Section A: Project Information
Inspire Education is a pioneering educational startup dedicated to enhancing student learning through innovative approaches. Our mission is to inspire a love for learning and critical thinking among students by providing personalized interactive learning experiences. In the first stage, we will integrate artificial intelligence into our online learning platform, FunMA. It provides customized, interactive mathematics learning packages, including regular assessments, for secondary school students. When the students use our app for the first time, they scan their current tests and homework into our system first so that we can analyse their needs. Apart from using AI to generate questions, when students have difficulty answering the questions, our AI agent will provide corresponding hints according to the students' answering status. At the same time, we will also collect the difficulties students encounter when doing the questions to expand our database. By doing so, Inspire Education can cater to individual student needs, ensuring effective engagement and progress. We will extend the context to primary school students and other subjects in a later stage. By integrating technology and interactive teaching tools with traditional teaching methods, Inspire Education aims to empower students to explore and excel in their studies. Our mission not only focuses on academic success but also on fostering creativity and problem-solving skills, preparing students for future challenges.
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ms. | Sin Hang | Kwong | The Education University of Hong Kong | Department of Mathematics and Information Technology | s1141621@s.eduhk.hk | 91315089 | Bachelor's Programme | Year 4 |
|
| Ms. | Xiao | Yang | The Education University of Hong Kong | Graduate School | s1157524@s.eduhk.hk | 54940597 | Master's Programme | Year 1 | |
| Mr. | Ki | Cheung | The Hong Kong Polytechnic University | Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering | kiiiisy@yahoo.com.hk | 64793193 | Master's Programme | Year 1 | |
| Mr. | Tin Lok | Ngai | Hong Kong Baptist University | Department of Computer Science | ngaitinlok28wk@gmail.com | 96692070 | Master's Programme | Year 1 |
Section C: Project Details
The core inspiration for developing FunMA stemmed from observing the gaps and limitations in traditional mathematics education, particularly in secondary schools. Many students struggle with motivation, engagement, and personalized support in conventional learning environments. Through interviewing with 20 secondary schools students and their parents, the key issues we identified include:
• One-size-fits-all materials in school or tutorial centers that fail to cater to diverse learning needs.
• Exam-oriented systems that emphasize rote practice over conceptual understanding.
• Limited interactivity and feedback, especially in large classroom settings.
• Inconsistent teaching schedules across schools, leading to misalignment with students' individual pacing.
Recognizing these challenges, we envisioned a tech-powered, interactive, and adaptive learning solution that could complement traditional teaching and bring mathematics to life for students. The idea of integrating AI, interactivity, and personalized learning paths became the cornerstone of our project. We believe that only with an AI-powered and interactive learning platform tailored to individual needs, student engagement, understanding, and performance in mathematics can significantly improve.
FunMA is an AI-powered math learning platform designed to personalize education for K-12 students. We will leverage Large Language Models (LLMs) to dynamically generate hints, explanations, and detect confusion from user input. A knowledge graph will map curriculum content and learning paths, enabling adaptive progression. The platform will be built using React Native for cross-platform app development, supported by a Node.js backend, MongoDB for flexible data storage, and Firebase for real-time updates and authentication.
To support development, we will require:
• A technical team (frontend, backend, AI/ML developers)
• Educational experts to align with local curricula (e.g., HKDSE, IB)
• Cloud infrastructure (AWS) for scalability and security
Market demand will be validated through:
• Pilot testing with schools and tutorial centers in Hong Kong
• Parent/teacher surveys to assess pain points and willingness to adopt
• Monitoring early user engagement and free-to-paid conversion rates
Core functionalities include:
• Personalized learning paths powered by AI
• Gamified exercises and lessons with real-time feedback
• Confusion detection and a smart hint system
• Teacher dashboard for assignment and progress tracking
To ensure a positive user experience, we focus on:
• Intuitive UI/UX design with localized language support
• Gamification to boost motivation and retention
• Fast performance via CDN, caching, and responsive design
Performance metrics will include:
• Learning outcomes (pre/post assessment improvement)
• Engagement data (session time, activity frequency)
• User satisfaction (feedback scores, NPS)
• Retention and conversion rates (MAU, churn, ARPU)
Not Applicable
1. Personalized Learning Experience
FunMA emphasizes tailored educational content based on individual student needs and abilities. By assessing students through pre-quizzes and ongoing evaluations, the app customizes lesson materials and exercises, ensuring that each learner receives instruction that matches their skill level.
