INTRODUCTION

Teaching digital literacy and applying humanities approaches to cultural heritage and environmental education are considered important areas of development in higher education and school education (Rousell et al. 2020) but are not sufficiently addressed in curricula and are inadequately supported by educational programs in Germany (Muenster et al. 2021). Extracurricular learning environments such as student laboratories are particularly suitable for the sustainable teaching of interdisciplinary topics due to their action-oriented and authentic settings (Itzek-Greulich et al. 2018). The aim of this article is to present (a) opportunities for involving students in the digital humanities education of children and young people, based on a classification in European framework programs, and (b) to highlight the opportunities and limitations of using innovative digital tools such as Minecraft for multi-perspective cultural heritage and environmental education.

EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK PROGRAMMES

The European Digital Competence Framework (DigComp) (European Commission 2022) discusses digital skills as key competences for citizens in everyday life. Frameworks that contain recommendations for educators include the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators (DigCompEdu) (European Commission 2017a) and the global Digital Literacy Framework (UNESCO 2018). Furthermore, the European Heritage Strategy for the 21st century (European Commission 2017b) mentions the demand to incorporate heritage education in school curricula.

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' COMMITMENT TO MULTI-PERSPECTIVE EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

In order to explore the possibilities and limitations of involving school students in university projects in the digital humanities with a focus on cultural heritage, Friedrich Schiller University in Jena has set up the Digital History Teaching and Learning Laboratory (DHLabor). There, students are trained as tutors in seminars and design, organize, teach, and evaluate courses for school pupils (Münster 2025a). Since September 2022, 25 students from various disciplines have been trained and have conducted 14 courses at eight schools and recreational facilities in the region (Fig. 1). Around 180 pupils aged 7 to 16 have participated in the courses so far, mostly outside of regular school hours, in the afternoons, on weekends, or during school vacations.

Figure 1. Pupils work on a project about the history of their town using Minecraft

As part of the accompanying scientific research, initial and final surveys record the development of the pupils' digital competence in the courses (Hopf 2024). These serve as a basis for improving the courses on offer but also provide an insight into the existing digital skills of pupils in different age groups.

The DHLabor is currently funded by the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt. As part of the project DH Eco Lab Teaching and Learning Laboratory: Digital Environmental Education, research-oriented, digitally supported teaching formats for extracurricular environmental education, particularly from a humanities and history perspective, are being tested. In doing so, it responds to the United Nations' call for multi-perspective education on climate change (United Nations Educational 2022).

USE OF MINECRAFT IN CULTURAL HERITAGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

At the intersection of cultural heritage and environmental education, source-based, digital, and project-oriented learning, the student tutors at the DHLabor developed, among other things, the course JenaCraft – The City of the Future. This course creatively addresses the highly topical question of how city centres can be designed in a way that is both historically appropriate and youth- and climate-friendly. Participants aged 10 to 16 explore and design public spaces, monuments, and buildings in their hometown that are personally and culturally significant to them (Münster 2025b). They bring their ideas to life using the popular game Minecraft, which serves here as a learning environment and 3D modelling platform.

The pupils work very independently in small groups, but regularly present and reflect on their progress in planning meetings, receive feedback and inspiration from the other groups, and are advised by the course instructor on conceptual and design issues. To gain a feel for the tools and level of detail in Minecraft and to overcome any initial reservations, the pupils receive targeted training and space to attempt their own reconstructions right from the start.

Using data from on-site visits, photos, Google Earth coordinates and views, and internet research, the pupils examine the building structure and special features of monuments as well as environmental aspects such as renewable energies. They then work in small groups to model selected buildings and squares in 3D as accurately as possible (Fig. 2). Based on this, they develop ideas and suggestions on how public spaces and buildings can be used differently, better tailored to children and young people, or how natural resources can be used more effectively.

Figure 2. Pupil results from the course JenaCraft – The City of the Future

With Minecraft, students can independently trace the path from the original source to the 3D model, which is necessary for a critical, reflective, and informed approach to sources and an understanding of the reconstruction of history (Muenster 2022). In doing so, they encounter challenges in the representation of historical data. One of these challenges is the limited capabilities of the video game for true-to-scale and detailed modelling of objects. The resulting simplification requires continuous reflection with the course instructor, including the joint creation of a checklist with quality criteria as well as mandatory and optional elements for the reconstruction.

SUMMARY

The urban history projects carried out at the DHLabor in Jena have shown that children and young people can benefit from multi-perspective cultural heritage and environmental education, and that learners aged 7–16 have an ecological and aesthetic awareness. Combining humanities and science topics with digital tools that pupils find familiar and interesting, such as Minecraft, makes for an intrinsically motivated, sustainable learning experience (Hancl 2016). Depending on the age group, the depth of the topics covered, the requirements for data collection and processing, and the intensity of support for self-directed learning can be varied. Practical examples can be used to promote a critical, reflective examination of questions about the quality of data, the accuracy of information and the possibilities for shaping one's own living environment in the face of climate change.