Dr Amir Moghadam, Special Collections
Introduction
On Monday, 9 March 2026, Gionni, Davina, and I hosted a visit from Bishop Tyrell Anglican School in the Special Collection. We welcomed 25 Year 11 and 12 students. Thank you to Davina for preparing the space. The group spent 45 minutes exploring our Greek and Roman objects. Of the 25 students, 18 completed the survey, which included two Likert-scale questions on learning and engagement, and one open-ended question about the most useful or memorable aspect of the session and suggestions for improvement. This report presents student feedback from the visit.
In the survey, we asked students three questions:
- Did they learn something new about Ancient Rome, and did the material help them understand the topic better?
- Did the hands-on activities keep them interested and involved for most of the session?
- What was the most useful or memorable part of the session, and what is one thing we could improve for next time?
Most students said they learned new information and enjoyed the hands-on activities. In their written comments, they highlighted handling artefacts, the chance to touch objects, and memorable items as the best parts of the session. Some students suggested having more interactive artefacts in the future. The next section provides a detailed summary of their responses.
Results
Table 1 responses to the two Likert‑scale questions.
| Question | Strongly Agree | Agree | Neutral | Disagree | Strongly Disagree |
| Learned something new | 6 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Hands‑on activities engaging | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Responses to Question 1:
For question 1, we asked students if they learned something new about Ancient Rome during the visit and whether the session helped them understand the topic better. About 72% of respondents responded positively. Their responses are as follows:
Responses to Question 2:
For question 2, we asked students whether the hands-on activities kept them interested and involved throughout most of the session. About 78% of respondents responded positively.Their responses are as follows:
Responses to Question3:
For question 3, we asked students what they found most useful or memorable about the session and what we could improve for next time. The following section presents a thematic analysis of their answers and comments.
Recommendations
The results show that object-based learning kept students engaged throughout the session. Most students said they understood the material better and stayed interested. Their comments also highlight how using artefacts and hands-on activities helps spark curiosity and makes it easier to remember historical content. Based on this feedback, here are some recommendations:
- Continue using artefact‑based and tactile teaching methods.
- Increase the number of interactive artefacts and demonstrations.
- Improve the teaching spaces and adjust the pacing to enhance the sessions’ appeal.