European Geologist Journal 59

Rethinking Geoscience Education: Integrating SDGs for Next-Generation Learning

 

by Susanna Occhipinti1

1 IUGS-COGE, IGEO, SGI, UNICAM

Contact: susocchip@gmail.com

Abstract

Geosciences are vital for addressing global challenges but remain under recognised in education and public perception. The field extends beyond rocks and minerals, offering insights into Earth systems crucial for sustainable development. In secondary education, geosciences often share space with biology, overshadowing their significance. Yet, they are integral to advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), supporting clean water, renewable energy, climate action, and sustainable urban planning. Despite their professional relevance, geoscience education often fails to connect theory with practice. A transformation is needed, with integrated curricula, practical applications, and modern teaching methods, ensuring that geoscience education inspires future Earth scientists and contributes to solving environmental challenges. This change is essential to fostering a deeper understanding of Earth processes and sustainable practices. 

Cite as: Occhipinti, S. (2025). Rethinking Geoscience Education: Integrating SDGs for Next-Generation Learning. European Geologist, 59. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16442974

Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

1. Introduction

Rethinking geoscience education for the 21st century requires a fundamental transformation that integrates sustainable development goals (SDGs) [1], with innovative teaching approaches. This transformation becomes increasingly urgent as geoscience expertise proves essential for tackling complex environmental and societal issues, yet educational approaches have not kept pace with evolving professional demands and global sustainability objectives.

While numerous studies [2,3], have explored the challenges in geoscience education, particularly at university level or in professional schools, they often fail to address broader systemic issues in preparing high school students at the pre-university level for contemporary environmental and societal challenges.

Current educational experiments [4,5] demonstrate promising results in modernising geoscience curricula to meet both student interests and market demands. These initiatives focus on developing transferable skills and digital competencies while fostering stronger connections with industry partners through internships and collaborative projects. However, their implementation often remains limited to isolated cases within higher education institutions, highlighting the need for a more comprehensive and systematic approach to geoscience education reform.

To address these challenges, we must create an integrated educational framework that establishes meaningful connections with other scientific disciplines while maintaining strong theoretical foundations. We examine how emerging geo-environmental fields—from forensic geology to geobiology, and renewable energy exploration—can make geosciences more relevant to contemporary environmental challenges while enhancing employment opportunities.

Modern teaching methodologies must emphasise practical applications and industry-aligned skills. These approaches contribute to multiple SDGs, particularly climate action and sustainable development. Through coordinated efforts between educational institutions, industry, and policymakers, and by analysing gaps between academic preparation and professional requirements, we propose frameworks connecting geoscience education with economic sectors, creating effective pathways for preparing future geoscientists while enhancing the field’s societal impact.

2. Recent studies

Research in geoscience education has primarily concentrated on university-level instruction and professional development [6], examining teaching methodologies and learning outcomes in higher education settings. Seminal work [7] highlighted several critical aspects of geoscience education, including the importance of field experiences, laboratory work, and the integration of technological tools in teaching practices.

However, current research approaches reveal significant limitations. Most studies concentrate on isolated aspects rather than adopting a holistic perspective that considers the entire educational pipeline [8-9]. The predominant focus on university-level education has limited our understanding of how early exposure to geosciences influences student interest and career choices [10], while growing disconnects between academic preparation and professional sector needs remain inadequately addressed [11,12].

While best practices have emerged—including problem-based learning [13], place-based education [14], and active learning approaches that develop Earth systems thinking [15]—the most significant research gap lies in pre-university geoscience education. Limited attention has been paid to how geosciences are taught at primary and secondary levels, where student interest and understanding begin to form.

3. Bridging the Geoscience Education Gap: The Paradox of Declining Enrollment in an Era of Rising Demand

The geoscience education sector is experiencing a complex paradox: a significant decline in student enrollment occurring simultaneously with unprecedented growth in industry demand. Data from 2013-2023 [15,16] shows undergraduate geoscience enrollment dropping by 30% in North America (from 24,000 to 17,000 students), with traditional geology curricula declining more steeply (35%) than environmental geoscience programmes (15%) [17]. Europe reports similar trends with a 20-30% aggregate reduction in enrollments, varying by region: a 15% decline in the UK and a more severe 25% reduction in Italy, particularly in southern regions. These declining figures contrast sharply with robust industry growth: 18% annual growth in environmental consulting, 25% increase in demand for geoscientists in critical minerals exploration, 15% growth in natural hazard assessment fields, and a remarkable 40% growth in demand for geoscience expertise in the renewable energy sector.

