SBIR Phase I: Game-based learning for organic chemistry using mechanisms

SBIR 第一阶段：使用机制进行基于游戏的有机化学学习

• 批准号: 1548225
• 负责人: Julia Winter
• 金额: $ 14.99万
• 依托单位: Alchemie Solutions, Inc.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-01-01 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1548225&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Game; based; learning

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project makes the theoretical touchable for organic chemistry students by building a game for mobile devices based on mechanisms. Mechanisms are maps of bond-breaking and bond-making events illustrating how an organic reactant is transformed into a product. This underpinning concept is a powerful tool used both in the teaching and the practice of organic chemistry. Organic chemistry is traditionally the gateway class for students progressing into STEM careers, such as medicine and engineering. The course has earned its roadblock reputation with attrition rates in the range of 30-50%. The fail-rate for under-represented minorities and first generation students is even higher than that of the general student population. Students' previous learning in chemistry or other sciences does not adequately prepare them for the cognitive load of structure and pattern recognition required to master organic chemistry. This project will produce the mechanism game and bring a tactile interface to learning chemistry. The game is designed to span the entire curriculum, into graduate levels. The accessibility and relatively economical cost-structure of the mechanism game is particularly attractive to the market of students needing to excel in organic chemistry to achieve their career goals.The technical innovation of this project is delivering the content of chemical mechanisms using a touch-screen, game-based format. By layering audio, visual, and kinesthetic cues in the user interface of the game, students will 'feel' bond-breaking and making, acidity, and resonance. The mechanism game is an intrinsically motivating system for students to know when they are moving through a reaction mechanism correctly, helping students gain the intuition necessary for success in organic chemistry. The important piece of this project is the development of this new learning tool as a game, as opposed to an interactive tutorial. The research will focus on the iterative process of creating engaging game-play by field-testing with players as the game is developed. The technical challenge of the project is devising a game that can tolerate the scientific scrutiny of academic chemists while remaining appealing to even the casual game player. The key metric for success will be testing the mechanism game with chemistry professors and instructors to determine whether they would recommend the game to their organic chemistry students.

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目通过构建一个基于机制的移动设备游戏，使有机化学学生能够接触到理论。机理是断键和成键事件的地图，说明了有机反应物如何转化为产品。这一理念在有机化学的教学和实践中都是一个强有力的工具。传统上，有机化学是学生进入STEM职业生涯(如医学和工程)的门槛。该课程以30%-50%的自然流失率赢得了路障的声誉。代表不足的少数族裔和第一代学生的不及格率甚至高于普通学生群体。学生以前在化学或其他科学方面的学习，并没有为他们掌握有机化学所需的结构和模式识别的认知负荷做好充分的准备。该项目将制作机械游戏，并为化学学习带来触觉界面。这款游戏的设计涵盖了整个课程，一直到研究生阶段。机械游戏的可及性和相对经济的成本结构对需要在有机化学方面出类拔萃以实现其职业目标的学生市场特别有吸引力。该项目的技术创新是使用触摸屏、基于游戏的形式来传递化学机械的内容。通过在游戏的用户界面中分层音频、视觉和动觉提示，学生们将“感受到”打破纽带和建立纽带、酸度和共鸣。机制游戏是一个内在的激励系统，让学生知道他们何时正确地通过了反应机制，帮助学生获得在有机化学中取得成功所必需的直觉。这个项目的重要部分是开发这个新的学习工具作为游戏，而不是互动教程。研究的重点将是随着游戏的开发，通过与玩家进行实地测试来创建引人入胜的游戏的迭代过程。该项目的技术挑战是设计一款游戏，既能容忍学术化学家的科学审查，又能保持对休闲游戏玩家的吸引力。成功的关键标准将是与化学教授和教师一起测试这款机械游戏，以确定他们是否会向他们的有机化学学生推荐这款游戏。