Project P.L.A.Y (Progression, Learning, Achievement, You)

The current school system often lacks the ability to motivate the students, curriculua offer little practical relevance of the and the students individual needs and interests are rarely promoted.

The scope of this problem, with a few exceptions, is the entire population.

For many students, learning is a nuisance and their learning goals are limited to passing the next test. Worst of all, even a fear of school is on the rise. (Article "Anxiety on the Rise", by Effective School Solutions). There is also an increased demand on teachers, with burn-out symptoms on the rise.

Traditionally, students are assigned to classes by age groups, the curricula are standardized, there is little to no room for individual interests, skill development and needs. Questions like "What will I ever need this for in life?" are common, and all too often justified. Furthermore, the emphasis lies on science. The development of personal skills comes in second, whereas personal development and the so-called soft skills are almost entirely ignored.

The school system as we know it today, has experienced little adaption to societal changes for the last 200 years. It was once designed to fulfill the needs of an oncoming industrial revolution, aimed at preparing the workforce for the factories of the time. But finally, the information age has changed the expectations of the new generation to a degree that can no longer be reversed or ignored. The current system, however, is slow, outdated, overloaded and not engaging enough. But, as outdated as it may be, there is still little political impetus to fundamentally change it.

Video games manage to tie millions of people to the computer screen every day. Schools barely achieve even a remotely similar level of fascination, even though the two are not too unsimilar. Both are based on concepts of awarding scores, giving appraisals, making assignments, etc. Despite the similarities, though, the traditional schools can barely meet the interests of, let alone engage the students. (see “this game sucks”)

By combining the two elements, an entirely new and fascinating learning environment could be created, which not only better reaches out to the learners, but, provided it is well implemented, could even inspire and thrill them.

Since politics is too slow to adapt, we chose a grassroots approach to address this quest for adaptability and personalized learning from the bottom up.

Imagine a school where learning is as engaging as playing a favorite video game. Welcome to P.L.A.Y., a modular educational software platform designed to revolutionize schooling by integrating the motivational elements of gaming—like progression, challenges, and rewards—into everyday learning.

P.L.A.Y. is a cutting-edge SaaS (Software as a Service) solution that uses generative AI, gamification, and scientific pedagogical principles to enhance student engagement and improve educational outcomes. It aims to reduce the strain on educational infrastructures and align school practices with the demands of the information age.

At the heart of P.L.A.Y. is a personalized digital learning environment that includes gamification features such as points, badges, leaderboards, avatars, and team-building exercises. These elements make learning more enjoyable and motivate students. The platform adapts to individual students' needs, interests, and learning styles, allowing them to progress at their own pace. This tailored approach helps increase engagement and self-efficacy, while still supporting important educational goals.

P.L.A.Y. doesn't seek to replace traditional education but enhances it. It shifts the teacher's role from a traditional instructor to a mentor and coach, facilitating integration into existing school structures. This allows for a flexible implementation that can be scaled according to each institution's pace and culture.

This initiative is more than just a tool; it's a movement towards integrating education and entertainment, making learning an exciting, enriching, and rewarding journey. By applying gamification across educational settings, P.L.A.Y. fosters a learning environment where students pursue knowledge with enthusiasm and curiosity.

P.L.A.Y. utilizes a comprehensive knowledge base sourced from open educational resources like Open Syllabus and ESCO, continually updated to reflect the latest educational standards. The platform features several modules including Student Learning, Progress Tracking, Gamification, and Task Generation, with progress measured in competencies rather than traditional grades.

In essence, P.L.A.Y. reimagines education as a personalized, engaging adventure, making school a place where learning is not just necessary, but exciting and desirable.

Since virtually every inhabitant of the planet is a student at some point in their life, or at least they should be, the total available market (TAM) is virtually the entire world population. P.L.A.Y.'s mission and vision is to become the most accessible, personalized and engaging education available in order to unleash the potential of every individual around the world!

This also means that determined potential students need not wait for P.L.A.Y. to become available at their institution. It will be available around the world in every household, coffee shop or library with Internet access. It can even be implemented as a home-schooling tool or as a personal tutor. With a multilingual AI at the core of the platform, even language is no barrier.