The root of this paradox lies in several interconnected factors. At the secondary education level, students often receive limited exposure to modern geoscience applications and career opportunities. The traditional presentation of geosciences frequently fails to capture the dynamic, technology-driven nature of contemporary geological careers, particularly in emerging sectors such as renewable energy and environmental consulting. This disconnect between perception and reality is further complicated by the rapid evolution of the field itself. Modern geoscience careers increasingly require expertise in advanced technologies, data analysis, and interdisciplinary problem-solving. However, many educational programmes have not fully adapted to reflect these changes, creating a gap between academic preparation and industry needs [18]. Addressing this paradox requires a comprehensive approach focused on transforming geoscience education at both secondary and university levels. This transformation demands the development of engaging curricula that reflect contemporary applications while implementing innovative teaching methodologies through digital technologies and interactive applications. Such modernisation must be coupled with meaningful experiential learning opportunities through real-world projects, and field activities.

This growing gap between the declining number of geoscience graduates and the increasing industry demand becomes particularly critical when considering the fundamental role that geoscientists play in achieving the SDGs. The scarcity of qualified professionals in this field not only affects traditional geological sectors but also compromises our collective ability to address pressing global challenges such as climate change mitigation, sustainable resource management, and urban resilience, all of which are central to the SDG framework. The field’s contemporary scope encompasses areas far beyond traditional geological studies. As our understanding of Earth systems grows, geoscientists increasingly work at the intersection of multiple disciplines, applying their expertise to challenges ranging from environmental protection to resource management.

4. Geosciences in Sustainable Development

This study explores how school curricula, in the entire pre-university education system, in Europe and worldwide, could effectively address these connections, drawing particular attention to international syllabi, including the document endorsed by EGU in Barcelona [19] and Chris King’s text “Understanding Geosciences through Global Challenges” [20] (which has been translated into numerous languages and constitutes a shared knowledge base for a European framework). This framework targets a foundational level of competencies that students should achieve by age 16, establishing a common ground for geoscience education across Europe [21].

Today’s geosciences constitute a complex network of interconnected disciplines that study not only the geosphere but also its complex interactions with the hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. This holistic approach is particularly important in an era characterised by unprecedented environmental changes. From the study of climate dynamics through the analysis of ice cores and sedimentary records, to the prediction and mitigation of natural hazards through advanced monitoring systems, geosciences provide essential knowledge about Earth’s past, present, and possible future scenarios.

The relationship between geosciences and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals extends far beyond obvious environmental connections, weaving a complex web of interdependencies that touches nearly every aspect of sustainable development [22].

However, it must be noted that current national curricula, both in Italy and even more so in other European and non-European countries where geoscience curricula are often reduced to just basic concepts, reveal significant limitations. While opportunities exist for integrating SDGs into geoscience education, there are notable criticalities arising from the underdevelopment of what should be core curricular themes. These fundamental geoscience topics are often sacrificed in favour of biological, chemical, or biochemical subjects, preventing the full development of the potential connections between geosciences and sustainable development goals [23].

Core Environmental SDGs

In the realm of Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), geologists play a crucial role in sustainable water management that goes far beyond traditional perceptions of the profession. Their expertise in hydrogeology and water resource management is fundamental to ensuring sustainable access to clean water. In reality, the current curriculum structure significantly underutilises opportunities for practical learning. Key curricular themes such as hydrogeological cycles, aquifer systems, and groundwater dynamics should be core components of the curriculum. These should be supported by comprehensive hands-on activities, including field studies of local aquifer systems, water quality testing and monitoring practices, and analysis of local water management cases. However, these practical components are often reduced to theoretical concepts, limiting students’ understanding of real-world applications and how geological expertise directly contributes to community wellbeing.

Table 1: Examples of Geoscience Contribution in SDGs. 

