Historical, cultural, didactic and technical challenges in designing a learning environment for the protestant reformation on a large touch-display

Abstract

The paper introduces a gesture-driven, complex web application that conveys historical content for students and tourists on the effects of the Protestant Reformation on a 100 in. touch-display inside the Historical Superintendency in Torgau. Seven restored historic buildings have been modularly implemented as interactive 360° panoramas that are “walkable” within the application and serve as an anchor point for interactions. Each module comprises a set of mini-games and interactions that allow students and tourists to explore and interact with historical-theological content. The article presents historical, didactic and technical challenges to design such a cross-cultural learning environment.