Virtual Reality (VR) is increasingly recognized as a powerful medium for learning, capable of transforming how complex spatial and scientific phenomena are communicated. In higher education, project-based learning and research-integrated teaching approaches enable students to acquire both disciplinary knowledge and transversal skills through authentic design challenges. In parallel, VR is gaining momentum in science communication for public engagement, helping audiences visualize invisible or abstract processes such as geological or energy-system dynamics. While both strands - educational VR and public-facing VR - are well studied independently, little is known about how they can be connected to form a continuous learning structure that benefits multiple audiences.

This paper presents such a connection through a case study of a university VR course linked to public science communication events on geothermal energy. A virtual “elevator into the underground,” developed by students and refined for exhibition use, served as a shared artefact across formal and informal learning contexts. Qualitative evaluation following Kirkpatrick’s model showed high motivation and significant learning gains among students, as well as strong engagement and knowledge transfer among public participants. The results highlight how authentic sustainability contexts and the reuse of student-created artefacts can foster linked learning ecosystems that bridge education, research, and public engagement.

Capture the Flag (CTF) exercises are widely used in cybersecurity education for developing problem-solving and technical skills, but traditional formats often lack realism, teamwork, and situational context. This study, conducted within the ATHENA project at Tallinn University of Technology, explores the use of Virtual Reality (VR) to enhance CTF challenges. Two pilot scenarios were tested: Tower Cipher, a 3D exploration puzzle designed for secondary and vocational students, and Control Room Mission, an industrial control room simulation tested with international cyber talents in both computer-based and VR modes.

A mixed-methods evaluation combined surveys, reflections, and task performance to assess usability, engagement, teamwork, and perceived skill development. Results show that VR tasks significantly improved motivation, collaboration, and situational awareness, especially in operational technology contexts, though technical skill acquisition remained stronger in traditional screen-based CTFs. Challenges included navigation, VR comfort, and scalability.

The findings suggest that VR-enhanced CTFs are not a replacement but a valuable complement to conventional cybersecurity training. They offer promising opportunities for experiential learning, helping bridge the gap between technical exercises and realistic, collaborative practice.

Picking services are essential in logistics and supply chain management. Among these service providers, manual packaging workstations are vital in situations where full automation is not feasible due to economic or operational reasons. This paper presents an overview of A/B testing in VR design projects and affordable ergonomics measurement techniques, which can be used in education as well as in industry. The concept develops and assesses a virtual reality A/B-testing framework that facilitates an iterative, data-driven approach to workstation design, helping to avoid expensive physical prototyping and which allows students to create said scenarios with limited resources available. The modular pipeline includes a virtual prototype stand with standardized task logic, a controlled experimental protocol across six workstation variants, automated collection of head- and hand-trajectory data, automatically computed key performance indicators related to efficiency and ergonomics, and subsequent inferential analyses. Following the implementation, 20 participants empirically test various configurations multiple times to investigate learning effects on times, movement distances, and strain. In addition to the empirical findings, the work provides a reusable infrastructure for VR-based workstation engineering, facilitating rapid evidence-based iteration and a reduction of real-world prototyping.

Virtual reality and metaverse technologies hold strong potential for engineering education, particularly for improving spatial understanding, experiential learning, and collaboration. Yet most implementations remain confined to isolated pilot projects that lack institutional alignment and long-term sustainability. Existing research focuses mainly on single-course case studies, leaving a clear gap in scalable approaches for faculty-wide integration. This paper addresses that gap by presenting a structured, top-down methodology for adopting immersive technologies across an engineering faculty. The proposed Faculty-Level Integration Methodology (FLIM) follows an iterative three-phase process of analysis, design, and validation. The framework is supported by low-cost infrastructure and reusable open-source applications. Results indicate strong motivation among faculty and students, reveal key barriers, and identify opportunities for sustainable institutional adoption, including future university-wide scaling.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming an integral part of daily life, shaping how people access information, consume media, and interact with technology. This study explores how hands-on robotics workshops enhance children's AI literacy in an informal learning environment. A mixed-method approach was used to analyze self-reports on enjoyment and difficulty, along with behavioral observations related to initiative, perseverance, and frustration management. The findings indicate that parental participation influences learning experiences, either by fostering independent problem solving or, in some cases, unintentionally hindering a child's participation. The findings emphasize the need for early AI education that clearly differentiates between automated behaviors and genuine machine learning processes.