SDG Geoscience Contribution
SDG 1: No Poverty Resource management, hazard mitigation to protect vulnerable communities.
SDG 2: Zero Hunger Soil system understanding for agricultural sustainability.
SDG 3: Good Health Medical geology, environmental contamination assessment, radon monitoring.
SDG 4: Quality Education Field-based learning, scientific investigation methods.
SDG 5: Gender Equality Inclusive participation in STEM through field experiences.
SDG 6: Clean Water Hydrogeology expertise, aquifer systems understanding, water resource management.
SDG 7: Clean Energy Geothermal energy development, site assessment for renewable infrastructure.
SDG 8: Economic Growth Responsible resource extraction, strategic minerals for green technologies.
SDG 9: Infrastructure Ground stability assessment, sustainable urban planning, hazard mitigation.
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities Urban geology, geological risk assessment, territorial planning.
SDG 13: Climate Action Past climate records analysis, extreme weather events in geological record.
SDG 15: Life on Land Soil systems understanding, underground space management, ecosystem preservation.

In the context of Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), geologists lead the renewable energy transition, especially in geothermal development. While high-enthalpy systems receive attention, medium and low-enthalpy applications applicable to diverse geological settings are overlooked in education despite offering sustainable heating/cooling solutions. Curricula should explore how geological expertise guides site assessment for energy projects, helping students understand geothermal versatility and career opportunities in this sector.

For Climate Action (SDG 13), geologists provide unique insights through Earth’s climate records, contextualising current climate change. The geological record archives past climate variations, showing both gradual changes and abrupt shifts relevant to current dynamics. IPCC data indicates current climate change exceeds anything in the geological record over 800,000 years. Curricula can demonstrate how geological knowledge informs adaptation strategies, connecting past processes to present challenges. The study of ancient extreme weather events provides insights into potential impacts of current climate change. Geologists’ role extends to practical applications in adaptation and mitigation, including assessing hazards exacerbated by climate change.

Regarding Life on Land (SDG 15), geologists’ understanding of soil systems and underground space is crucial for ecosystem preservation. However, curricula often treat these interconnected systems superficially. Essential hands-on components like soil sampling, field mapping, and ecosystem assessment are frequently omitted, prioritising theoretical instruction over practical activities crucial for understanding connections between geological processes and ecosystem health. [24]

These limitations across areas affect students’ understanding, career choices, and our ability to achieve sustainable development goals. The gap between theoretical knowledge and practical experience impacts students’ ability to understand practical applications of geological knowledge and their potential environmental contributions.

Urban Development and Infrastructure

In the context of Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (SDG 9), while geoscientific expertise should be recognised as indispensable for sustainable urban planning, infrastructure development, and natural hazard mitigation, the current secondary school curriculum falls significantly short in addressing these crucial aspects. Although the curriculum nominally includes geological risks and territorial planning, it would need substantial expansion to adequately cover how geologists assess ground stability for infrastructure projects. While students should be learning through real-world examples from their local area, understanding how geological knowledge informs urban development decisions, these practical applications are often entirely missing from their education.

The disconnect becomes even more apparent when considering the contribution to Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11). Despite the fundamental role that geologists should play in urban development and safety, the curriculum’s treatment of geological risks and territorial planning remains largely theoretical and disconnected from real-world applications. Urban geological studies, which should be a cornerstone of modern geoscience education, are often completely absent from the curriculum. Local examples of how geological knowledge shapes city planning, which would be invaluable for student understanding, are rarely, if ever, incorporated into classroom learning. While students should be engaging with practical case studies of their own cities, understanding how groundwater systems affect urban development and how geological factors influence construction decisions, these crucial connections are typically overlooked or superficially addressed.

This gap between what should be taught and what is actually covered in the curriculum has serious implications for both student understanding and future urban resilience. Without exposure to these practical applications, students miss the opportunity to appreciate the immediate relevance of geological studies to their daily lives and urban environment. Moreover, this curricular deficiency contributes to a broader lack of awareness about the crucial role of geosciences in urban planning and infrastructure development, potentially impacting future decision-making in urban development and risk management.

Socioeconomic Impacts

Geological expertise addresses societal challenges of Poverty Reduction (SDG 1) and Food Security (SDG 2) through resource management and hazard mitigation. This connection operates through multiple pathways: soil understanding supports agriculture, mineral resource management contributes to economic development, and hazard assessment protects vulnerable communities. Current curricula often overlook these connections. Students would benefit from understanding how geological expertise supports farming practices through soil analysis, while contributing to community resilience through resource management and hazard preparation. Studies of local agricultural areas and seismic regions demonstrate geology’s impact on societal wellbeing.

