Genius Bit Academy is pleased to share that our contributions have been formally acknowledged in a peer-reviewed research paper published and presented at the 2025 IEEE Digital Education and MOOCs Conference (DEMOcon), held at Florida Atlantic University, USA. The paper, titled “Accelerating Innovation-Based Learning with Low-Cost Hardware for Full-Stack IoT Development,” highlights the development and educational application of an affordable IoT development platform.

The study was conducted in collaboration with Genius Bit Academy by researchers from the University of North Dakota (USA), HAMK University of Applied Sciences (Finland), and the University of Sri Jayewardenepura (Sri Lanka).
The research presents a low-cost, beginner-friendly IoT development board based on the WeMos D1 Mini (ESP-12F) microcontroller. The board integrates an OLED display, relay, buzzer, push buttons, RGB LED, and secure 5.08 mm rising-clamp terminal blocks for GPIO access. This compact, all-in-one design eliminates the need for breadboards and loose wiring, making it easier for students to build and experiment with IoT systems.

The platform costs approximately 40% of an Arduino UNO and 25% of a Raspberry Pi, helping reduce both financial and technical barriers to Innovation-Based Learning (IBL) in STEM education, particularly in resource-limited environments.
In a structured study involving 25 students across both in-person and online learning environments, the research found that students using the development board completed tasks approximately 21% faster, generated nearly twice as many innovative project solutions, and experienced significantly lower hardware replacement costs compared with students using conventional prototyping setups.

The authors of the paper acknowledged our Managing Director, Mr. Chamika Bandara, and Senior Lecturer, Mr. Ridma Pramuditha, along with Genius Bit Academy Sri Lanka and Onsenss Technologies, for their valuable contributions to the manufacturing and development of the hardware platform used in the study.
This recognition reflects Genius Bit Academy’s ongoing commitment to advancing accessible, hands-on STEM, electronics, IoT, and robotics education. We sincerely congratulate the research team on this achievement and are proud to have contributed to bringing this innovative educational platform to life.