Teaching diplomatics in 2.0 web environments: an innovative experience in internationalisation

Diplomatics is the science that studies the documentary sources (documentary sources) from the point of view of the form (external and internal features), through which the evidence relating to legal actions (legal acts) achieves full force and effect. At the same time it aims to reconstruct the genesis (issuing) and functions (functions) that have marked the documents in the historical period in which they were produced. An old tradition has produced strict disciplinary methodologies, issues and terminology specialized in the analysis of medieval documents (medieval charters), but capable of being extended to all types of paper documents (paper documents), even more recent. Currently, some authors have suggested the possibility to apply diplomatic analysis to contemporary documents, including administrative documents, as well as to the management of electronic documents (digital documents). The importance of Diplomatics and its current striking marginality ! within the European education systems (academic and otherwise) require the use of teaching methods that help to bring out the potential of the discipline and simultaneously make it more accessible to students. In this direction, we intend to present here the results of an experience of teaching Diplomatics at an international level through a virtual a learning environment making use of web 2.0 resources in a Master Course in Library, Archives and Research Methodology, for young graduates aspiring to become archivists . For the realization of the experience we used an e learning platform Rete@ccessibile (http://www.firbreteaccessibile.it), developed as a part of a research project funded by the Ministry of University and Research involving five universities (including the University of Naples Federico II) and a foundation, integrating the platform with the digital environment available on the international portal accessible MomCa Monasterium.Net (http://www.monasterium.net), specialized in medieval documents, implemented by the University of Cologne, and used within the ENArC project (European Network on Archival Cooperation - EU Culture Programme 2007-2013) which involves the University of Naples Federico II with twelve European partners. Compared to traditional teaching, which limits the opportunities for interaction and practice with the use of essentially theoretical lectures, the innovation of teaching methods within the on-line experience of the Master Course, has extended the time and learning spaces, responding to the necessity to activate a process of teaching and learning with students not physically present in the classroom since they belong to universities from different European countries. For this purpose, the platform Rete@ccessibile has made it possible the activation of an open, flexible, interactive, participatory process which allowed students to pursue a proactive and personal presence within the different slopes of theoretical learning and practical exercises. More generally, the project FIRB Rete@ccessibile has made available to the national and international community a dedicated space for learning and socialization adaptable to various educational and training requirements due to its flexibility and versatility in all its ramifications and potentials. For these reasons the platform has provided a valuable teaching aid allowing teachers to prepare learning environments "dedicated" but not closed, in which it was possible to achieve a constant interaction with students, engage them in individual and group activities, monitor the quality of learning processes and deliver corrective actions and reinforcements where necessary