Museum audios for design students: Auditory wallpaper or effective learning support?

This research explores a model for the design of learning resources on MP3 players for Higher Education (HE) design students in museums. Four downloadable audio files were developed, containing commentaries on permanent galleries at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) by curators, design tutors, art and design practitioners, design students, and others. The audios were trialled with 21 students, who reported a wide range of ways in which the audios had affected their visit to the museum, mainly positive. This indicates that the use of multiple perspectives in the interpretation of museum objects and architecture, accessed on MP3 players, can form pedagogically effective learning materials for design students, which are technologically functional and easy to use. This model is adaptable to other contexts in art and design education.