University museums, including university libraries and archives, are among the most appropriate institutions for interdisciplinary/cross-disciplinary learning as objects can be studied in accordance with a diverse range of disciplines. Curators and librarians in university museums and libraries can offer their curation skills, which include identifying specimens, performing careful and ethical handling of materials, and installing digital archiving systems, to provide students with object-based learning opportunities. Object-based learning is a form of active or experiential learning that incorporates collections and objects in the learning environment. It has a long history, spanning several centuries and regions, and it is a powerful pedagogical method for use in museum settings. It was derived from educational psychology, cognitive psychology, science education, and museum pedagogy. Moreover, it enhances the museum experience and prompts discovery learning and constructivism. Previous studies have argued that object-based learning involves engagement in multisensory experiences to adopt embedded experiential learning, make sense of learning through constructivism, and expand the diversity of learning contexts. Here, the term objects includes not only specimens of natural history and cultural history artworks but also digital images and artifacts in museums, libraries, and archives. Because object-based learning has undergone reconsideration of its advantages in cross-disciplinary learning in the sector of higher education, including at university museums and in libraries, objects have been used in cross-disciplinary learning in the sciences, humanities, and social sciences. However, the use of collections and objects at university museums and libraries has been conventionally limited to in-person learning in specific disciplinary fields, such as natural or cultural history. For example, sho calligraphies are learning materials for literature students. In addition, picture books used as textbooks are learning materials for biology students. Students in different disciplines use sho or picture books as part of their learning objectives, indicating that cross-disciplinary researchers, such as anthropologists, artists, biologists, computer scientists, ethnologists, and historians can engage in learning, teaching, and research. From this perspective, cross-disciplinary learning is afforded where different researchers met with collections and objects.

This attempt is constructed to support the practice of deciphering of objects through the combination of virtual and real objects for cross-disciplinary learning. Digital object-based learning is developed for students at the University of Tsukuba. Resources for digital object-based learning are offered at the University of Tsukuba Library. This university library collects and curates many rare books and artworks through diverse discipline. Kyoiku Nishikie, the full color prints issued by the Ministry of Education that was published during the Meiji era in 1873, was obtained from the digital archives. In this attempt, the author used these Japanese materials including Kyoiku Nishikie as learning material. The author rendered old writings as contemporary writings for object-based learning for cross-disciplinary learning according to learners’ own interests and discipline.

Keywords: Digital object-based learning, nishikie, cross-disciplinary learning, higher education.