Today, we had the opportunity to host a hands-on innovation workshop for students from 21 schools in the Pekan District, in collaboration with Pejabat Pendidikan Daerah Pekan. The workshop, held at UMPSA STEM Lab, aimed to equip students with the tools and thinking frameworks needed to kickstart their journey toward the CITREX Innovation Competition 2025.
At the heart of this session was the Engineering Design Process (EDP)—a proven method used by engineers and innovators to solve real-world problems. But we added a modern twist – Generative AI, the new study buddy ChatGPT =).
The Engineering Design Process (EDP)
Students were guided through the six stages of EDP:-
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Ask – Define a real problem
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Research – Explore what’s already out there
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Imagine – Brainstorm multiple ideas
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Plan – Choose the best idea and sketch a solution
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Create – Build a model or mock-up
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Improve – Evaluate and enhance the design
Using the EDP worksheet, students documented their thinking and structured their innovation journey.
Many students in the session were already familiar with line-following miniature robots. We explored how these robots could be repurposed to solve problems aligned with CITREX themes such as:
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Smart Cities – A robot that patrols school zones for safety
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Environment – A robot that detects energy waste in classrooms
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Health – A robot that simulates delivery of emergency medical supplies
By rethinking what they already had, students realized how innovation is often about new context, not just new tech.
Students were introduced to the power of prompting ChatGPT effectively to support their ideation. We explored how to:
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Ask the right questions
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Frame problems clearly
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Use follow-up prompts to refine and improve ideas
For example:
“What problems can a line-following robot solve in a school environment related to water safety?”
Students then tried these prompts themselves and saw how AI could boost the ‘Ask’ and ‘Research’ stages of the EDP.
Hands-On Practice
With their EDP worksheets in hand, students crafted project ideas guided by both human creativity and AI support. They were encouraged to:
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Explore one of the nine CITREX themes
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Develop an innovation using or modifying existing classroom tools
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Prepare for submission with A1 posters and working models
Looking Ahead
This session was just the beginning. As we move toward CITREX 2025, we hope to see these young innovators continue developing their ideas into real solutions that can make a difference—in schools, communities, and beyond.
We thank all the participating schools and Pejabat Pendidikan Daerah Pekan for their commitment to fostering creativity and innovation among students.
Stay tuned for more workshops and updates from UMPSA STEM Lab =) !
