Learning World: Lake Ecosystem

Biology learning material for lower secondary education

PlayInsight’s learning worlds turn curriculum-based content into interactive, visually structured environments. They combine educational design with accessible technology to support practical digital learning in everyday lessons.

They encourage students to engage actively with subject content and help teachers introduce modern learning approaches. In this way, they contribute to digital education, media literacy and the development of classroom practice.

Try the demo in the EdVentures Lab

The demo is available in the browser without an EdVentures account on a computer or supported tablet.

The challenge

Content: make ecological relationships visible

Lake ecosystems involve complex relationships: zones, food webs and interactions between living organisms and physical environmental factors. These dynamic, multidimensional processes can be hard to picture from text and static diagrams alone. The curriculum requires scientifically accurate explanations that remain appropriate for the learners’ age. The challenge was to balance depth and clarity without losing essential connections.

Technology: bring 3D learning into the browser

The learning world needed to run directly in a browser without installation and work on school hardware. Its interactive 3D environment had to remain visually appealing while keeping loading times and performance requirements manageable, including on tablets and less powerful devices. Privacy requirements and access to the demo without an account also needed to be considered.

Education: balance exploration and structure

Learners bring different prior knowledge, attention spans and working speeds. The learning world needed to encourage active participation and capture useful results. It had to combine independent discovery with a clear educational structure, giving teachers flexibility and support in the classroom.

The solution

An ecosystem to explore

The lake becomes a spatially organised visual environment. Zones, plant and animal species, and food webs are clearly structured and connected, allowing learners to discover relationships for themselves. A focus on essential concepts makes the material accessible and appropriate for the intended age group while preserving scientific connections.

Browser-based access

The learning world runs in the browser without installation. Its compact architecture and optimised interactive 3D elements aim to keep loading times short and interaction fluid. The demo is accessible without an EdVentures account. Information about data processing is provided in the Lab’s privacy information.

Flexible use in lessons

Students explore at their own pace, while tasks, quests and interactive elements guide the learning process. Structured results can be used in follow-up classroom activities. Teachers can lead the experience or let students work independently, adapting it to different classroom situations.

Results

A complete digital learning world about lake ecosystems.
Browser-based access without installation for use in lessons.
An interactive 3D environment illustrating zones, biodiversity and ecological relationships.
Integrated tasks, quests and quizzes that involve learners actively.
Structured results for follow-up classroom work.
Flexible use with teacher guidance or independent learning.
Demo access without an EdVentures account.
Trialled in a school context with positive feedback from teachers and students.

Lessons learned & outlook

Independent learning matters

A mode that lets students explore, experiment and learn independently is particularly valuable. Open learning settings can support motivation and active learning.

Results need to be captured

For everyday classroom use, teachers need clear, written results that students can keep and use to prepare for assessments. Capturing results is essential to making digital learning worlds practical.

Interdisciplinary teamwork supports development

Educators and game developers working together can design, build and test learning worlds in a short time. This collaboration provides a foundation for future projects.

Further learning worlds

Building on Lake Ecosystem, we plan to extend the concept to a forest ecosystem. A separate learning world about seed plants is also in development, making photosynthesis, water transport and exchange of substances visible and interactive. Lessons from this project feed into further development, with additional subjects also planned.

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