Section A: Project Information
Reimagining STEM Learning with Hybrid Intelligence
This project introduces “AI-facilitated dronagogy”, an innovative framework that leverages hybrid intelligence — a dynamic partnership between educators and generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) — to empower teachers, regardless of programming background, to co-create interactive drone-based STEM simulations. By expressing instructional needs in natural language, educators collaborate with GenAI to rapidly produce browser-based modules tailored to diverse curricular goals and contexts. The five core simulations — “Satellite Positioning”, “Virtual Flight”, “QuadPhysics”, “Dronography AOV”, and “Code Simulation” — are each grounded in research-based pedagogical strategies mapped to explicit STEM learning objectives.
Technical Principles and Universal Access
All simulations are built on GenAI-created HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code, hosted openly on GitHub, and delivered entirely via the web, requiring no installation. This ensures universal access for educators and students, especially in resource-constrained settings. The platform offers a robust set of educational features: interactive controls, real-time feedback, 3D visualization, dynamic animations, bilingual language options, sound effects, built-in calculators, and on-demand graph generation. These multimodal features create immersive experiences, bridging the gap between theoretical understanding and real-world experimentation.
Transformative Potential and Measurable Outcomes
Early deployments in secondary schools have demonstrated meaningful gains in student engagement, conceptual understanding, and teacher satisfaction. Through iterative design-based research and user-driven refinement, the platform remains responsive to real classroom needs. As an open-source initiative, “AI-facilitated dronagogy” fosters a vibrant community of educators and learners, collectively expanding access to advanced STEM education for all.
(https://stemedry.github.io/AIREA/)
Section B: Participant Information
| Title | First Name | Last Name | Organisation/Institution | Faculty/Department/Unit | Phone Number | Current Study Programme | Current Year of Study | Contact Person / Team Leader | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mr. | CHUNG YIU RICHARD | YEUNG | The Education University of Hong Kong | Faculty of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences / Department of Science and Environmental Studies | s1138996@s.eduhk.hk | 98354402 | Doctoral Programme | Year 2 |
|
Section C: Project Details
Challenges in Modern STEM Education
Despite growing interest in incorporating drones into STEM classrooms, significant barriers persist. A preliminary study of drone-integrated curricula in secondary schools identified six key challenges: safety risks in real-world piloting, student difficulties with 3D spatial reasoning, confusion over abstract mathematical concepts, restrictive airspace regulations and altitude limits, and high battery costs for programmed flight testing, compounded by inefficient debugging in physical settings. These issues are even more pronounced in under-resourced schools, where limited technical support and equipment hinder hands-on STEM learning.
From Insight to Action: The Genesis of Hybrid Intelligence
Recognizing these obstacles, the need for an accessible, adaptable, and cost-effective alternative became clear. The hypothesis emerged that GenAI could serve as a collaborative partner for teachers — enabling them to design and customize interactive simulations aligned with local curriculum needs, without requiring programming expertise. By embedding inquiry-based, competency-based, exploratory, and problem-based learning strategies, each simulation supports a broad spectrum of STEM learning objectives.
Making Drone-Enhanced STEM Practical and Inclusive
Hybrid intelligence enables rapid prototyping and continuous refinement of simulations, making them engaging and effective. In a browser-based environment, students can safely experiment with drone placement in “Satellite Positioning”, practice piloting skills in “Virtual Flight”, or debug code in “Code Simulation”. This model lowers barriers for both teachers and students, making advanced STEM concepts practical and accessible in every classroom. GenAI’s capacity to generate code from plain language streamlines ongoing teacher professional development, empowering educators to seamlessly integrate emerging technologies into their teaching practice.
Leveraging GenAI and Open Web Technologies
The system employs GenAI chatbots (e.g. o1-mini, o3-mini-high) to translate teacher prompts into robust HTML, CSS, and JavaScript powering each simulation. Modules are hosted open-source on GitHub and accessed via standard web browsers, allowing installation-free deployment on a wide range of devices, including iPads and computers. This browser-first, cloud-based approach eliminates licensing barriers and IT overhead, making adoption feasible even for resource-limited schools.
Core Functionalities Across Three Key Dimensions
(a) Interactive STEM Exploration:
Simulations like “Satellite Positioning” and “QuadPhysics” enable students to manipulate drones in real time, visualized satellite coverage, and adjust parameters such as rotor speed, gravity, and atmospheric pressure. These modules reinforce mathematical and physics concepts through engaging interactivity and immediate feedback.
(b) Immersive 3D and Game-Based Learning:
“Virtual Flight” and “Code Simulation” immerse learners in 3D environments, where they pilot drones with virtual joysticks or program movements via code blocks. These simulations challenge students to navigate spatial obstacles and develop efficient algorithms, with features like interactive replays and live performance tracking supporting iterative learning.
(c) Real-World Application and Analytical Skills:
“Dronography AOV” lets students tackle real-world measurement challenges by adjusting drone altitude, camera aspect ratios, and angles of view using trigonometric principles. Intuitive controls help visualize field of view changes, encouraging hands-on calculations that reinforce critical thinking and mathematical knowledge.
