We are currently working on the development of various educational materials for universities and schools. We are focussing on two major topics: How sustainability can be communicated in a playful way and how intercultural communication and the international use of English can be better integrated into English classes.
Dr Marie-Louise Brunner, tandem-professor for sustainability communication, develops playful approaches - often together with students - to communicate sustainability in a fun way as part of the project Communicating sustainability in a playful manner and in the context of seminars and projects on the topic of sustainability communication. The Escape Game Path of Change on the topic of flight and sustainability as well as the Simulation GameWater for Future: Water Crisis in Europe on the topics of water scarcity and right to water and the Simulation GameFuture Fabrics: Material Innovation for Sustainability on the topic of conflicting sustainability goals using the example of leather alternatives have so far been developed in cooperation with the Europäische Akademie Otzenhausen gGmbH. All materials are open access and can be used under the Creative Commons Public Licence ‘CC-BY-NC 3.0’; a short description and a link to download the materials can be found below.
Our public relations department also offers the Escape Game Path of Change and the simulation game Future Fabrics: Material Innovation for Sustainability as part of workshops and events for highschool students. Please contact our colleagues directly to arrange a date for your group: schule(at)umwelt-campus.de.
Learning objectives
The Escape Game Path of Change offers an entertaining escape game experience and enables the development of valuable skills and a deeper understanding of the topics of flight and sustainability.
The escape game offers a captivating story and exciting puzzles as well as a playful introduction to the topic. By imparting knowledge about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), players sharpen their understanding of global challenges and strengthen their ability to solve complex problems. Dealing with the reasons for flight, which are revealed with the help of the game materials, furthers participants' analytical thinking and research skills and at the same time sensitizes them for the associated humanitarian challenges.
Overall, the focus is on promoting teamwork, as the players overcome challenges together and exchange ideas in an interactive environment. The game therefore not only promotes creative thinking, but also strategic planning and teamwork as well as a sense of groupness.
General information
Playing time: approx. 90 minutes.
Group size: 6-20 participants, the material list in the game instructions is designed for 20 people (5 groups of 4 people each); however, the escape game can be played flexibly with 2-5 groups of 3-4 people.
Target groups: highschool students aged 16 and over, university students (at the beginning of their studies or not studying a related subject), trainees, etc.
Link to download
Learning objectives:
This simulation game is a structured role-playing exercise that allows participants to explore complex real-world issues by assuming specific roles and interacting within a defined scenario. The purpose of this simulation is to foster understanding and develop problem-solving skills by immersing participants in a situation that closely mirrors actual challenges.
Within this simulation the participants will be part of a European expert committee tasked with addressing the pressing issue of decreasing access to water resources in Europe. This committee was initiated following a public request from an affected family in Portugal, who struggle with water scarcity during the summer months due to climate change and other factors. The objective is to develop a comprehensive proposal for the EU Commission on how to tackle this growing problem.
General information:
Duration: approx. 180 min.
Group size: 24-36 people
Target groups: Students
Contact person for questions:
Dr. Marie-Louise Brunner
Learning objectives:
The simulation game Future Fabrics: Material Innovation for Sustainability not only offers a captivating story, but also the opportunity for a playful introduction to the topic of sustainability and the associated conflicting goals and their possible solutions. Through the simulation game, participants develop valuable communication skills as well as a deeper understanding of the fundamental challenges of conflicting goals in general and the challenges associated with the introduction of a specific sustainable alternative as an example. The simulation game makes it clear why sustainable changes cannot happen overnight but must gradually become established in society. The discussion of leather and leather alternatives, which the participants get to know with the help of the game materials, promotes the participants' analytical thinking and reasoning skills while sensitizing them to the associated ethical background. The aim is not only to discuss the different points of view - advantages and disadvantages as well as opportunities and challenges - but also to develop concrete measures to establish vegan leather in the textile industry. Participants will take on the roles of successful representatives from various industries and organizations with different professional backgrounds, character traits and goals. The role-playing game creates exciting interactions that promote the ability to work in a team: challenges have to be overcome together, purposeful discussions have to be held, and compromises have to be found. The simulation game also promotes creative thinking and strategic planning as well as a sense of togetherness within the group.
General information:
Languages: German & English
Duration: approx. 180 min.
Group size: 12-24 people
Target groups: Highschool students aged 16 and over, university students (at the beginning of their studies or not studying a related subject), trainees, etc.
Link to download (English version)
Contact person for questions:
Dr Marie-Louise Brunner
Prof. Dr. Stefan Diemer, Caroline Collet and Christina Juen-Czernia, together with colleagues form Birmingham City University in England, work on developing a language tool for English classes (integrated in WebCorpLSE). It is based on our own intercultural video-conferencing data from the CASE-Projekt: ViMELF - Corpus of Video-Mediated English as a Lingua Franca Conversations and TaCoCASE - Transatlantic Component of the CASE Project. In addition, professionally developed tasks make intercultural communicatino and the use of English in an international context more tangible for English classes.
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