ABSTRACT
The experiences provided by the CONTACT project suggest that digital representations are an economically effective means by which to introduce aspects of artefact study to large numbers of students. The CONTACT project addresses identified problems in teaching material culture in Archaeology and Classics through creating real and virtual networks of students, expertise and material. The CONTACT project is the result of successive projects developed over an eight-year span and builds on a sequence of evaluations and trials of integrating electronic resources in object-centred teaching. CONTACT'S core framework involves creating real and virtual networks of students, expertise and material. In terms of results and findings, evaluation of the CONTACT pilot projects was strongly positive. In order to model process, the material content of each CONTACT project is divided between a reference collection and an assemblage, such as would be encountered in a real world environment.