The Good Health goal (SDG 3) intersects with geology through medical geology and environmental health assessment, evident in regions with hydrogeological heritage, where mineral waters have health implications. Curricula could demonstrate these relationships through studies of contamination assessment and radon monitoring, showing how geology contributes to public health.

Perhaps less obvious but equally significant is the potential role of geosciences in Advancing economic growth (SDG 8), where geological knowledge should underpin responsible resource extraction and management. This creates sustainable employment opportunities, particularly in developing economies, yet these aspects are overlooked in education. Mining industries, properly managed with geological expertise, can drive economic growth while maintaining environmental responsibility. Strategic minerals for green technologies and ethical sourcing are relevant contemporary applications rarely included in standard curricula.

Educational and Social Progress

Quality Education (SDG 4) and Gender Equality (SDG 5) converge within geological sciences through an approach promoting scientific excellence and inclusive participation. The curriculum achieves these goals by emphasising hands-on field experiences and investigation methods, while highlighting the diverse contributions of geoscientists across gender and cultural boundaries. This approach is particularly effective in promoting equal participation in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields, as field-based learning creates an environment where all students can develop practical skills and scientific confidence. Showcasing women geologists’ achievements alongside their contributions encourages broader participation while demonstrating the discipline’s evolution toward inclusivity. This framework transforms abstract concepts into tangible components of sustainability, helping students develop skills and mindset necessary for addressing environmental and social challenges.

5. Current State of Geosciences Education

Geosciences education stands at a critical juncture, facing significant challenges in modern educational systems. Despite the increasing frequency of natural disasters and pressing environmental concerns, many institutions struggle to effectively convey the importance and relevance of geosciences to students. This disconnect is particularly troubling given the discipline’s crucial role in understanding and addressing global challenges.

The field’s identity and positioning within the broader scientific landscape requires careful consideration. While often viewed by students and in the words of sector professionals a “younger sibling” to environmental engineering or solid earth physics, this perception fails to capture the unique and essential nature of geosciences. Where environmental engineering focuses primarily on technical solutions to environmental problems, geosciences provide the fundamental understanding of Earth systems necessary for developing sustainable solutions. The field often suffers from misconceptions and stereotypes, frequently being perceived as a dry, theoretical discipline focused solely on rocks and minerals. This limited view fails to capture the dynamic nature of geosciences and its vital importance in contemporary society. Additionally, many school curricula worldwide allocate minimal time to geosciences, often presenting it in a fragmented, disconnected manner that fails to illuminate the complex relationships between various Earth processes.

This educational transformation [25,26] must be built upon a solid epistemological foundation that balances traditional geological understanding with modern environmental challenges. The curriculum should emphasise the interconnected nature of Earth systems while maintaining scientific rigour. This approach allows students to develop both theoretical understanding and practical skills, preparing them to address complex environmental challenges in their future careers.

By rethinking geoscience education to integrate sustainability goals and innovative approaches, we can better prepare students to understand and address complex environmental challenges while enhancing the discipline’s relevance and ensuring its vital role in developing solutions for a sustainable future.

6. Understanding Learning Processes in Geosciences

The learning process in geosciences represents a unique cognitive journey different from other scientific disciplines. Understanding how students acquire knowledge in geosciences requires consideration of cognitive mechanisms, motivational factors, and learning challenges specific to this field. Learning is an innate tendency, evident in how young students approach the natural world with endless questions and eager exploration, but this spontaneous curiosity often diminishes when confronted with formal curricula. While early learners might be captivated by volcanoes and dinosaurs, their engagement wanes when faced with complex concepts like Earth’s internal structure.

The cognitive processes involved in learning geosciences are intricate. Students must integrate new information with existing knowledge, construct mental models for abstract concepts, and recognise patterns in Earth systems. This requires not only understanding individual concepts but also developing metacognitive strategies for monitoring understanding based on topic complexity. [27] As curiosity transitions to formal learning, motivation becomes crucial. Students need to feel control over their learning, experience growth through challenges, and connect learning to personal interests and real-world applications.

Geosciences present unique learning challenges. Students struggle with visualising processes over vast time scales or understanding three-dimensional geological structures, grasping non-linear relationships and comprehending events occurring over millions of years while understanding processes at both microscopic and global scales. Transformative learning experiences that challenge existing assumptions can help students develop new perspectives on Earth processes through hybrid discovery and engagement. The transition from natural curiosity to structured learning must be carefully managed to maintain engagement through strategies that acknowledge the distinctive nature of geological knowledge.

