The lecture series Virtual Education, Real Worlds? will continue in the summer semester of 2026. This semester will again feature exciting lectures on the use of XR in university teaching and selected research areas.
PD. Dr. Dagmar Hilfert-Rüppell (21.04.2026)
Beyond the keyhole – 360° videos in teacher training
360° videos provide realistic insights into teaching situations and enable trainee teachers to experience learning processes immersively, "right in the middle of things" rather than just "being there". The freely selectable perspective allows complex teaching processes, such as the approach and interaction of pupils during experiments or aspects of classroom management, to be observed and reflected upon from different angles. The event focuses on practical examples from teacher training, findings on effectiveness and acceptance, and technical and didactic design issues. The discussion will focus on how 360° videos can promote professional teaching perception and thus diagnostic and reflective skills, and what challenges arise in production and implementation. The aim of the lecture is to critically explore the potential and limitations of 360° videos and to provide impetus for future-oriented teacher training that looks beyond the traditional "keyhole" of classroom observation.
Prof. Dr. Marcel Mierwald (12.05.2026)
Is it all a matter of perspective? On the construction and appropriation of perspectivity in XR offerings on the history of Anne Frank
Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are linked to the concept of perspectivity in many ways. After all, they are digital educational media that ‘present’ virtual objects and environments to users. This is achieved through various technical means and using a range of media and content design tools. In this way, they can influence what we see and, in the case of history as a subject, possibly also shape historical knowledge and thinking about the past. The lecture will use two XR applications (an AR and a VR app) on the history of Anne Frank as examples to illustrate how perspectivity is constructed in such offerings and appropriated by learners. To this end, a history-didactic conceptualisation of perspectivity for XR applications will first be presented. Against this theoretical background, an exploratory study employing a mixed-methods approach will then be presented. This study investigated how teacher training students (N = 22) at Basement, the digital lab of the Leibniz Institute for Educational Media | GEI, appropriated perspectivity at the level of both the application and its use from an AR and VR app on the history of Anne Frank. The findings regarding the perception of the media offering’s perspectivity and the positioning of users within it, as well as the influence on their adoption of historical perspectives and historical empathy, provide nuanced insights into the varying effects of the XR applications used.
Prof. Dr. Raphael Zender (09.06.2026)
XR in schools: opportunities, risks and guidelines for reflective use
The lecture focuses on the use of immersive technologies in schools and asks when and how learning opportunities with XR are pedagogically useful for schoolchildren. The focus is on typical potentials – such as motivating learning approaches, the simulation of dangerous or difficult-to-access situations, spatial visualisations and collaborative virtual learning spaces – as well as risks and challenges such as side effects, access barriers, data protection and the digital divide. On this basis, guidelines for responsible use in schools and teaching are developed – from didactic design principles to questions of school and media development to the involvement of parents and extracurricular partners.
Prof. Dr. Vanessa Carlow (23.06.2026)
XR for better participation in urban development
How are immersive technologies changing the way we design, analyse and communicate about cities?
This talk explores the potential of Extended Reality (XR) to open up new approaches to urban planning concepts, design and decision-making processes. Through interactive and spatially immersive simulations, planning content can not only be visualised, but also directly experienced and critically reflected upon.
XR is understood not merely as a technical visualisation tool, but as a methodological approach that can fundamentally influence design processes, evaluation criteria and participation formats. At the same time, XR opens up new perspectives on spatial perception and decision-making processes and contributes to a deeper understanding of the interactions between space, experience and evaluation.
Drawing on specific research and teaching projects from the Institute for Sustainable Urbanism, the presentation demonstrates how XR-supported formats are being tested in teaching, research and participatory processes, and highlights the opportunities as well as the organisational, didactic and technical challenges associated with their implementation.
The lecture invites participants to critically reflect on the role of immersive technologies in the context of the digital transformation of urban planning and to consider together future forms of design, communication and decision-making.
Dr Stefanie Lenzer (14.07.2026)
Potential and challenges of immersive VR environments for diversity sensitivity in chemistry laboratories