NATUREscapes: Nature-Based Soundscapes for Adult Learning

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The NATUREscapes: Nature-based soundscapes for adult learning project uses natural soundscapes as a pedagogical tool to strengthen mental wellbeing, reduce stress and improve concentration among adult learners. It responds to the growing problem of digital fatigue – the cognitive exhaustion caused by constant work with screens and artificial intelligence tools – and starts from the premise that the answer to this high-tech problem lies in a nature-oriented approach. Instead of disconnecting from the digital environment, which is not a realistic option for most learners, the project brings nature into the digital learning space.

The project addresses three groups: adult learners facing digital fatigue and anxiety, adult education staff who lack concrete tools for managing stress in the classroom, and the local community of the cross-border Mura-Drava Biosphere Reserve, whose intangible acoustic heritage is being lost under the pressure of noise and urbanisation.

The main project results are a methodological framework with a trainers’ handbook, The Re-naturing Strategy, which translates Attention Restoration Theory into concrete classroom exercises; a multimedia library of high-fidelity sound recordings, immersive 360° videos and 3D photospheres recorded in Međimurje and around Ormož; the NATUREscapes web application with an ambient sound mixer, an immersive map of European nature sounds and a focused-study timer; and a guide to independent field recording that engages learners in citizen science. All results are open educational resources available in English, Croatian and Slovenian.