7. Revolutionising the Curriculum: From Bottom-Up to Top-Down

Traditional Bottom-Up Approach: The traditional approach to geosciences education has long followed a bottom-up sequence, beginning with fundamental concepts and gradually building toward more complex systems. This conventional method starts with the study of minerals and rocks, progresses through specific geological phenomena like volcanoes and earthquakes, and eventually culminates in the understanding of global dynamics and plate tectonics. While this approach has certain merits in its systematic construction of knowledge, growing evidence suggests the need for a revolutionary shift in how we structure geosciences curricula. The bottom-up approach allows students to develop a solid understanding of basic geological materials and processes through hands-on activities. However, this traditional sequence often fails to capture students’ interest and motivation early in their studies. The initial focus on basic concepts may appear dry and disconnected from the dynamic processes that make geosciences fascinating.

The Top-Down Revolution: A transformative alternative emerges in the form of a top-down approach, beginning with the complexity of global dynamics and then delving into specific phenomena, materials, and concepts. This revolutionary perspective starts with plate tectonics as a unifying theory, providing students with a comprehensive framework for understanding Earth’s processes. By presenting the big picture first, students can better appreciate how individual components fit into the broader context of Earth’s systems.

When students begin with plate tectonics, they immediately engage with dynamic, global concepts that capture their interest. Understanding why metamorphic rocks form becomes more meaningful when students already grasp the tectonic processes that drive metamorphism. Similarly, studying minerals and rocks becomes more engaging when students understand their role in global geological cycles.

Hybrid Approach: The Best of Both Worlds: A hybrid approach might offer the best of both worlds, introducing plate tectonics at the beginning to provide context while incorporating foundational concepts as they become relevant to understanding larger processes. This flexible structure maintains student engagement while ensuring thorough coverage of essential geological concepts. The revolution in curriculum design represents a fundamental shift in how we think about geosciences education, moving from a reductionist approach to one that emphasises systems thinking and interconnections from the very beginning.

Modern students can engage more deeply with geosciences through compelling thematic approaches such as exploring the urban underground beneath their feet, tracing the geological origins of materials in their digital devices, following water’s journey through Earth systems, connecting energy sources to their geological foundations, investigating natural hazards as disaster detectives, reading climate history through geological records, discovering connections like tungsten’s symbol “W”, volcanic zeolites in detergents, karst topography’s role in World War II, and rock weathering’s influence on soil fertility – all providing meaningful context that makes fundamental concepts immediately relevant to their daily lives and global challenges.

Revolutionising Geosciences Education Through Epistemological Awareness: The reverse approach from bottom-up to top-down approaches in geosciences education must be informed by the unique epistemological foundations of the discipline. Unlike experimental sciences that rely on reproducibility and controlled laboratory conditions, geosciences span vast temporal and spatial scales with processes that cannot be replicated. This foundational difference requires educational approaches that embrace the interconnected nature of Earth systems. [28]

When students explore engaging themes like the urban underground beneath their feet, trace minerals in their smartphones to geological origins, or investigate Earth’s climate history through rock records, they begin to grasp that geological knowledge emerges from studying complex relationships rather than isolated phenomena. This understanding helps bridge the disciplinary fragmentation that often challenges geosciences education.

By integrating epistemological awareness with thematic approaches, students develop a more cohesive understanding of how geological knowledge is constructed and validated. This integration naturally supports the top-down educational model, where global systems thinking provides the framework for understanding individual components and their relationships within Earth’s dynamic systems.

Integration with Other Disciplines: The Far-Reaching Impact of Geosciences: The interconnected nature of geosciences extends far beyond its obvious relationships with other scientific disciplines. While the connections to chemistry, physics, and biology are recognised in academic contexts, the discipline’s influence on human history, cultural development, and societal evolution remains underappreciated and unexplored in educational settings. Chemical processes govern mineral formation, physical principles explain seismic waves, and biological sciences intertwine with geological processes in Earth’s systems. Yet these represent only a fraction of geosciences’ influence. Throughout history, geological phenomena have shaped civilisations, with ancient societies rising and falling alongside climate changes driven by geological processes. [29,30] Economic development has been linked to geological resources, with mineral deposits influencing trade routes, migrations, and international relations. Population movements often followed patterns dictated by geology – mountain passes serving as trade routes while fertile valleys attracted settlements. Natural disasters have triggered migrations throughout history, reshaping demographics and cultural interactions. Modern challenges like climate change and the distribution of critical raw materials demonstrate how geological processes continually impact society, economics, politics, and international relations. This broader understanding makes the discipline more relevant for students by connecting geological processes to both historical events and contemporary challenges, demonstrating the field’s role in understanding not just Earth, but human civilisation itself. [31,32,33]

