E-learning on the Water Management System of Augsburg
Discover the power of place-based learning with our innovative project! Working with local communities and schools, we create interdisciplinary e-learning curriculum that engage pupils (9-16 years) in exploring water-related challenges and local solutions in a contextualized and meaningful way. Using interactive EduTech and active pedagogy, our e-curriculum enable pupils to learn at their own pace in various educational settings, making it accessible to all.
Cross-border/international
Germany
Austria
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The e-learning on the Water Management System of Augsburg is being developed in cooperation with the City of Augsburg, coordinated by the Augsburg World Heritage Office. It is developed in both German and English. Selected primary and secondary schools in Augsburg are invited to test the e-curricula. It will be offered free of charge to all interested schools in the region and beyond. A prototype has been tested in Deutsches Sprachdiplom schools in China with very positive feedback. Our e-curricula are accessible to anyone with an internet connection.
It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
No
No
Yes
As a representative of an organization, in partnership with other organisations
Name of the organisation(s): Heritage & Education gGmbH Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Ping Last name of representative: Kong Gender: Female Nationality: China Function: Founder Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Am Maerchenbrunnen 7 Town: Berlin Postal code: 10407 Country: Germany Direct Tel:+49 163 7174128 E-mail:connie.ping.kong@gmail.com Website:http://www.heritage-and-education.de
E-learning on the Water Management System of Augsburg is being developed by Heritage & Education gGmbH (H&E) in cooperation with the City of Augsburg, and coordinated by the Augsburg World Heritage Office. The initiative is a place-based, interdisciplinary e-learning curriculum for school children aged 9-16, to support Education for Sustainable Development in both formal and informal settings.
The e-curriculum consists of three learning modules in both English and German, that engage pupils in exploring water and human interactions with water through different subjects: geography, history and technology, art and climate change. The development of e-curriculum employs a participatory approach, through working closely with local heritage managers, experts, schools and teachers, to ensure an authentic learning experience. The knowledge, derived from both tangible and intangible values of the Augsburg water management system, is contextualized through vivid examples and presented in an instructional design approach, that is aligned with school curricula.
Our e-curriculum includes fully developed lesson plans for teachers and downloadable worksheets to guide online/offline hands-on activities, making it adaptable to various educational settings. It is available free of charge on an open-source platform. Using interactive EduTech and multisensory media formats, the e-curriculum engages pupils to learn at their own pace in a collaborative, autonomous environment with the support of inquiry-based active pedagogy.
place-based e-learning
participatory design
interactive EduTech and storytelling
Education for Sustainable Development
local solutions for global challenges
Our initiative is committed to achieving sustainability in both educational approaches and content development. To deliver high-quality learning materials and maximize access to them, our e-curriculum supports Education for Sustainable Development (SDG 4). Our digital learning materials use interactive EduTech, storytelling and multisensory media presentations to create a student-centred, self-paced, collaborative learning journey. It is made available free of charge on the open-source learning platform for schools and pupils across cultures. Upon request, teachers and pupils can be granted individual accounts to access all learning materials, including interactive online contents and downloadable worksheets to guide offline hands-on activities. They can communicate and share their learning experience in the dedicated online forum and through various collaborative activities, our initiative provides a turn-key solution for different formal and informal educational settings, such as e-twinning, flipped classroom or project weeks.
In view of content, our e-curriculum is centered around the key element for sustainable development: water, and geared towards raising awareness and problem-solving skills related to SDG 6 and 7. To achieve this, the e-curriculum creates contextualized, place-based learning on the Water Management System of Augsburg. The immersive learning experience supported by outstanding examples in Augsburg empowers pupils to understand global challenges from local perspectives and apply relevant knowledge, attitudes and skills in their daily lives. Combining interactive online learning and hands-on offline activities, our e-curriculum encourages pupils to be active change-makers with call-to-actions on sustainability. It equips pupils with critical thinking and problem-solving skills to become more aware of water related environmental challenges and local measures.
Our e-curriculum is a place-based, experiential learning about heritage resources, with the Water Management System of Augsburg as the basis of creation. As a World Heritage Site, its picturesque setting and artistic representation of water technology and water-related ensembles offer an appealing learning environment for pupils. Our initiative uses different strategies to maximize the immersive learning experience with authentic examples in Augsburg.
1. Understand our target user-experience better by testing and analyzing feedback, which allows us to apply more effective learning strategies and to design more engaging interventions
2. Engage pupils in exploring the water management system from both its tangible and intangible perspectives through 3D visual tours of local landmarks and interviews with local experts.
