AI and simulation technologies are opening new options for practical education, especially where specialised equipment or continuous connectivity is limited. UNESCO recently brought together education leaders, researchers, technology partners and youth representatives to look at how these immersive learning technologies can move beyond experimental pilots and become sustainable tools. The discussion covered simulation-based STEM learning and AI-powered education, with a focus on practical STEM training. 

It took place as a Strategy Lab organised by UNESCO’s Regional Office for Southern Africa with Nudle during UNESCO Digital Learning Week 2026. The session looked at how simulation learning, offline AI and cross-device approaches could support inclusive digital learning in low-resource higher education environments. 

Expanding simulation-based STEM learning 

Simulation-based STEM learning lets students practise processes that are hard to reproduce in a conventional classroom. Digital simulation in education can recreate a scientific environment, a technical procedure or a workplace situation. Students interact with it, observe outcomes and repeat an activity without using up physical materials. That helps most when specialised equipment is expensive, unavailable or hard to reach. 

Simulation doesn’t replace physical practice. It complements hands-on learning by letting students understand concepts before they work with real equipment. UNESCO noted at the Strategy Lab that simulation-supported learning can complement physical practical training where equipment or hands-on opportunities are limited. 

Exploring AI-powered education 

AI-powered education can support learning through personalised feedback, digital tutoring and interactive environments. Using it well takes more than giving students access to a tool. Teachers and institutions need to understand how the technology fits curriculum objectives and learning needs. 

UNESCO’s discussion put weight on that institutional side. Alongside what emerging technologies can do, the question was how to implement them so they stay useful beyond a pilot project. That matters for STEM education, where technology should support learning and not become the thing being learned. 

Making practical STEM training more accessible 

Practical STEM training is hard to provide when institutions have limited equipment, laboratories or technical resources. Digital simulation in education helps by letting learners practise concepts in a virtual environment. A student can work with a simulated system, watch how variables change and repeat the activity to see different outcomes. 

That gives extra preparation before students meet physical equipment. It also lets learners revisit concepts on their own instead of depending entirely on scheduled laboratory sessions. 

Using offline technology in low-resource settings 

Reliable internet access is a barrier to digital learning. Technologies that need continuous connectivity can be hard to use in some educational settings. UNESCO’s Strategy Lab pointed to offline AI and cross-device approaches as ways to reduce dependence on continuous connectivity and specialised hardware. 

That makes digital learning more adaptable. Instead of assuming every institution has the same infrastructure, technology can be designed around the resources learners and educators actually have. This kind of context-sensitive design is central to inclusive digital learning and to equitable digital education more broadly. 

Supporting inclusive digital learning 

Digital learning can expand opportunities, but it can also deepen existing inequalities when access and implementation are uneven. Inclusive digital learning depends on infrastructure, accessibility, teacher readiness and curriculum integration. UNESCO’s discussion pointed to educator capacity, accessibility, institutional ownership and long-term sustainability as factors that matter here. 

Introducing a new digital tool is only one part of educational transformation. Institutions also need systems that let teachers and students use the technology effectively. 

Connecting simulation with real-world skills 

Simulation learning matters most when it reflects situations students may face outside the classroom. Vocational and technical education can use simulations to practise procedures, understand equipment and explore workplace scenarios. Higher education can use them for laboratory preparation, engineering design or technical problem-solving. Simulation-based STEM learning works best when it connects digital practice with real-world competence. 

UNESCO’s TECH SPARK Africa initiative is exploring how digital technologies and stronger links between higher education and industry can support practical skills development and employability. 

Strengthening STEM training through technology 

STEM subjects often involve systems that can’t be observed directly. Simulations make them easier to explore: students change variables, watch for patterns and examine outcomes that would be difficult to reproduce physically. That supports conceptual understanding. Learners can use simulations to explore scientific processes, engineering systems or mathematical models, testing different conditions and comparing results. 

Immersive learning technologies like these turn the technology into a learning environment and not just a source of information. 

Supporting teachers in digital transformation 

Teachers remain central to whether digital learning works. They need to understand how technology supports curriculum objectives and how students should use digital tools responsibly. Professional development helps educators assess digital resources and decide when simulation or AI adds value. 

UNESCO’s Strategy Lab included practitioners and researchers discussing the conditions needed to scale digital innovation, and it treated educator readiness as one of the factors shaping successful implementation. Teacher capacity needs to grow alongside technology investment. 

Moving beyond technology pilots 

Many educational technologies begin as pilots. A pilot can show potential, but long-term adoption needs broader institutional support: suitable infrastructure, trained educators, curriculum alignment and sustainable approaches to funding and maintenance. 

UNESCO’s Strategy Lab examined what digital innovation needs to move beyond the pilot stage and work across different institutional realities. That makes it relevant to STEM education systems weighing AI and simulation-based STEM learning. The question shifts from whether a technology works in one setting to how it stays useful across many. 

Combining digital and physical learning 

Digital simulation shouldn’t be seen as an alternative to physical learning. In many STEM subjects, students benefit from both. A simulation lets them understand a procedure before entering a laboratory, and physical practice then builds skills that depend on handling equipment or materials. Simulation-based STEM learning fits into this mix as one part of a flexible approach to practical training. 

Students can also return to digital environments after physical activities to review concepts and get extra practice. 

Improving access to practical STEM training 

Practical STEM training is affected by equipment availability, laboratory capacity and location. Simulation technologies add another layer of access, letting students practise certain concepts digitally even when physical resources are limited. This doesn’t remove the need for laboratories or hands-on activities. It extends the learning opportunities available, which is especially useful for institutions with limited resources. 

Connecting education with industry 

Technology-enabled workplaces increasingly need workers who combine technical knowledge with digital skills, so education systems have to consider how students can get experience with digital tools before they enter professional environments. TECH SPARK Africa focuses partly on collaboration between higher education and industry to support practical skills development and employability. Simulation contributes by recreating workplace processes inside educational settings, so students can practise decision-making and problem-solving before they meet similar situations at work. 

Keeping learners at the centre 

Technology is useful only when it improves learning, and that principle ran through UNESCO’s recent discussion. A sophisticated AI system or simulation isn’t automatically effective in education. Students need clear learning objectives, appropriate guidance and chances to apply what they learn. 

UNESCO stressed that digital transformation should expand opportunities for young people and respond to local educational realities. A learner-centred approach helps institutions judge AI-powered education and other tools by educational value rather than novelty. 

Building sustainable digital education 

Long-term digital education takes more than buying devices or software. Institutions need strategies for training educators, maintaining infrastructure, updating content and ensuring accessibility, and they need to consider how digital tools fit into existing teaching practice. 

UNESCO’s Strategy Lab noted institutional ownership and long-term sustainability as important considerations when scaling digital innovation. That helps institutions avoid adopting technologies that become hard to maintain once an initial project ends. 

Preparing students for technology-enabled workplaces 

Students entering higher education and employment will meet increasingly digital workplaces. Education can prepare them by combining subject knowledge with practical digital skills. Simulation-based STEM learning offers one route, letting students practise technical tasks and decision-making in controlled environments. AI learning complements it by helping them understand how intelligent systems are used in professional contexts, and immersive learning technologies extend both into more realistic practice. Together, these approaches support broader digital readiness. 

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