Climate change poses a threat to humanity requiring coordinated efforts and strong social commitment to meet the challenge. The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the key role of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) for people's health and safety.

In this context, buildings are central where people spend most of their time. Enhancing smart readiness and utilization of IoT in building management are operational pillars that require the development of technicians' skills and competences and the active role of stakeholders to be effective. Educational programs are essential for motivating people, especially younger generations, and raising social awareness.

The IBIS ECO project developed an intelligent monitoring and management system integrating commercial and custom-built innovative sensors within an IoT platform, to increase energy savings, enhance IEQ, improve occupants' well-being, and optimize building management, facilitating smart readiness of buildings. The platform was piloted in two ‘demonstrators’: the Montemurro School (Val d’Agri, Potenza) and University of Basilicata in Matera, involving users.

Parameters such as air quality, energy consumption and microclimate metrics related to the thermo-hygrometric comfort were monitored to assess the IEQ.

These data were complemented by pre- and post-evaluation occupant surveys, enabling a comprehensive analysis based also on qualitative perceptions.

In the Montemurro use case, educational activities were conducted with pupils, teachers and staff, to raise awareness, engaging actively the occupants and gather valuable feedback of the system, as part of the system’s validation process. A workshop focusing on project topics (air quality, indoor comfort, energy, new digital technologies) was organised to inform participants and arouse their interest. This was followed by a “World Cafè” discussion where students interacted with experts and proposed good practices to improve their environment. The workshop concluded with interactive activities with the support of artificial intelligence (AI).

Different games were proposed to stimulate students' creativity and perception, considering age, abilities, and interests.
Group 1 (ages 5-7) played “Draw with Words!” producing theme-based word clouds e.g. tree, flame, sun, Earth, using a word cloud generator.
Group 2 (ages 8-10) was involved in an AI-driven storytelling activity "A Smart... story!" in which superheroes were engaged in saving the Earth.
Group 3 (ages 11-13) worked on a thematic crossword puzzle called "Guess the Hidden Word!".

Students, in the IBIS ECO equipped classroom, guided by their teachers, were involved in making a creative and artistic diary to collect drawings, ideas, mottos as the main outcomes of their experience. Secondary school students analysed the data monitored by the IBIS ECO system, making simple calculations tables and graphs by using spreadsheets.

The outcomes showed that intelligent monitoring systems can make buildings more sustainable by improving energy efficiency, enhancing IEQ, and promoting occupant well-being. The educational approach, focused on student knowledge and awareness improvement, increased the effectiveness of the initiative. Moreover, the interaction with emerging technologies like AI and active learning methods, fostered bridging education with research.

Acknowledgement:
The IBIS ECO project was funded under the ERDF Operational Program 2014-2020, Action 1B.1.2.2, Public Notice "CORES" (Energy and Bioeconomy).

Keywords: Active learning, AI-driven education, Indoor Environmental Quality, smart building, energy efficiency, user engagement.