The AI-COSMIC project aimed to equip primary school students with basic coding skills and familiarity with AI principles through engaging Minecraft activities. These activities were built around the "AI Five Big Ideas," ensuring a strong foundation in key concepts like learning, creativity, computational thinking, and problem-solving with Minecraft built in AI. The project also empowered teachers by educating them on AI and coding fundamentals, enhancing their ability to integrate these skills into engaging lessons using digital tools. This created a more dynamic learning environment for students and equipped teachers with the confidence to lead the way in this evolving educational landscape. The project promoted game-based learning across subjects like mathematics and ICT. Minecraft's worlds became a platform for applying coding concepts, making learning not just effective but also fun and interactive. We developed an accreditation system for each game's coding skills for primary schools. The "AI-COSMIC BADGES" provided a tangible recognition of student achievement, motivating them to continue developing their coding skills and fostering a sense of accomplishment.
Our Minecraft Erasmus+ project tackles critical education gaps in Europe. We aim to equip future generations with essential skills: coding and AI. Coding underpins the digital world (Victoria, 2021) and fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and collaboration (Kaplancali et al., 2017). Despite high demand, the EU faces a programmer shortage (CBI Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2021). AI in education is booming (https://bit.ly/366iB9h), promising a "fourth education revolution" (Seldon & Abidoye, 2018) with a profound impact on children (Gray, 2020). Our project bridged these needs. Through Minecraft, we introduce young students to coding in a fun and interactive way, sparking interest in programming careers. We also connected AI and coding to Minecraft game based learning, familiarizing children with basic AI principles. Additionally, our created project resources can upskill teachers and digitize education. The project outcomes equip children with vital future skills, support teachers with new quality resources, and promotes game based learning with Minecraft education, making a significant impact on young learners and the therefore the EU's workforce.