darren milligan

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smithsonian learning lab
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idealabs: sizing up the universe
idealabs: prehistoric climate change

Homepage view of the Smithsonian Learning Lab. To the left is a dark gray vertical banner with the words Discover, Create, Share, and Learn. To the right is a photograph of a man pointing at a large wall that is covered with a close up image of the sun. Text reads, Welcome to the Smithsonian Learning Lab.

The Smithsonian Learning Lab is an online makerspace enabling access to more than six million authentic digital Smithsonian museum objects. The Lab provides tools to millions of museum educators, classroom teachers, librarians, and caregivers to use these to create new learning experiences for students. Since the site's launch, these educators have created and modified tens of thousands of personalized learning resources ranging from experiments to true models for digital learning.

The Smithsonian Learning Lab was created to address several key needs and opportunities:

Increased Accessibility and Reach:
Challenge: The Smithsonian, with its vast collections and expertise, primarily reached people who could physically visit its museums and research centers.
Solution: The Learning Lab was designed to provide free, digital access to millions of Smithsonian resources, breaking down geographical barriers and making the Institution's offerings available to anyone with an internet connection, anywhere in the world.

Empowering Educators and Learners:
Challenge: Educators and learners needed a reliable platform to easily discover, personalize, and share Smithsonian resources for educational purposes.
Solution: The Learning Lab offers a user-friendly platform with tools to search, create collections, and design interactive learning experiences using Smithsonian materials and user-generated content.

Fostering Deeper Engagement with Collections:
Challenge: Simply providing digital access to resources was not enough; the Smithsonian wanted to encourage deeper learning and engagement with its collections.
Solution: The Learning Lab's tools and features facilitate inquiry-based learning, critical thinking, and creative expression, encouraging users to explore, analyze, and synthesize information from Smithsonian resources.

Building a Global Learning Community:
Challenge: The Smithsonian recognized the potential for a collaborative learning environment centered around its resources.
Solution: The Learning Lab enables users to share their collections, learning experiences, and insights with others, fostering a global community of educators, learners, and enthusiasts who can learn from each other and contribute to a shared body of knowledge.

Aligning with Smithsonian's Strategic Goals:
Challenge: The Smithsonian sought ways to enhance its educational impact and align with its digital-first strategy.
Solution: The Learning Lab serves as a key component of the Smithsonian's efforts to expand its reach, engage diverse audiences, and promote lifelong learning through digital innovation.

Organization: Smithsonian Institution

Audiences: Museum educators, classroom teachers, librarians, caregivers, and students

Roles: Original concept, grant writer, research lead, design team management, engineering team management, user testing lead, communications and launch management, ongoing community management and training, sprint manager/product owner

Achievements: Webby Award Winner for Best Education Website (2019); Common Sense Education Best Museum Apps and Websites for Students (2018), American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Media & Technology Education and Outreach Gold MUSE Award (2017), School Library Journal Top Ten Tech (2016), 3+ million users

View Smithsonian Learning Lab Project →



View of a Learning Lab collection. On top of a dark gray background the collection title reads, Exploring Identity through Portraiture. To the right of the title are a series of colorful buttons and below is a grid of thumbnail images that make up the components of the collection


View of a Learning Lab resource. Full screen view of a painting of Henrietta Lacks, wearing a red dress, cream hat, shown smiling and looking directly at the viewer. To the left and buttom are a series of buttons for interacting with the resource.


Another view of the same Learning Lab resource. The view window is divided into two sections vertically. On the left are a series of buttons for interacting with the resource and on the right the painting appears again with overlaid boxes containing information.


Darren Milligan on a large stage presenting the Learning Lab. The screen behind him shows the name and URL of the site.


Four students sit at a desk with laptops interacting with the prototype for the Learning Lab. One student in the foreground points at his screen.