PChem Challenge Game: Reinforcing Learning in Physical Chemistry

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PChem Challenge Game: Reinforcing Learning in Physical Chemistry Tugba G. Kucukkal*,† and Ajda Kahveci‡ †

J. Chem. Educ. Downloaded from pubs.acs.org by VOLUNTEER STATE COMMUNITY COLG on 04/15/19. For personal use only.

Department of Science, Technology, and Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics Program, Gallaudet University, 800 Florida Avenue, NE, Washington, D.C. 20002, United States ‡ College of Science and Health, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, DePaul University, 1110 W. Belden Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60614, United States S Supporting Information *

ABSTRACT: Physical chemistry has an abstract and demanding nature, and research reveals that students hold negative dispositions toward it. The PChem Challenge Game described in this work is a board game developed to bring an enjoyable approach to reviewing quantum chemistry, spectroscopy, and chemical kinetics concepts at an undergraduate level. The game rules are neither purely luck- nor knowledgebased. Therefore, regardless of background knowledge, all students have a chance to win. As revealed by student and faculty member comments as well as survey and SWOT analysis results, the PChem Challenge Game was engaging, enjoyable, and useful, serving as a tool that provided learning opportunities. Future educational research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of the game in different higher education contexts. KEYWORDS: Upper-Division Undergraduate, Physical Chemistry, Humor/Puzzles/Games, Atomic Spectroscopy, Quantum Chemistry, Kinetics, Student-Centered Learning

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consisting of a game board and mission cards, to aid students in learning about common laboratory equipment. Antunes et al.3 designed and implemented a board game about molecular geometry, polarity, and intermolecular forces, which was found to be successful in facilitating student knowledge and conceptions. A card game called “Go Chemistry” was designed by Morris,6 in which students use the cards to form the formulas of ionic and covalent compounds and name them. Another card game named “ChemKarta”7 was designed for use in introductory organic chemistry courses to aid the students in identifying functional groups on molecules. A similar game, CARBOHYDECK,8 consisting of a deck of cards was aimed at teaching isomerism of monosaccharides in introductory biochemistry courses. There are also card games developed for high school students such as the “Families of Chemical Elements Game”,9 which functions to enhance the learning process about the different element groups in periodic table. Physical chemistry has an abstract and demanding nature in most of its content areas including quantum mechanics, spectroscopy, and classical thermodynamics.10 Research has shown that students have difficulties in learning quantum mechanics, particularly in connecting quantum behavior to physical reality.11 Students in chemistry, regardless of status of

ames are part of everyday life and are also becoming an important element of teaching at higher education. Use of games in higher education is valued not only for their contribution to a positive learning experience for students but also for the potential of their wider utilization in reversing the declining enrollments.1 “Game-based learning” is defined as “the usage of games in academic education, for example, to facilitate the illustration of abstract concepts” (ref 2, p. 269). Findings from the literature suggest that not much is known about the use of games in higher education classrooms.1,3 Furthermore, in the context of chemistry teaching at the tertiary level, using games to aid instruction does not appear to be a common practice.3 Nevertheless, there is evidence from a limited number of research studies that using game-based pedagogy to teach chemistry at the higher education level contributes to enhanced student learning, engagement, or both. Daubenfeld and Zenker2 developed a game-based learning approach in physical chemistry to teach phase equilibria, which included different components such as digitized learning materials, memory-like games, and puzzles. Higher student motivation was reported. A guessing game called “orbital battleship” was proposed by Kurushkin and Mikhaylenko4 where battleships represented energy subshells of atoms, and the aim was to guess orbital occupancies. Positive student feedback was received in terms of higher motivation to study and increased knowledge of atomic structure. Kavak and Yamak5 successfully implemented a game, Picture Chem, © XXXX American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.