2. Interactive and Visible Learning Tools
The app integrates interactive activities, such as gamified lessons and engaging quizzes, to make mathematics enjoyable. This approach contrasts sharply with traditional, passive learning methods, fostering a more dynamic educational environment that encourages active participation. Also, with the use of visible learning tools, it can enhance students' understanding on the mathematics concepts, especially to students with visual learning style.
3. Data-Driven Insights
By using data analytics, FunMA can track student progress and adapt content in real-time. This innovative use of technology allows for continuous improvement of the learning experience, as FunMA can identify areas of difficulty and adjust teaching strategies accordingly.
4. Guiding AI Chatbot
FunMA plans to utilize an AI chatbot for students to seek help during the learning process. Instead of providing the steps and answers directly, the AI chatbot will guide students to reach the final answer by providing some hints/ prompt to recall the related concepts.
To ensure FunMA can scale effectively as user demand grows, we will adopt a combination of technical, infrastructural, and operational strategies:
1. Cloud-Native Infrastructure
• Deploy on a scalable cloud platform (AWS) with auto-scaling capabilities to handle traffic spikes.
• Use Kubernetes for container orchestration to ensure modularity, resilience, and resource efficiency.
2. Modular Microservices Architecture
• Break the application into independent services (authentication, lesson module, AI engine, analytics) to allow horizontal scaling and isolated updates without affecting the entire system’s performance.
3. Optimized AI Handling
• Query batching and caching to reduce load on LLMs.
• Asynchronous processing for non-urgent AI functions to reduce perceived latency.
4. Bottleneck Mitigation Table
AI Latency
• Use smaller, optimized LLM variants for faster response.
• Cache frequently asked queries and responses.
Database Load
• Implement read/write sharding to distribute data.
• Set up replication for fault tolerance and read scaling.
• Use indexing to speed up query performance.
Content Access
• Deploy a Content Delivery Network (CDN) for faster global content delivery.
• Implement media compression to reduce load times and bandwidth usage.
Environmental Sustainability Strategy
1. Green Cloud Providers
• Partner with carbon-neutral cloud providers such as AWS Sustainability Program to reduce the carbon footprint.
2. Paperless & Remote Learning
• Promote digital, paperless education to reduce paper waste.
• Encourage hybrid and remote learning to reduce travel-related emissions linked to tutoring attendance.
Long-Term User Engagement Strategy
1. Gamification & Motivation
• Use gamified challenges, badges, and rewards to keep students motivated.
• Implement learning streaks and personal progress dashboards.
2. Continuous Personalization
• AI adapts lesson difficulty, pace, and content based on user performance and preferences over time.
3. Community & Mentorship
• Offer mentorship calls, peer support forums, and regular teacher check-ins to maintain a sense of belonging and accountability.
4. Regular Content Updates
• Curriculum-aligned, frequently updated content ensures relevance across schools and exams (HKDSE, IB, SAT, Gaokao).
Adaptability to Evolving User Needs
1. Modular Subject Expansion
• Easily extend content to other subjects (e.g. Chinese Language, Biology, Chemistry) and levels (Primary, Secondary) through modular design.
2. Multilingual Support
• Localize content for different regions (e.g., English/Chinese) to broaden accessibility.
3. Real-Time Feedback Integration
• Analyze user behavior and feedback to iteratively improve UX and content delivery.
4. AI-Powered Insights
• Use AI to detect emerging learning gaps and trends in real time, enabling proactive adaptation of lessons and support.
Digital Inclusion & Accessibility:
• Offer free or subsidized access to FunMA for underprivileged or low-income students.
• Develop features for students with special educational needs (such as adjustable font sizes, screen reader compatibility, or alternative learning modes) to ensure that no one is left behind.
Equitable Learning Opportunities:
• Design personalized learning pathways to cater diverse ability levels, ensuring that gifted students and those who need extra support both benefit from tailored content.
• Partner with local schools and community centers to provide complementary workshops, tutoring sessions, and mentorship programs—thereby bridging the gap between formal education and supplementary tutorials.
Partnerships & Community Engagement:
• Collaborate with non-profit organizations and education-focused NGOs to create outreach programs that target underserved communities.
• Sponsor or host local mathematics competitions, hackathons, or STEM events that promote creative and critical thinking in a fun, interactive way.
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