WueDive - Complex systems "Climate Change and the Effects on Health" - an innovative teaching project to enhance digital culture in medical education.

Background: A novel teaching project in the field of climate change and its effects on health has been implemented and is being piloted during the summer semester 2022 at the Faculty of Medicine Würzburg. It is embedded within the framework of the "WueDive - Digitale Innovationen in der Lehre" (digital innovation in teaching) initiative at the University of Würzburg, and aims to help medical students develop and expand digital competencies and prepare them for current and future issues of climate change through collaborative and constructive learning.

Implementation: The teaching and learning activities are realised in virtual formats (web-conferences in 2D and virtual reality, interactive simulations, and digital collaboration tools). The didactic basis lies in the principle of problem-based learning, in which participants in small groups analyse an uncertain situation, define learning objectives to understand the problem themselves, investigate the problem with the aid of suitable digital sources of information, and then present to each other the results as a solution.

The first session primes the participants' consciousness of the influence of climate change on living conditions. The introductory lecture is followed by web-based simulations of climate change using the En-ROADS simulator. Online whiteboards enable social interaction between students during the seminars. Problem-based learning takes place in both face-to-face and web-based meetings. Implementing the classic seven-step method, three cases highlighting local climate change in the region of Lower Franconia and acute disease in patients are subsequently reviewed and processed in group sessions and phases of self-study over a period of three weeks, respectively. Finally, the case results and reflections of the approaches selected are presented to medical experts. This occurs as a web-conference or in the fully immersive classroom ViLearn. VR technology allows students to learn and work together remotely, in a highly authentic setting mimicking a real classroom with social interaction.