to the development of effective pedagogical practices to integrate digital tools into DHE classrooms and to improve student creativity and cultural awareness.