8. Digital Tools in Geosciences Education: A Snapshot of Current Innovations

Geosciences are rapidly evolving beyond the traditional image of the field geologist with hammer and compass. While field observation remains essential, new technologies are transforming how we study and understand Earth systems. Unlike chemistry, biology, or physics with their extensive laboratory opportunities, geosciences face unique challenges in providing hands-on experience. Students must rely on field trips, handling rock samples, and studying maps, which often fail to engage digital native learners despite the growing importance of critical minerals in modern technologies.

The solution lies in implementing digital tools that allow students to experiment with geological phenomena. When studying landslides, students can manipulate variables such as slope, lithology, and water content, observe effects, and connect these to their local environment, overcoming the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) mentality. However, there is a gap in the availability of digital tools for geosciences: most educational applications are developed for university students or professionals, creating a void in secondary education where these tools would be useful for introducing basic concepts of the discipline and stimulating interest. These technologies must provide interactive experiences appropriate for different educational levels, considering both student and teacher competencies: while not replacing essential fieldwork, digital tools offer safe experimentation opportunities and develop crucial skills for future geoscientists. Modern applications provide unprecedented opportunities to transform how students engage with geosciences, serving as powerful complementary resources that ignite passion and deepen understanding while maintaining the discipline’s core mission of understanding our planet.

The following overview presents several digital tools that have been tested in educational settings. While these tools have shown promising results in engaging students and facilitating understanding of complex geological concepts, data on their long-term educational impact is still being gathered. [34,35]

General Mapping and Visualisation Tools: Geographic and cartographic skills, far from being supplanted by modern technology, must be enhanced and strengthened through digital tools. These competencies require an active approach where students engage in observation, investigation, and analysis, rather than passively receiving information. Digital mapping and visualisation tools have revolutionised how students interact with geographical and geological data, providing powerful means to amplify traditional cartographic abilities. Google Earth Pro serves as a fundamental geospatial analysis platform, enabling students to explore Earth from multiple perspectives. Combined with satellite imagery and LiDAR, it allows students to observe environmental changes at scales previously impossible in education, helping them comprehend large-scale geological processes and their impacts. [36,37]

Geological Structure Analysis Tools: Interactive platforms for geological structure analysis can revolutionise how students engage with complex geological concepts. Visible Geology stands out as a particularly effective tool, enabling students to manipulate and understand 3D geological structures in real-time. When combined with platforms like GeoExplore and LeapFrog, these tools create a comprehensive learning environment where students can visualise and interact with geological structures that would be difficult or impossible to observe directly in the field. These applications have proven especially valuable in helping students grasp complex concepts like folding, faulting, and stratigraphic relationships.

Risk Assessment and Natural Hazards Applications: The development of risk assessment tools is crucial in our rapidly transforming environment. Applications like GeoStru’s Georisk and specialised tools for rockfall analysis (GEOROCK 3D and 2D) allow students to evaluate actual terrain data from their communities. This connection between geological knowledge and public safety makes the learning experience immediately relevant and personal. Students can simulate various geological hazards, from earthquakes to landslides, using real data from their local areas. Available cartography of risk, avalanche, landslide, flooding, and marine ingression fosters a deeper understanding of risk management and hazard assessment in relation to the vulnerability of the areas. [38]

Seismic Activity and Earth Dynamics Tools: Digital applications focusing on seismic activity can make the abstract concepts of plate tectonics and Earth dynamics more tangible for students. Tools like ZoneSismogenetiche and various earthquake simulators enable students to track and analyse real-time seismic activity. The INGVterremoti platform provides live earthquake data that students can use to understand seismic patterns and their relationship to plate tectonics. These tools transform students from passive learners into active investigators of Earth’s dynamic processes. [39,40,41]

Rock and Mineral Study Resources: The study of rocks and minerals, often perceived as less engaging by students, can be significantly enhanced through digital tools that complement traditional hands-on specimens. Applications like Mineral ID and RockViewer provide detailed information and visualisation capabilities that support both classroom learning and field identification skills. Crystal Maker has revolutionised the teaching of crystallography by allowing students to visualise and interact with atomic structures, helping bridge the gap between microscopic arrangements and observable properties.