Received: October 14, 2018 Revised: March 25, 2019

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DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b00757 J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX

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Figure 1. Game board of the PChem Challenge Game.

on the authors’ common observations that students appear to be often disengaged and unmotivated to learn in physical chemistry classes. In a nationwide survey about the status of physical chemistry, Fox and Roehrig13 found that instructors were in agreement that physical chemistry was a challenging course, in which students struggled. In this study, continued research on various student-centered teaching practices that would enhance student understanding, enthusiasm, and engagement in physical chemistry is implicated. Therefore, strategies and methods that improve student engagement,

academic achievement, are found to hold negative dispositions especially toward quantum chemistry and statistical thermodynamics because of their high degree of abstraction and complexity in mathematical relations.12 Different forms of active learning are suggested to improve student understanding of physical chemistry concepts.11 As also observed by the authors of this work, physical chemistry has an “unfavorable reputation”, because it is perceived as the hardest chemistry course and, thus, is approached with negative attitudes by students. This is based B

DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b00757 J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX

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wild card, which provides the freedom to choose from any of the four content categories. Most of the questions were chosen to be conceptual, requiring a simple understanding of the core concepts in a typical one-semester undergraduate physical chemistry course. Some numerical questions are also included but without requiring complicated calculus. Examples of question cards in the quantum chemistry and fun facts categories are provided in Figure 2. The questions and answers

enjoyment, and motivation are particularly important and needed. To enhance peer interactions and bring a different and more enjoyable approach to learning, a board game was developed for use in physical chemistry at the undergraduate level. The main purpose of the game is to enhance student engagement in learning physical chemistry and to install feelings of enjoyment while learning. The game also provided opportunities for making sense of the big ideas in physical chemistry and establishing connections between them. The PChem Challenge Game described in this work provides students a fun way to review the concepts typically covered in one semester of physical chemistry. Topics included in the game are quantum chemistry, spectroscopy, and chemical kinetics. Besides the goals mentioned above, the visual and interactive nature of the game along with its potential to develop students’ technical American Sign Language (ASL) skills is of particular importance for our students at Gallaudet University. Gallaudet University is a federally chartered private university founded for the education of deaf and hard of hearing. American Sign Language (ASL) is the language of communication, and English is used in written communication.

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GAME MATERIALS The PChem Challenge Game consists of a game board, 80 question cards, and pawns. The game board involves steps to proceed from 1 to 100, which are squares of symbols of the question cards, elements, and backward−forward prompts (Figure 1). The question cards are divided into the following four content categories: quantum chemistry, spectroscopy, chemical kinetics, and fun facts (Table 1). A fifth category is a Table 1. Categorization of the Question Cards

Figure 2. Front and back of question cards in the quantum chemistry (upper) and fun facts (lower) categories.

are intentionally put on the same side to encourage interaction and improve learning. The board and card templates are available in the Supporting Information for color print and lamination (if preferred). The provided question card templates give flexibility to the faculty to choose more numerical or advanced questions of their own or the content they prioritize. Card holders are recommended if the students communicate through sign language.

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GAME MECHANICS The PChem Challenge Game was designed with traditional “Snakes and Ladders” game mechanics in mind. The rather ancient Snakes and Ladders game is completely based on luck, as the players move the number of steps based on a rolled dice, and drastic moving ahead or staying behind can happen if a player lands on a ladder or a snake. The unique feature of the PChem Challenge Game is that it is neither purely luck- nor knowledge-based. The game attributes that are built in the PChem Challenge Game are challenge, assessment, mystery, and interaction. Most of the questions that the students need to answer require understanding the concepts and drawing conclusions. The questions also provide opportunities for students to self-reflect on their own knowledge and identify areas of improvement, hence, the assessment aspect testing the students’ command on the subject matter. The mystery arises from the randomized prompts on the board as well as whether the player will hit a “ladder/absorption” to advance or a

a

See the Supporting Information for the printable game board and question cards. bInstructors can add customized questions in any category. C

DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b00757 J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX

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“snake/emission” to slide down. Perhaps the most impactful attribute is the interaction as the students interact intensely with one another, because they ask the questions, provide clues if necessary, judge the answers, remind the rules to one another, and engage in social conversations. The elements of the game include questions, rewards, and instant feedback.14 Given that the PChem Challenge Game has both knowledge and luck mechanics, the students never have to feel shy about not answering questions correctly. In fact, it is a possibility that a less competent student has a good chance to win the game. For example, it is the first author’s experience while using the game in her classroom that the least competent student won at the very last move due to hitting a ladder creating an exciting atmosphere and an unexpected ending to the game. Therefore, the game is designed in a way to ensure that students learn while having fun without being embarrassed. To play the PChem Challenge Game, two or more players are needed. The rolled dice number is used to determine the very first step of each player. After that, the players follow the prompts on the board squares to move further. Attributes that make a player move forward are answering a question correctly and landing on a ladder as well as random fun prompts on board squares. Similarly, attributes that make a player move backward are an incorrect response to a question, landing on a snake, and random fun prompts on board squares. The game may be set to last as long as it takes a player to reach the final square first, or a predetermined time limit may be used. The students interact immensely with the game and to some extent with one another. Student interactions are of social nature mostly, but they are free to provide hints when their peers are challenged. In fact, providing hints or rewording the question is encouraged; in this way, errors gain educational value and reduce the level of possible discomfort in the player. The game is turn-based, and losing a turn is contingent upon arriving at a second question card within the turn. The goal is to reach the final square first or, if a time limit is set, to be in the most advanced position on the game board within that period. The game rules are summarized as follows • Everyone places their pawn in the first square labeled as “Start 1”. • The player whose name comes first in the alphabet starts the game. In their initial turn, the players roll a dice to determine which square they land first. If they ever return to the start, then they roll a dice again. • Players take turns in clockwise direction. The player on the right reads the question card to the player on the left. • The player answering one question card correctly advances three squares and follows the prompts. S/he goes back two squares if the question is answered incorrectly. In either case, the player stops when s/he reaches a second question card. • All question cards that are read out are collected in a separate pile. If the players run out of cards, then these cards may be shuffled and reused. • When a player lands on an absorption event, meaning that energy is absorbed and an electron is excited, s/he follows the green arrow backward to “get to know their energy source”. Absorption events advance players forward akin to “ladders” in the original game. Similarly, when a player lands on an emission event, an electron is emitted, and energy is released, meaning that the player

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“pays their energy bill”, which slides him/her down akin to “snakes”. • Players on the squares with an element advance the number of squares equal to the atomic number of that element. • The player who first reaches the final square labeled as “Finish 100” is the winner. Alternatively, if a timed stop is agreed upon at the beginning, the player who progresses most within that time (i.e., is on the highest numbered square) is the winner.

HOW STUDENTS AND FACULTY REACT The PChem Challenge Game was implemented once, a week before the final examination of a Physical Chemistry I course in a small class of five students at Gallaudet University. The course was a three-credit course, which met 3 h per week with weekly office hours with the professor (3 h). Throughout its implementation, the game became an intense medium for social and academic interaction. The game was played with a predetermined time limit of 120 min and was ended with the winning player having reached square 54. Brief verbal surveys at the time of implementation revealed that students found the game as a fun and efficient method to review the concepts. In other words, the students liked playing the game as a way of reviewing the concepts that they have already learned. One of the students commented that the game was “eye-opening” for him to see which concepts he needed to particularly focus on for the final examination. Another student suggested the implementation of the game before each examination. Later, the students were also asked to complete a survey about using the game in the physical chemistry class. The survey instrument evaluated the impact of using the game based on the dimensions of engagement, enjoyment of the lesson, enjoyment of the game, usefulness of the game, learning opportunities that the game provided, and preference for physical chemistry classes in which the game is used. The engagement construct from Whitton15 and the enjoyment constructs from Crocco et al.16 and Fang et al.17 were used to measure these dimensions. To measure the usefulness, learning opportunities, and preference dimensions, questions developed by Bourgonjon et al.18 were used. In total, four of the students answered the survey, which was requested on a voluntary basis. The students rated the items in the survey instrument on a five-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5). After the negative items were reverse coded, data were analyzed using spreadsheets and by computing the total score for each student on each dimension. The total scores were converted to percentages, and the mean percentage for each scale was calculated. The results demonstrate that the students’ ratings were above 85%, meaning that overall, they strongly agreed with each dimension (Figure 3). In other words, the students thought that the PChem Challenge Game was engaging and enjoyable, the class in which the game was used was enjoyable, and the game was useful in learning and that it provided learning opportunities. Furthermore, they indicated their preference for physical chemistry classes in which the game was utilized. As an example of the scores and their analysis, Table 2 shows the items from the usefulness scale with the ratings breakdown and percentage computations. The following semester, students and faculty members in the Department decided to form a chemistry club to promote D

