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

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段的项目通过构建一个基于机制的移动设备游戏，使有机化学学生的理论触手可及。机制是键断裂和键形成事件的图，说明有机反应物如何转化为产物。这一基础概念是有机化学教学和实践的有力工具。有机化学传统上是学生进入STEM职业（如医学和工程）的入门课程。这门课程因出勤率在30-50%之间而赢得了“路障”的美誉。代表性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。本项目将产生机制游戏，为化学学习带来触觉界面。该游戏旨在跨越整个课程，包括研究生水平。机制博弈的可及性和相对经济的成本结构，对需要在有机化学方面取得优异成绩以实现职业目标的学生市场尤其具有吸引力。这个项目的技术创新是使用触屏、基于游戏的格式来传递化学机制的内容。通过在游戏的用户界面中分层音频，视觉和动觉线索，学生将“感受到”打破和制造，酸度和共鸣。机制游戏是一个内在的激励系统，让学生知道他们什么时候正确地通过反应机制，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将这种新的学习工具开发成游戏，而不是交互式教程。该研究将侧重于在游戏开发过程中通过与玩家进行实地测试来创造引人入胜的游戏玩法的迭代过程。该项目的技术挑战在于设计一款既能忍受学术化学家的科学审查，又能吸引休闲游戏玩家的游戏。成功的关键指标将是与化学教授和讲师一起测试机制游戏，以确定他们是否会将游戏推荐给他们的有机化学学生。

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.