One of the greatest obstacles of access to education is cost. This is another great advantage of P.L.A.Y. For instance in Switzerland, the average cost per student in the public school system is CHF 22'857 per year. In contrast, the annual cost of  P.L.A.Y. is estimated to be CHF 200 or less per student per year, i.e. less than 1% of the education budget! By adopting a flexible pricing model, which is part of the intended distribution strategy, P.L.A.Y. will be made affordable and available to any student in the world. Financing this flexible pricing model will be a mix of cross-financing, charity and public funding.

In other words, the higher the obstacles of the available education system, such as poverty, difficult geographical access, or poor quality, the higher the demand for P.L.A.Y. is expected to be.

While educational institutions at the mandatory school level (grade school and middle school) will initially be the primary focus, the software is equally applicable to higher and/or continued education of individuals as well as corporate training.

We have identified three main markets:

Educational Institutions (B2B):

P.L.A.Y. is offered as a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution to schools and universities. This model supports personalized learning and gamification within the classroom, aiming to enhance student engagement and educational outcomes. Pricing is tailored to fit the budgets of educational institutions, ensuring accessibility and scalability.

Individual Learners (B2C):

Beyond the classroom, P.L.A.Y. expands as an eLearning web platform for individuals seeking personal development, additional tutoring and lifelong learning opportunities. This platform allows users to continue their education outside the traditional school setting, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and skill development.

Corporate Training (B2B):

Recognizing the need for ongoing employee development, P.L.A.Y. also offers a specialized SaaS solution for businesses. This platform facilitates internal training programs, enabling companies to upskill their workforce efficiently and effectively. Tailored learning paths and gamification techniques make training more engaging and impactful.

P.L.A.Y. was co-created by Mike Schaffner and Cédric Madörin. The project benefits from a wealth of experience in both, educational and technological areas.

Mike (CEO) has a vocational baccalaureate degree in Informatics and a CAS Edupreneur & Learning Design Certificate from the Hochschule für Wirtschaft (College of Economics) in Zürich. He brings a decade of startup innovation and consulting experience and a profound understanding of the educational sector through various teaching and coaching assignments.

Cédric (CTO) holds a Bachelor of Science in Informatics and offers over 15 years of development expertise, which includes work with generative AI.

Together, they represent a formidable force in educational reform.

P.L.A.Y. is in the Prototype stage. The concept and design are completed. The model of the skill tree, including sub-trees and defining the various progress stages, is built. Software development has begun.

In order to save time, we are currently evaluating each part of the prototype phase, such as e.g. the creation of assignments by the AI, separately. This allows us to pinpoint errors, correct them and design testing strategies in a timely fashion as we move forward.

At the moment we are also testing how prompts need to be written such that AI is able to generate error-free and meaningful assignments and how the data sources need to be structured.

Within about a year we plan to go to the pilot stage. For this we have already worked out a plan with the Center for Transitional Programs (Zentrum für Brückenangebote — ZBA) in Basel, Switzerland. The ZBA is a program for 10th grade students who are undecided as to their career choice or have not yet been able to find a vocational training or study space.

This initial pilot project targets a very diverse group of some 200 students, and we aim to increase their success rate from 50% to 80% within this 10th school year. This project will serve as a proof of concept, demonstrating P.L.A.Y.'s potential to revolutionize learning outcomes across diverse student populations. The pilot project will be surveyed and evaluated by the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz — FHNW).

This project, if successful, will allow us to expand into the Swiss education system and would also give us more credibility with homeschooling parents and private schools. Within four years we aim to reach 20,000 Swiss students.

When I first read through the SOLVE challenge, I saw the essence and spirit of P.L.A.Y. reflected in it almost perfectly. I wanted to grab this opportunity to get the word out, in part to build-up the pressure for me and my team to pursue this quest for changing the world and in part to procure technical and financial support from the community.

Not only do we need financing to build the software and hire the personnel to do so, but we also need to create an AI that is compatible with RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) in order to secure the validity of the data. In addition, we need to comply with the EU Artificial Intelligence Act and other pertinent governance regulations in order to ensure that the platform fulfills all legal requirements.

While the prize money won’t cover the estimated budget of CHF 550’000 for the development and through the pilot phase even remotely, we hope that the prize will put us on the map of potential investors, sponsors and supporters, as well as increase our credibility with potential supporters.

P.L.A.Y. offers a completely new concept that will disrupt how and what we learn. It is even unique among all the digital solutions available so far, which of course are all innovative, as from a historic perspective, digitalisation has just begun.

Since its inception some 200 years ago, the school system, as we know it today, has experienced only marginal adaptation to societal changes, if any. It is slow, outdated, and completely overloaded. It has become increasingly drab, with ever decreasing relevance and purpose for the individual student. Students and teachers alike are increasingly inundated. Stress, burn-out, odd new phenomena such as “school anxiety” and even juvenile delinquency, as an indicator of dissatisfaction, are on the rise.

While educators and politicians are debating the next marginal corrections, P.L.A.Y. addresses these issues at the root, bypassing those debates. The great advantage of P.L.A.Y. is its simple and inexpensive introduction. No national parliament needs to decide on its implementation. Every school, every teacher, even every student him- or herself can discover it for themselves with little effort. Curiosity will drive its dissemination, with every new user acting as the next catalyst for what we hope to become an exponential expansion. Surely, there will be no way around some degree of marketing effort, but the results and successes of those who enjoy its benefits will speak for themselves.

P.L.A.Y. will not revolt the educational system in place today, no schools will be shut down, no school district directorate overthrown. It will, however, change the educational landscape profoundly. Instead of making sure that children go to school in the morning, the struggle may shift to making them go home at the end of the day.

P.L.A.Y. represents the future of learning, aiming to transform education through enhanced motivation and engagement using gamification and AI personalization. The effectiveness of P.L.A.Y. will be measured in two key ways: the growth in subscriber numbers and the educational impact on these subscribers.

The core impact of P.L.A.Y. stems from the increased student motivation derived from interactive gaming elements and AI-driven personalization that addresses the individual needs, interests, and understanding levels of each student. This approach makes learning more relevant, exciting, and enjoyable.

Immediately noticeable impacts include increased motivation among learners, who benefit from the engaging and stress-reducing aspects of the platform. Teachers will notice more active participation and a calmer classroom environment. Over the course of a school year, tangible outcomes like improved grades, higher completion rates of milestones such as advanced placements or qualifying tests, are expected to serve as measurable indicators of P.L.A.Y.’s effectiveness.

For instance, a pilot program in Basel’s Center for Transitional Programs aims to increase the percentage of students securing placements in vocational or academic programs from 50% to 80% within a school year. Additional metrics like student and teacher satisfaction can be assessed through surveys.

On a broader scale, regions or nations adopting P.L.A.Y. may show improved results in standardized tests like the SAT, NAEP, or PISA. Though isolating P.L.A.Y.'s direct effects might be challenging amidst various educational factors, broader societal benefits such as reduced school anxiety and juvenile delinquency are anticipated, as per national statistics offices.

The strategic rollout involves initial testing with partnerships in Swiss schools, aiming to reach 20,000 students in four years. Success metrics will include academic performance, placement in advanced educational tracks, and feedback from surveys. After establishing its effectiveness in Switzerland, the plan is to scale P.L.A.Y. globally while maintaining a strategic low profile initially to minimize competitive pressures.

Once proven, P.L.A.Y. will be promoted through various marketing channels including print and online media, TV, trade magazines, and digital marketing strategies like Google Adwords, social media, and influencer partnerships. This comprehensive approach aims to leverage a critical market opportunity to establish P.L.A.Y. as a leading educational platform on a global scale.

Enhanced Student Motivation and Engagement:

1. • Goal: Significantly increase the intrinsic motivation of students to learn by incorporating gaming dynamics and AI personalization into the learning process.
   • Measurement: Monitor immediate changes in student motivation and engagement through direct observation and feedback from teachers. Utilize engagement metrics like participation rates and time spent on learning activities within the platform.

2. Improved Academic Outcomes:

   • Goal: Achieve higher academic performance and completion rates of educational milestones (e.g., advanced placement, passing qualifying exams).
   • Measurement: Track academic improvements through traditional metrics such as grade improvements and milestone completion rates. Comparisons will be drawn from historical data pre- and post-P.L.A.Y. implementation.

3. Increase in Successful Student Placements:

   • Goal: Raise the percentage of students advancing to higher education or vocational training programs.
   • Measurement: In the pilot program, for example, the aim is to increase student placements from 50% to 80% by the end of the school year, measured by school records and placement data.

4. Broader Educational Impact:

   • Goal: Influence larger educational outcomes at a regional or national level, such as improved scores in standardized tests like the SAT or PISA.
   • Measurement: Analyze trends in standardized test scores across regions or countries that implement P.L.A.Y., acknowledging that isolating the effect of P.L.A.Y. from other variables will be complex.

5. Scalability and Adoption:

   • Goal: Expand the reach of P.L.A.Y. to impact 20,000 students within four years in Switzerland, before scaling globally.
   • Measurement: Track the number of new schools and districts adopting P.L.A.Y., alongside student numbers and user feedback through surveys to assess satisfaction and effectiveness.

P.L.A.Y. utilizes a sophisticated hierarchical skill tree that effectively structures learning into a sequence of progressive steps, guiding users from foundational knowledge to more complex concepts. This methodical approach ensures that learners can build on their skills in a coherent and cumulative manner, with each new node or branch unlocked only after mastering the preceding one. The platform employs quests and personalized assessments, driven by gamified elements such as points and badges, to maintain motivation and clearly demonstrate progress along the educational journey.

At the heart of this dynamic system is the integration of advanced AI technologies, including Large Language Models (LLM) and a relatively new AI technique known as Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG). RAG enhances the capabilities of generative AI by allowing LLMs to access additional data resources without the need for retraining. It achieves this by creating knowledge repositories based on proprietary data, which can then be used to supplement the model's responses with the most relevant and current information.

In the context of P.L.A.Y., RAG technology plays a critical role in enhancing the quality and relevance of the content generated by the platform. As quests and assessments are created, RAG enables the LLMs to pull from an expansive, up-to-date knowledge base that includes the latest educational resources, research findings, and industry data. This ensures that the learning materials are not only tailored to the individual's current level of understanding and language preferences but are also enriched with the most accurate and pertinent information.

By leveraging RAG, P.L.A.Y. can dynamically integrate external data sources in real-time, enabling the educational content to be constantly refreshed and expanded without cumbersome and time-consuming model retraining. This adaptability makes the platform exceptionally robust and responsive to the evolving educational landscape and individual learner needs.

The practical application of RAG in P.L.A.Y. will see it being used to continuously update the platform’s content repository. For example, as new scientific discoveries are made or historical events occur, RAG will ensure that such content is immediately available within the platform, enhancing the quality of quests and assessments. This capability not only improves the learning experience but also helps maintain a high level of engagement by providing learners with the most current and contextually relevant material.

The core team currently consists of two part-time people who are both still employed in regular jobs. Depending on finances, we hire consultants to complement our skills and fill experience gaps. These expenses are covered out of our personal pockets, as we sincerely believe in this project and want to turn it into reality to impact the educational system around the globe.

Our journey began six years ago with a simple IT class exercise idea: turning it into a game-like skill tree to teach IT skills effectively. Inspired by games like World of Warcraft, we envisioned a hierarchical structure with levels and a gaming interface. However, expanding this concept across other fields presented daunting challenges like creating numerous assessments and managing a large community, which led us to pause our efforts. The advent of GPT-3 reignited our project by offering solutions to these challenges. Over the past 18 months, we've refined our idea and started creating a prototype.

Mike Schaffner is neurodivergent, identifies as agender, but is read as male. Diversity and equal opportunity, naturally, are very dear to him. As our team grows, diversity is not only a moral obligation but also our insurance that there are no blind spots in our thinking process while we develop a product that shall include every kind of learner and learning.

Our initial focus is on the development of a B2C solution as a web platform, providing the service to individuals as a subscription service. Furtheron, we plan to expand it to a B2B service that provides customized interfaces and real-world integration to schools and companies as well as additional skill trees adapted to their respective needs. Note, that the B2C solution already can also be subscribed to by teachers and schools even before the specific B2B features are implemented.

We are still in a development and prototyping phase and hence we are not yet in a position to show any evidence of financial sustainability.

However, comparing to numerous tools that are on the market today, both for B2B and B2C solutions (apps like e.g. Duolingo or Brilliant), which are similar to our solution but do not remotely provide its all-embracing scope of service, but which are nonetheless financially successful, we are pretty confident that financial sustainability stands to reason.

Our solution is indeed very comprehensive and extensive, but with a growing economy of scale, considering that every student in the world, including continued and lifelong learners, is a potential customer, it will, after considerable initial expenditures, become very cost effective.