Volcanic Studies Applications: Volcanic processes, normally difficult to study directly, have become more accessible through interactive digital tools. The Volcano Explorer and Lava Flow Simulator allow students to experiment with different volcanic parameters and observe their effects on eruption styles and hazards. Tefranet adds another dimension by enabling the study of tephra dispersion, helping students understand the broader environmental impacts of volcanic activity.

Timeline and Historical Geology Resources: Understanding geological time and Earth’s history presents unique challenges due to the vast dimensions of time and phenomena involved. However, it can be enhanced through digital platforms like Timeline Explorer and the Digital Atlas of Ancient Life. These resources help students grasp the vast scales of geological time while providing detailed information about specific periods and the life forms that existed during them. They serve as valuable supplements to traditional palaeontology education, especially when access to fossil specimens is limited.

Implementation Considerations: The integration of these digital tools in geoscience education could represent an evolution rather than a revolution. Their implementation requires consideration of both technical and pedagogical factors. [42,43,44]. The goal remains not to replace traditional field-based learning but to enhance it through technology that makes complex concepts more accessible and engaging. The integration of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applications promise to further transform geosciences education [45]. These technologies will enable students to experience geological phenomena in immersive environments while maintaining crucial connections to real-world observations and field experiences.

9. Bridging Academia and Education: A Partnership of Equals

The relationship between academic institutions and schools represents a critical junction in geosciences education, one that requires careful structuring around three key dimensions: knowledge transfer, practical implementation, and professional development.

Equal partnership must replace traditional top-down approaches, with academic institutions providing theoretical foundations while schools contribute practical teaching expertise. All stakeholders should establish frameworks for genuine collaboration through regular dialogue and shared decision-making. Educational projects and outreach initiatives must involve teachers from inception, allowing them to adapt materials to specific classroom contexts while maintaining scientific rigor, combining academic depth with practical implementation.

Success depends on concrete channels for dialogue through workshops and collaborative projects, while continuous professional development programmes should replace occasional training sessions, building both content knowledge and pedagogical skills. This approach can significantly improve geoscience education, ensuring scientific knowledge effectively reaches students.

10. Conclusion

The current state of geosciences education presents a paradoxical and frustrating reality. The weakness in geosciences education reflects a deeper failure to recognise the discipline’s essential role in addressing contemporary global challenges. While students experience climate change and resource depletion first-hand, many educational systems still present geosciences as disconnected facts about rocks and minerals, stripped of broader significance. This crisis presents an opportunity for transformation, requiring a complete reimagining of how we teach and communicate geosciences: we must shift from a fragmented approach to one that emphasises Earth’s dynamic, interconnected nature. This transformation (Fig.1) requires reconstructing curricula with a top-down perspective emphasising global systems, integrating digital tools, and fostering meaningful connections between academic institutions and schools.

Figure 1: Traditional Bottom-up approach vs Transformed Top-down approach.

Crucially, any successful transformation must recognise teachers as equal partners in the educational process. Teachers must be active participants in developing and implementing new approaches, supported by continuous professional development. The integration of Sustainable Development Goals offers a powerful framework for demonstrating the discipline’s relevance, helping students understand how geological processes connect to global challenges and local realities.

The time for incremental changes has passed. We need a revolutionary transformation in geosciences education built on a strong epistemological foundation that acknowledges the unique nature of geological knowledge and processes, and that combines rigorous scientific understanding with modern pedagogical approaches and technological tools. Only through such comprehensive change can we hope to develop the next generation of Earth scientists and environmentally literate citizens equipped to address the complex challenges of the 21st century. The future of our planet depends on our ability to convey not just the facts of geosciences, but their fundamental importance in understanding and shaping our world. The tools and knowledge for this transformation exist; what remains is to summon the collective will to implement them effectively and systematically.

Acknowledgments: This research received no external funding.

Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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This article has been published in European Geologist Journal 59 – UN Sustainable Development Goals – where the geology lies