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playing the game. The faculty members found the game as an effective educational tool for enhancing student engagement, which in their view, was often lacking in courses like physical chemistry. The faculty also commented that the game was excellent in improving the students’ technical ASL. With that being said, the game is noted as a particularly beneficial activity for Gallaudet’s bilingual classrooms, because it is visual and interactive. A SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis was conducted with the two faculty members. In general, they provided positive feedback about using the game, mostly centered around enhancing student learning and interactions. Some of their concerns were about student acceptance and the need of a larger pool of questions. The results of this analysis are provided in Figure 4. The faculty members also commented on whether the game was useful in helping improve students’ technical ASL or their scientific terminology in sign language. Both agreed that playing the game encouraged clear communication between deaf students, which required proper use of technical ASL. The students made efforts to communicate in a way that their peers understood the physical chemistry concepts they were trying to convey.

Figure 3. Student ratings about the different dimensions of the PChem Challenge Game.

Table 2. Comparative Usefulness Item Ratings and Percentages Response Scoresa by Each Student Usefulness Items: “Playing the PChem Challenge Game in the classroom...” ...improves my performance. ...increases my learning productivity. ...enhances my effectiveness. ...helps me to achieve better grades. Scale Total (Response score totals could have a range of 4−20.) Total, % (N = 4)

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II

III

IV

4 4 4 4 16

5 5 5 5 20

4 4 4 4 16

5 5 5 5 20

80

100

80

100

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CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS The PChem Challenge Game has a potential in motivating students to study and reinforcing the learning of physical chemistry concepts, as revealed by student and faculty comments. A great asset of the game is that it enhances learning through engaging the students in elaborating on concepts while having fun. This becomes even more significant in diverse learning environments, as was the case in this study, where deaf students reported a positive effect. Positive student perceptions and attitudes as well as engaging and motivating strategies are especially important in the context of teaching physical chemistry because of its recognized unfavorable reputation. The PChem Challenge Game fills a gap of lack of instructional tools to enhance student engagement in learning physical chemistry.

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Likert-scale scoring options: 1, strongly disagree; 2, disagree; 3, neutral; 4, agree; 5, strongly agree.

chemistry within the Deaf community and to encourage informal learning of chemistry within the department. In the first informational meeting, a student praised the PChem Challenge Game that was implemented a semester before and suggested similar activities for the club so that the members can sharpen their chemistry knowledge while having fun. In addition to implementing the game with students, two chemistry faculty members at Gallaudet University were also invited to play the game and provide verbal feedback right after

Figure 4. Faculty responses to SWOT questions about the PChem Challenge Game. E

DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b00757 J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX

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in terms of enjoyment, engagement, and usefulness aspects. In this regard, an additional study is underway to provide data on a larger student sample in different institutions. In addition, a digital version of the game is being developed in our lab to include more interactive components and align the game with the necessities of today’s digital world.

