Earthscape

Earthscape is an innovative educational project that combines Virtual Reality (VR) with generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to create engaging, interactive learning experiences that raise awareness of sustainability in higher education.

The project is building a virtual learning environment in the form of a VR escape room. In it, students move through various topics related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), solving tricky puzzles and learning about each topic along the way.

The special twist: in addition to classic VR interactions, the environment lets users talk to objects and avatars in the scene in natural language through AI interfaces. This creates a dynamic learning environment in which questions can be asked, ideas tested and problems solved together. Novel forms of interaction are also being explored.

The project is aimed at students, teachers and researchers who want to try out new methods for digital and innovative teaching. Students are involved in the design and evaluation from the very start, so that the learning environment fits the actual needs of their studies.

The project is particularly relevant because sustainability topics are often complex and hard to convey with traditional teaching methods. Earthscape therefore relies on active, learner-centered methods such as experimentation, collaboration and hands-on experience. The combination of immersive technology, a pedagogical concept and an open-source approach makes the resulting models easy to transfer to the digital education of the future.

Many thanks to the Stiftung Innovation in der Hochschullehre, which funds the project through its Freiraum2026 program.