3. Facilitate an active learning experience through integrating storytelling into the instructional content design. Bo and Bilibo as the mascots of the e-curriculum accompany pupils on various adventures across time and space in Augsburg to learn different subjects, such as:
• time-travel to investigate the geography of Alpine region in the Glacial period
• visit water-related historical ensembles via a 3D visual-tour
• discuss with historical figures to gain in-depth knowledge
• dive into the micro world to observe the natural filtering system of groundwater and talk to bacteria in polluted water resource.
These stories and visual experience are designed to resonate the messages of sustainability with target pupils by connecting learning in a meaningful way.
In developing our e-curriculum on the water management system of Augsburg, we are using a participatory approach and inclusive technology to meet the needs and interests of various stakeholders in our initiative.
1. Survey and questionnaire analysis to better understand the user-experience of target school children
2. A local working group co-managed with the Augsburg World Heritage Office to gather resources and feedback for the best learning outcomes, such as Augsburg Public Utilities, local museums, archives and two local schools: St. Anna Primary School and St. Georg Secondary School. This allows the initiative to benefit from the local knowledge and experience and ensures the quality of our e-curriculum.
3. Offer the e-learning materials with free access on an open-source platform to benefit a wider range of schools and pupils across cultures.
4. Use inclusive technology to improve the accessibility for pupils suffered from dyslexia and visual impairments through the use of screen readers and text-to-speech, which is applicable on most computers, tablets and smart phones.
The involvement of a wide range of local stakeholders demonstrates a shared interests in and commitment to the educational mandates of heritage sites. Our e-curriculum synergizes the resources and interests of both heritage and education sectors, facilitating the digitalization of local materials and the knowledge transfer of local experts.
The development of e-curriculum involves a wide range of local stakeholders and also serves as a platform for them to develop a sense of belonging to the Augsburg community. By learning about the city’s water management system, pupils can gain a deeper appreciation for the history, culture, and environment of the city. This will enable them to develop a greater sense of connection to their local environment and the people living in it.
Furthermore, our initiative offers an accessible turn-key learning material for pupils of 9-16 years on an open-source platform. School children anywhere with internet access could learn about water and water management through the example of Augsburg water management system and reflect on water related challenges in their nearby living environment. The collaborative learning and exchange among target youth group (9-16 years) across cultures will stimulate far-ranging awareness and action in saving and protecting water.
The design and implementation of the initiative involved the engagement of different stakeholders at various levels. At the local level, a working group of relevant stakeholders is organized to ensure the quality of our e-curriculum by integrating local knowledge and experience.
At the regional level, the initiative is supported by a network of professionals and institutions working in the field of digitalization and cultural heritage, such as Europeana Education Community. This experience sharing and expert support enable the initiative to benefit from innovative pedagogical approaches and up-to-date open educational resources.
At the international level, the initiative gains direct support from UNESCO World Heritage Education Program and the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Water Heritage, which allows access to school networks and scientific support from water heritage experts
The synergy between heritage, pedagogy, technology and design is at the heart of our initiative. (World) Heritage sites offer outstanding examples and authentic learning environment to engage pupils in exploring the diverse interactions between humans and natural environment. The education sector, on the other hand, has a high demand for up-to-date, cross-curricular learning materials, especially on topics such as environmental education, sustainability and climate change. Water management is an interdisciplinary theme, reflecting the interactions between humans and natural environment throughout history. The Water Management System of Augsburg is a sustainable system, demonstrating an exemplary use of water resources over the course of more than seven centuries. The values and embedded knowledge of the site help pupils to acquire an deep understanding of interrelated factors across geography, history, technology, art and climate change, which will pave the way to find local solutions on global challenges.
In our initiative, heritage resources both tangible and intangible (traditional knowledge and practices) are the basis to illustrate the values and knowledge of water management. Pedagogy is used to ensure lessons are engaging and effective in conveying knowledge, by understanding the cognitive ability of target groups. Our e-curriculum is aligned with school syllabi and adds value to different subjects through contextualized, engaging examples in Augsburg and beyond. Technology provides a platform and various tools to carry out the lessons in an interactive way while making it accessible to a wide range of pupils. Design is also integral to the project as it ensures the online platform and lessons are visually appealing and easy to navigate. Instructional design with the support of inquiry-based approach helps pupils to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills in an active learning approach.
Based on a deep understanding of targeted user experience, unique and innovative features of our e-curriculum include:
A) A heritage site-based, interdisciplinary e-learning curriculum to synergize resources and interests between heritage and education sectors.
