Games allow for a creative atmosphere that can promote the learning of multifaceted subjects and concepts essential to the understanding of chemistry. To help students learn these topics a board game named Chem Scholar was developed along with an electronic version of the game. One of the benefits of the Chem Scholar game is that the categories and questions can be easily changed to cover a variety of topics. Such concepts include nomenclature, charges, and the combination of cations and anions to form neutral compounds. Our first version of the game, Chem Scholar: The Freshman Nomenclature Edition covered these topics. These games were utilized during a one-week time span split between classes of approximately 24 students/class for a total of 373 students. Gains in learning objectives were measured using pre- and post-tests during the same class period. Students were polled to determine how they viewed the activity using questions added to the post-test. Additional feedback was gathered by interviewing the instructors and a sampling of students. Data indicates that the game was at least as effective as traditional learning methods involving a study guide worksheet, both of which showed significant improvement between the pre- and post-test. Students who participated in the electronic version also performed better than those who utilized the study guide.

CHEM scholar: The efficacy of a new board game to learn chemical nomenclature

251st National Meeting (2016)

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