SMILE Program · Project

Climate Change Simulator 🌍

Take a role, weigh the trade-offs, and watch the planet answer back.

In this role-based 3D environment, learners choose to become a Citizen or a Farmer, explore connected climate systems, and invest limited Power Coins in policies that visibly change the simulated world. A context-aware AI tutor, Bobby, helps learners interpret policy trade-offs, extreme events, and changes in their own reasoning.

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Research Questions

How can a role-based climate simulator and a context-aware AI tutor support learners’ understanding of climate systems and policy trade-offs?
How does interacting with the simulator and AI tutor influence learners’ climate knowledge, climate anxiety, and willingness to act?
How do learners perceive the usability and usefulness of the simulator and its AI tutor?

Inside the Environment

The experience connects role-taking, exploration, policy decisions, visible consequences, and context-aware AI support in one continuous learner journey.

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🎭 Choose a Perspective

The Citizen and Farmer roles shape the topics learners encounter and the trade-offs they experience.

Welcome panel introducing the Climate Simulation, the learner's Citizen role, Earth Health and Power Coins

🤖 Meet Bobby

Bobby introduces Earth Health, Power Coins, and the mission for the learner to achieve.

🌍 Explore World

Learners explore the simulation world freely.

Decision-making point offering three farmland policies, with a remaining-decisions counter, a budget hint and a skip option

⚖️ Decide Under Constraint

A finite coin budget and the option to skip turn each policy choice into a trade-off. Learners must weigh affordability against long-term consequences.

Bobby explaining the benefits of a chosen solar policy in a bulleted list beside the 3D farm

🌪️ Watch the World Respond

Earth Health links decisions to visible change, with fires, floods and other events appearing.

The 3D world with active Forest Fire and Flood events after a policy costing 2 Power Coins reduced Earth Health by 7

💬 Ask Bobby in Context

Bobby grounds each explanation in the policy the learner just chose and the earth health state currently on screen.

Correct the Misconception activity explaining that the AI answer contains errors the learner must identify

🔍 Challenge the AI

In a separate mode, learners must find and address misconceptions the AI deliberately planted.

Scientific Outputs

Bachelor Thesis. Gaffga, K. T. (2026). Design and Evaluation of an AI-Supported Climate Simulation to Foster Conceptual Understanding and Self-Regulated Learning. Saarland University, Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science. Supervisor: Dr. Man Su. Reviewers: Prof. Dr. Tomohiro Nagashima and Dr.-Ing. Felix Kosmalla.

Project Team

Developer

Kevin Gaffga

Researchers

Dr. Man Echo Su (PI, Project Lead)

Kevin Gaffga (Research Assistant)

Prof. Tomohiro Nagashima (Advisor)

Context

Tested with 25 Prolific online participants, supported by the Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien.