An Earth Observation Hub for Advanced Skills and Sustainable Geoscience Education: The TNE-GPSEducation Experience

The “Green & Pink for Sustainable Education” (GPS^Education) project presents an innovative, internationally oriented framework for teaching and learning in higher education, with a specific focus on geoscience education and its connections to societally relevant challenges. The project strengthens cooperation among ten Italian universities and a network of partner institutions across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, with the aim of developing advanced, transferable competencies in sustainability, Earth Observation (EO), and digital innovation.

Within GPS^Education, teaching and learning are addressed as drivers of capacity building and educational transformation. The project adopts a transdisciplinary approach that integrates geosciences, socio-economic analysis, Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), health, and digital technologies, while explicitly embedding gender equality and inclusiveness as educational principles. This framework responds to key challenges in higher education, including the need to link scientific content to real-world sustainability issues, to enhance critical thinking and decision-making skills, and to adopt innovative digital and blended learning strategies.

A central educational innovation is represented by Work Package 4, dedicated to Advanced Skills Long Life Learning Courses. Five modular courses have been co-designed and delivered through international mobility and hybrid teaching formats, addressing topics such as remote sensing for EO, land degradation and regeneration within the LULUCF framework, NBS for climate change adaptation, carbon accounting, and the use of XR/VR environments for sustainable built and natural systems. These courses combine theoretical foundations with hands-on, data-driven learning, enabling participants to work with satellite time series, cloud-based EO platforms, and scenario-oriented tools. Particular attention is paid to developing self-assessment and problem-solving skills that can be directly transferred to teaching, thesis supervision, and curriculum design in home institutions.

The establishment of an EO Hub at the École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Rabat (ENSMR) exemplifies a concrete solution to common teaching challenges in geoscience education, such as limited access to data, tools, and interdisciplinary expertise. Conceived as a living educational laboratory, the EO Hub supports collaborative teaching, supervision, and research, linking global EO resources with site-specific case studies on land degradation, ecosystem regeneration, and climate adaptation in Mediterranean and North African contexts. Innovative educational technologies, including cloud-based EO analysis and immersive XR/VR visualizations, are explored both for their pedagogical potential and for a critical assessment of their strengths and limitations in higher education.

By sharing lessons learned, teaching strategies, and educational resources developed within GPS^Education, this contribution aims to foster international dialogue within the EGU community on effective, inclusive, and future-oriented practices in geoscience education. The project offers a replicable model for integrating cutting-edge geoscience research, digital innovation, and societal relevance into higher education teaching and learning.

Acknowledgements

The project TNE23-00012 “Green & Pink for Sustainable Education” (GPS^Education) is funded within the PNRR by Sub-Measure T4 "Transnational Initiatives in Education", Investment 3.4 "University Teaching and Advanced Skills" of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, Mission 4 "Education and Research" - Component 1 "Strengthening the Offering of Education Services: From Nursery Schools to University", for the promotion and implementation of transnational educational initiatives (TNE).”, supported by the European Union, NextGenerationEU – CUP D74G23000280006.