On the basis of experience, it is recommended that the game is used in lieu of a review session before each test of physical chemistry during a semester/quarter. The timing is also important; it should be most productive if the students play the game at least 3 days before exams so that they have a chance to work on their identified areas of improvement. Instructors should be aware that implementing the game in large-size classes might pose some challenges. In such cases, the class may be divided into small groups. Multiple games might be needed, as we suggest up to six players for each game board. For class sizes with up to 24 students, 3−4 groups may be formed with each group consisting of 6−8 students. All groups can play the game at the same time; depending on the classroom setting, they can use desks or sit on the floor. The instructor will be walking around in a facilitator role and provide further explanations if necessary, for topical questions. Implementing the game in a classroom setting with a white/ blackboard will be an asset, as it can be utilized for further explanations by students themselves or the instructor. For larger classes, such as a class of 50 students, the class can be divided into two and follow our suggestions above for each half. In this case, half of the class may be facilitated by the instructor, and the other half may be facilitated by a teaching assistant. Alternatively, the instructor may hold two separate sessions at different times for each half of the class. In order to address the possibility of future cohorts of students knowing the answers of the questions through communication with their elder peers, having a larger pool of questions might be a useful strategy. For example, a pool of 40 questions in each subject may be prepared, and half of it may be used each time. The chances that the exact same questions will be seen by students would be every other year. On the other hand, learning from elder peers might in fact prove to be a useful way of practicing learning and enhancing academic achievement. In this study, academic achievement and the effect of the game on student learning outcomes were not evaluated. On the basis of our personal observations and opinions of the authors, it is possible to say that the game motivated students to study more. Because of a motivation to win, it is highly likely that the students would come to another game session more prepared, which is less likely to occur in regular review sessions. Furthermore, because the game provides opportunities for students to identify any gaps of knowledge that they might have and that they would have additional time to study before the tests, it is very likely that using the game has a positive impact on students’ academic achievement in physical chemistry. Another aspect of the game that might help students learn better is that students asking the questions find themselves further explaining the question or providing clues as they see the answer on the card. Therefore, not only the player who is trying to answer a question but also the player who is reading the question to others is learning. Future educational research is needed to evaluate the effect of implementing the PChem Challenge Game on various factors such as student perceptions, motivation, level of engagement, interest, attitudes, and subsequently the achievement. Studies may be designed in pre- and post-test format, or including control groups, in order to measure differences in these variables across groups or across time for one group. The game can be easily adapted to other chemistry courses by changing the questions and their categories. Studies may be conducted with larger samples of students to evaluate the game

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ASSOCIATED CONTENT

S Supporting Information *

The Supporting Information is available on the ACS Publications website at DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b00757.

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PChem Challenge Game Board (PDF) PChem Challenge Game Question Cards (PDF)

AUTHOR INFORMATION

Corresponding Author

*E-mail: [email protected]. ORCID

Tugba G. Kucukkal: 0000-0002-2559-2001 Ajda Kahveci: 0000-0002-3394-6914 Notes

The authors declare no competing financial interest.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We acknowledge the participation of the students and faculty at Gallaudet University in the implementation of the game and are grateful for their favorable feedback.

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REFERENCES

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difficulties of the major areas of the subject. Chem. Educ. Res. Pract. 2016, 17, 320−336. (13) Fox, L. J.; Roehrig, G. H. Nationwide Survey of the Undergraduate Physical Chemistry Course. J. Chem. Educ. 2015, 92 (9), 1456−1465. (14) Nadolny, L.; Alaswad, Z.; Culver, D.; Wang, W. Designing With Game-Based Learning: Game Mechanics From Middle School to Higher Education. Simulation & Gaming 2017, 48 (6), 814−831. (15) Whitton, N. J. An Investigation into the Potential of Collaborative Computer Game-Based Learning in Higher Education. Doctoral Dissertation, Napier University, Edinburgh, UK, 2007; https://www.napier.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/research-search/ outputs/an-investigation-into-the-potential-of-collaborativecomputer-game-based-learning-in (accessed February 2, 2019). (16) Crocco, F.; Offenholley, K.; Hernandez, C. A Proof-of-Concept Study of Game-Based Learning in Higher Education. Simulation & Gaming 2016, 47 (4), 403−422. (17) Fang, X.; Chan, S.; Brzezinski, J.; Nair, C. Development of an Instrument to Measure Enjoyment of Computer Game Play. International Journal of Human−Computer Interaction 2010, 26 (9), 868−886. (18) Bourgonjon, J.; Valcke, M.; Soetaert, R.; Schellens, T. Students’ perceptions about the use of video games in the classroom. Computers and Education 2010, 54, 1145−1156.

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DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b00757 J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX