Development of AI-Enhanced Virtual Conservation Media: Transforming Geography Learning and Empowering Multidimensional Student Ecoliteracy

Abstract

Geography learning remains dominated by lecture methods that limit students’ emotional engagement with environmental issues. This study aims to develop Clungup Virtual Conservation (CVC) media that integrates 360° Virtual Field Trips with Generative AI Chatbot to enhance students’ ecoliteracy based on the head-heart-hands framework. This study employs Research and Development (R&D) with the ADDIE model involving needs analysis, design, development, implementation with 30 Grade XI Geography students at MAN 1 Malang, and evaluation of feasibility, practicality, and effectiveness. Instruments include expert validation sheets, student response questionnaires, and ecoliteracy tests covering cognitive dimensions (20 questions C3–C6), affective (15 Likert statements), and psychomotor (scenario-based). Data analysis employed descriptive percentage calculations to assess feasibility and practicality, Normalized Gain (N-Gain) to measure ecoliteracy improvement across the three dimensions, and a Paired Sample T-Test with SPSS assistance to evaluate the significance of the media’s effect. Validation results indicate the media is highly feasible according to material experts (90.25%) and media experts (86.25%), with a very high practicality level based on student responses (86.50%). Effectiveness testing using a one-group pretest-posttest design demonstrates significant improvement across all three ecoliteracy dimensions, with an average N-Gain of 0.72 (high category). Specifically, the heart/affective dimension achieves the highest N-Gain of 0.75, followed by head/cognitive at 0.72, and hands/psychomotor at 0.68. CVC media is proven effective in transforming learning from passive-static to adaptive-interactive through a technology synthesis that mutually compensates for the weaknesses of conventional VFT and Generative AI.