We need a shared language to expand access and communicate the value of museums

The Group for Education in Museums (GEM) has launched a refreshed Generic Learning Outcomes (GLOs) Framework, including a new learning outcome supporting sensory engagement. This marks the next chapter for one of the cultural sector’s most widely used approaches to understanding and communicating the impact of learning.

The Generic Learning Outcomes were originally developed in 2003 by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) in partnership with the Research Centre for Museums and Galleries at the University of Leicester. Led by Eileen Hooper-Greenhill, the framework became a pioneering cross-sector approach to evaluating learning and demonstrating the impact of museums, libraries and archives.

The original framework included five key learning outcomes: 

• Knowledge and understanding
• Attitudes and values
• Skills
• Action, behaviour and progression
• Enjoyment, inspiration and creativity

Through consultation we have refreshed the language of the framework and introduced a new sensory engagement outcome. The refreshed GLOs aim to support museums in creating more inclusive learning experiences and capturing a broader range of outcomes. This refresh responds to the way museum practice has evolved over the past two decades and the growing need to recognise the many different ways people learn and experience culture.

The consultation and development process was shaped by some fundamental questions: How can museums design programmes that recognise different ways of learning? How do we capture the value of experiences that are sensory, emotional and social, as well as cognitive? And how do we demonstrate the value of museum learning to funders and policymakers who increasingly expect clear evidence of impact?

Recognising sensory engagement as a learning outcome supports inclusive practice. It encourages museums to think more intentionally about different ways people experience learning programmes, collections and exhibitions – particularly SEND learners or those whose learning may not be primarily verbal or text based. Rather than expecting audiences to fit a single model of engagement, it invites museums to value a wider range of responses and experiences. The updated framework promotes multisensory learning and supports interdisciplinary connections, social-emotional learning, cultural belonging and inclusive practice.

As part of the refresh process, we gathered a few case studies from museums that have already tested the new framework. Some organisations used the new outcome to observe sensory engagement, such as using senses to explore, choosing sensory stimulation level, developing curiosity and confidence and noticing and sharing reactions and responses. 

Others found it strengthened programme planning by prompting them to consider different learning preferences from the outset. Several described how the refreshed framework helped gather richer evidence from participants and created a shared understanding of learning across different teams within their organisation. 

The refresh was undertaken in partnership with Sam Bowen (SEND in Museums), Jenni Waugh (cultural engagement consultant) and the University of Leicester, and was supported by Arts Council England. The refresh was informed by extensive consultation with museums, libraries and archives across the UK, and discussions with the museum professionals involved in their creation.

We had an unprecedented number of registrations for the GLOs launch event and were overwhelmed by the level of support the refreshed framework received from the museum learning community. One message came through consistently: the original framework remained highly valued, but practitioners wanted language that better reflected contemporary museum practice and enabled them to capture forms of learning that were often visible in their work but less visible in their evaluation. 

The refresh responds directly to that need. As museums continue to expand access and make the case for their public value to external stakeholders, we need a shared language to communicate the value of museums. We see the GLOs as an effective tool to achieve it.