B) Contextualized examples and authentic learning experience supported by EduTech to empower pupils to explore local solutions to global challenges in an active and meaningful way, and to take responsible actions in everyday circumstances towards sustainability.
C) Aligning with local school curricula and using instructional design supported by Interactive contents and active pedagogy to reinforce competency-based learning, such as critical thinking and problem-solving skills
D) Engaging local communities in content creation by interviewing local experts for knowledge transfer and creating links to local learning opportunities
E) Storytelling through Bo/Bilibo (mascots) supported by multisensory media presentations to stimulate curiosity and retain interest throughout the learning journey
F) Explanatory videos and graphics in a gamification design approach to enliven the learning and knowledge assimilation
The methodology and learning strategies used in the initiative are generally transferable to other contexts and settings. The use of storytelling, interactive EduTech and visual experiences to engage pupils and connect learning in a meaningful way could be replicated elsewhere. The use of mascots to accompany pupils on their adventures also offers a creative and engaging way of learning and exploring.
The technology used in the initiative, such as 3D visual tours and interactive scenarios, could also be transferred to other places. This technology can be used to provide a virtual tour of other historic sites and to explore the features of the environment.
In addition, the project's processes and products, such as the e-curriculum and instructional design, could be replicated in other contexts. The initiative can serve as a model for other projects aiming to promote sustainability through place-based experiential learning and public engagement.
The methodology applied in the initiative is experiential learning embedded in instructional design. This approach encourages active participation and exploration of a place through an inquiry-based thinking process and hands-on activities. The initiative has employed a variety of methods such as storytelling and visual experiences, scenario learning and 3D visual tours, and various interactive activities.
The initiative has also used the ‘Design for All’ approach, which emphasizes the need to make learning accessible, affordable, and inclusive. This has been achieved by providing a comprehensive e-curriculum on an open source platform and catering for abilities and cognitive levels of different age groups.
The initiative focuses on water and water-related global challenges, addressing clean water, sustainable development and climate change. The e-curriculum itself addresses issues of education and learning by providing an innovative and accessible learning materials for primary and secondary education. It is based on the values and knowledge embedded in water management system of Augsburg, which demonstrates local solutions and encouraging cross-cultural exchange. In the design of e-curriculum, downloadable worksheets are provided to guide pupils from other places to explore their nearby environment and search for local solutions through comparison and collaboration.
The initiative is built upon a prototype on water management in the Erzgebirge mining region, which was completed in 2021 and has been tested in schools with positive feedback. It offered a deep understanding of the needs and interests of targeted school children. Therefore, this e-curriculum is a continuous improvement to maximize the potential of e-learning to support various educational settings in a flexible and accessible way such as in flipped classrooms, project-based learning, distance learning, e-twining, and intercultural exchange.
The e-curriculum is planned with three learning modules, focusing on different topics. The first learning module has been completed and is currently being promoted in the local school system. The second and third learning modules are under development by an interdisciplinary working group and will be ready and launch in schools this summer. A new series of e-learning on Climate Change in cooperation with UNESCO is currently in the fundraising phase. The pilot case on Glaciers and Climate Change will launch in the second half year of 2023. Our initiative has attracted a lot of interest from heritage sites and education sectors. It has also created a space for teachers to engage in continuous professional development. The initiative has helped to build strong relationships between different stakeholders, including teachers, pupils, and local cultural institutions. This has enabled the project to be tailored to the needs of the local community, ensuring that their interests and opinions are taken into account.
Looking ahead, the initiative plans to build on its success in the coming year. This will include expanding the e-curriculum to more schools, involving more stakeholders in the design and implementation of the initiative, and increasing the scope of the e-learning on sustainability. In addition, the project will focus on increasing the visibility of the initiative, in order to raise awareness of its benefits.
Our e-curriculum is aligned with the framework of Education for Sustainable Development, aiming to equip learners with knowledge, skills and attitudes to address real-world challenges. The place-based interdisciplinary e-learning on the water management system of Augsburg provides a meaningful real-world context with outstanding examples to help pupils understand the complexity of water-related challenges and potential solutions. It provides an opportunity for pupils to develop their understanding of the relationships between the environment and other aspects of life, such as culture, technology, social structure and the arts. The e-curriculum offers a range of activities to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, enabling pupils not only to learn from historical wisdom, but also to envision future scenarios and make informed decisions about the environment and sustainability in their own lives.
