Innovative Digital Media as a Learning Environment for Challenging Forms of Conversation in Social Professions

Innovative digital media such as virtual reality simulations and browser-based serious games get increasingly recognised for their potential as teaching and learning environments for challenging professional situations in the educational context. The interaction orientation and involvement of the users has the potential to convey contexts in a particularly sustainable way.

However, an increasing spread of innovative digital learning environments (so called "Conversation Quests") also requires a critical examination of ethical aspects as well as possibilities and limits of using digital serious games as a communication tool. By dealing with challenging conversational situations in the context of an implementation in innovative playful experiential spaces, the adoption of a critical and informed attitude is supported. Furthermore, the idea of research-based teaching is implemented by giving students the opportunity to actively participate in the exploration of virtual simulation as a learning environment.

The learning environments designed in the project will be available in the third quarter of 2023 at the project homepage and made playable. They are aimed at students who want to prepare themselves for challenging conversation situations in mainly social professions and are designed accordingly for the use in educational institutions.

The project is a follow-up to the results of the BMBF-funded research project DISA at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam and was funded within the framework of the university's own innovation fund.