User Experience and Evaluation Metrics
Platform effectiveness is evaluated through pre/post-tests of STEM knowledge, validated surveys of computational thinking and 21st-century skills, qualitative feedback from learning reflections and interviews, and engagement analytics. The open-source, feedback-driven design ensures continuous improvement, while participatory development fosters a vibrant, evolving user community.
Not applicable for Stream 2.
The AI-Facilitated Dronagogy Framework
The framework leverages hybrid intelligence — blending human insight with GenAI tools — to transform drone-based STEM education. It purposefully addresses safety risks, 3D spatial reasoning, abstract concepts, regulatory restrictions, and the costs and inefficiencies of physical flight testing. By offering virtual learning opportunities, simulations intentionally bridge the gap between theoretical understanding and real-world experimentation, providing an essential link that supports students’ progression from concept to practice.
Tackling Real-World Drone Education Challenges
GenAI-created simulations provide a safe and controlled space for students to practice piloting, programming, and navigation skills — eliminating physical risks and logistical barriers. Iterative virtual experimentation is possible at minimal cost, allowing learners to visualize and manipulate 3D models, master concepts like trilateration, and debug code in real time. This supports abstract conceptualization and active experimentation, aligning with Kolb’s experiential learning cycle and ensuring students are well-prepared before transitioning to physical drone activities.
Empowering Educators and Students as Co-Creators
At the heart of the platform is an open-source, self-documenting codebase, enhanced by GenAI chatbots that translate natural language prompts into functional simulation code. This progress empowers teachers and students — regardless of coding experience — to create, adapt, and refine simulations for their unique needs. The collaborative workflow lowers technical barriers, fosters digital literacy, and cultivates a participatory culture of ongoing innovation.
Sustaining a Participatory Innovation Ecosystem
This open, participatory approach fosters a vibrant community of educators, learners, and technologists who share, remix, and continuously enhance resources. Ongoing design-based research and user feedback ensure the “AI-facilitated dronagogy” framework remains adaptable, sustainable, and relevant, driving meaningful and lasting innovation in STEM education.
Scalability Strategies and Bottleneck Mitigation
The solution is designed for global scalability through its web-based, open-source architecture and GenAI-driven content creation. With minimal infrastructure, teachers and students can generate new modules on demand, reducing reliance on centralized development. Simulation prototypes are already integrated into drone-based courses across 14 secondary schools, where ongoing teacher observations and user feedback have been continuously incorporated to refine and enhance each module. Hosting as static web applications on GitHub Pages ensures reliable, cost-free access to hundreds of concurrent users. The open-source model supports community-driven hosting and distribution, strengthening resilience and ensuring global accessibility as demand grows.
Cost-Effective and Flexible Educational Development
Traditionally, custom educational tools required substantial financial investment and technical expertise. Integrating GenAI chatbots enables educators and learners to create, customize, and iterate content at a fraction of the costs. This democratized approach broadens access and accelerates innovation. The hands-on experience of co-creating simulations with AI also promotes “AI-TPACK” (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge with AI) framework, inspiring further adoption of AI-powered teaching. Embedding these innovations in professional development supports long-term, systemic growth in AI-enhanced STEM education.
Promoting Environmental and Educational Sustainability
By prioritizing editable and reusable digital resources over rigid, buy-in software, the platform reduces electronic waste and the environmental impact of frequent software turnover. Continuous user-driven adaptation minimizes obsolescence. Finalized products and the process of AI-assisted simulation creation are disseminated through publications, conference, and direct outreach to frontline educators, ensuring ongoing relevance and sustainability as educational needs evolve.
Championing Equity and Inclusion in STEM
This project is fundamentally committed to advancing equity and inclusion in STEM education. By eliminating barriers related to programming skills, software costs, and hardware access, it democratizes high-level STEM learning for all students, including those in underserved communities. Its web-based, installation-free format ensures universal access, while bilingual switching and accessibility features further promote inclusive participation.
Cultivating AI Literacy and Lifelong Learning
A distinctive dimension of this approach is the integration of GenAI not only as a development tool but as a context for cultivating AI literacy. Co-designing and iterating simulations with GenAI chatbots provides an authentic entry point for building AI fluency. By engaging directly with GenAI — communicating goals, refining outputs, and evaluating results —participants develop essential digital literacy, computational thinking, and the capacity to responsibly leverage AI for creative problem-solving. This empowers both educators and learners as co-creators, fostering agency, adaptability, and confidence for lifelong learning in an AI-driven world.
Ensuring Measurable and Sustainable Social Impact
Commitment to social responsibility is reinforced by ongoing measurement and responsive adaptation. Impact is tracked through participation rates, learning gains, engagement analytics, and diverse user feedback. An iterative, design-based research methodology ensures the platform not only meets but anticipates the evolving demands of equitable, high-impact STEM education. By combining universal access, inclusive design, and the cultivation of AI literacy, “AI-facilitated dronagogy” sets a new benchmark for ethical, sustainable, and transformative use of AI in education — preparing all participants to responsibly navigate and shape the future.
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