Background

As the digital era continues to reshape the workforce, the ability to code has become increasingly crucial for professionals in fields ranging from software development to data analysis and recognizing the growing significance of coding skills, it is imperative for Vocational Education and Training (VET) institutions to adapt and equip students with these competencies to meet the demands of the modern job market.

Despite the clear importance of computing skills, VET schools currently fall short in providing comprehensive training in this area and this is becoming even more true and challenging with the disruptive effect that Artificial Intelligence pervasive spreading is having on everyday life and on businesses.

Moreover soft skills, such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and strategic planning, are highly sought after by employers and the wider job market.

These skills transcend specific job roles and are crucial for adapting to the dynamic nature of the contemporary workplace. Also teamwork, communication, and adaptability are essential aspects and VET school preparation of students should be able to mirroring the collaborative environments prevalent in many professional settings.

The ChessAIthon Consortium is convinced that to address a yet unexplored challenge a strongly unconventional approach is needed and believes that addressing the educational gaps highlighted above can be achieved through the integration of chess logic into the lessons and curricula.

Chess, a game renowned for its emphasis on strategy, problem-solving, and critical thinking, serves indeed as a powerful tool for developing both soft skills and foundational knowledge necessary for using coding and AI in a more aware logic making it an ideal complement to traditional programming VET education.

Aims

The general objective of the project is to exploit the full potential of Chess based learning methodologies, learning and teaching scenario to enhance and developing VET students key soft skills and competencies that are most wanted by companies and introduce them to the Artificial Intelligence and Data analysis principles.

The specific objectives are:

• SO 1: Support VET teachers in implementing the most innovative teaching solutions based on the use of universal language of Chess for developing VET student preparation to face the job market challenges and expectations by acquiring soft skills such critical and lateral thinking, problem solving, creativity, teamwork, communication, and adaptability while also consolidating key competencies in using coding and AI.
• SO 2: Provide VET teachers and students with Chess based effective, structured and curriculum-relevant training solutions in order to motivate students and develop their soft skills and combine this with imparting fundamental concepts of AI. The strategic depth and complexity inherent in chess create a fertile ground for introducing learners to the core tenets of AI, such as pattern recognition, decision-making algorithms, and strategic planning.
• SO 3: Engage students in a transnational learning by doing experience through which they will be challenged in both the aspect of solving and evaluating real chess scenarios and that of training an AI or analyzing data with the explicit aim of fostering group work, lateral thinking and creativity.

Target Groups

The target groups involved in the project are:

• VET teachers benefiting from innovative teaching solutions that integrate chess and AI, to enable them to modernize the curricula and effectively develop students soft skills.
• VET students gaining crucial AI and coding competencies through hands-on, challenge-based learning with chess, significantly enhancing their employability and preparing them for the demands of the digital labor market.
• VET school directors making them the protagonists of their VET institutions modernisation, the fostering of networking among VET providers and offering a a new training pattern to make the VET offer more in line with the job market needs.

Activities

The ChessAiThon project involves the school communities in:

The ChessAIThon involves VET schools communities in a common effort for:

• Developing a comprehensive methodology for the use of Chess to develop a more aware and practical oriented comprehension of principles of coding and artificial intelligence and reinforce transversal key competences through problem based learning approaches addressed to VET students.
• Creating a collection of selected Chess problems based scenarios supported by fully operative lesson plans providing step by step guidance in using them with students as part of their learning processes of coding and developing the four areas of soft skills.
• Engaging VET students in a transnational learning by doing experience through which they will be challenged in both the aspect of solving and evaluating real chess scenarios and that of training an AI or analyzing data with the explicit aim of fostering lateral thinking and creativity.

Results

The ChessAIThon project provides VET Schools with:

• A comprehensive learning resource tailored for both students and teachers. This material will delve into the foundational principles of chess, computing, and artificial intelligence (IA) essential for the broader project. Furthermore, the educational material will emphasise the development of soft skills, such critical and lateral thinking, problem solving based learning or creativity.
• An online database featuring real-life chess scenarios, accessible through a dedicated web platform. This platform will serve as a dynamic repository for chess enthusiasts, allowing them to engage with and propose scenarios. Additionally, the platform will aggregate student and player proposals to train an already Artificial Intelligence based.
• An exemplary implementation of a chess and AI competition leveraging the documentation provided in the first component and the platform established in the second outcome. This competition will serve as a culmination of the project, providing a practical arena for participants to apply their acquired knowledge and skills. The competition results and insights will further contribute to the publicly available knowledge base, enriching the broader AI community