Civic education in primary schools increasingly demands approaches that promote active participation, democratic engagement, and community awareness. However, recent studies reveal gaps in how civic learning is delivered to young learners, often due to limited pedagogical models and inadequate digital tools. MetaCivicEdu addresses these gaps by developing metaverse-enriched civic education scenarios, a dedicated XR platform, teacher training pathways, and pilot studies across Ireland, Greece, and Cyprus.

This presentation introduces participants to the project’s pedagogical foundations, which combine experiential civic learning, XR-supported inquiry, and age-appropriate immersive activities. Participants will first explore examples of metaverse-enabled civic scenarios created within MetaCivicEdu, such as virtual town halls, digital citizenship quests, environmental stewardship missions, and simulated community-decision exercises. These scenarios illustrate how immersive environments can make abstract civic concepts—rights, responsibilities, community roles, and democratic processes—accessible to children.

Following a guided demonstration of the platform under development, we will also present preliminary insights from pilot case studies, highlighting how metaverse-enriched civic education impacts student engagement, collaboration, and understanding of civic concepts. Practical considerations—teacher readiness, safety protocols, inclusivity, accessibility, and XR classroom integration—will be discussed openly.

The session is ideal for primary educators, school leaders, XR developers, civic education specialists, and digital-pedagogy researchers.