Forecasting Climate Change Experiences

Abstract

The contents of this project are an XR app that allows users to explore the effects of climate change as visualized through sea-level rise as calculated at the users' particular location. The app also facilitates a survey that allows for tracking of the perceived empathy change of the individual after having the XR experience, and a function that allows for users to screen-shot their experience for sharing with others..

The app is accompanied by a number of lesson ideas for incorporating this tool into the classroom. The lesson content frames the core concepts of climate change and then provides the opportunity to engage in activities in project based learning to allow for class engagement in the following areas: 1. Exploration of personal carbon footprint and how that may relate to sea-level rise, applicable in basic sustainability-related courseware. 2. Opportunities to augment the media associated with the app to change the way the simulation is explained to examine how that changes perception of climate change in more technically advanced sustainability-related courseware. 3. Opportunities to augment the dataset the app draws from to examine different models of sea-level rise in more computer-programming and modelling related courseware.