Games in Organic Chemistry: Edufrag and Wheel of Orgo

Jean-Claude Bradley

E-Learning Coordinator College of Arts and Sciences

Drexel University

August 2, 2006

Biennial Conferences on Chemical Education

Content

AssessmentInteractionBlogs

CMS

Games

E-Learning is multi-dimensional

The Game Platform: The EduFrag Project

Assessment Content Interaction

Quizzes in a 3-D world

The StudyRoom

Student-StudentCollaboration orCompetition

Instructor GuidedTours

First Person Shooter Modding(Unreal Tournament)

EduFrag Design•Modularity

•Simplicity

•Quiz-Based – Not Simulation

•Portability of textures

•Flexible gameplay modes: non-competitive maze, race, deathmatch, capture the flag, king of the hill, etc.

•Even in competitive play gore level can be adjusted for each player

Platform: game (Unreal Tournament)

One map – walking through walls

First implementation

Copy WebCT quizzes

One map problem: lighting and peeking

Some initial student feedback

edufrag.blogspot.com (Avik)

The teleporter solution: one room template

(Mike Aquino)

3D editor view of one room template

MakeGames: The Class that Didn’t Run

Don’t Underestimate the Impact of Open

Courseware and RSS

The Free Educational Version of Unreal Tournament

EduFrag without weapons: a maze that can be used as in a virtual race

study room

testing rooms

final room

true true

false false

The Study Room

A Quiz Room

The last room of the maze

Prizes not points for winner

One chance in 4 for winning:

•Video ipod

•Chemistry book

•Molecular model set

•Consolation prize

The new 20 room weapons map of EduFrag

The EduFrag Wiki and Blog: Open Source Collaboration

EduFrag Flickr group: tag true or false

EduFrag door requirements:

•256 x 256 pixel 256 color bitmaps (easy with Paint)

•Must be named in the format true001.bmp and false001.bmp

•Must be true or false in any context

•Minimize text - Simple Graphics best

Overwrite folders to change mazes

EduFrag for learning grammar (Beth Ritter-Guth)

EduFrag for learning chem info retrieval (Tim Siftar/Jay Bhatt)

EduFrag for learning the class FAQ

EduFrag for learning the physics and math (Quinn Thomas)

EduFrag as poster session (Allison Lucci)

EduFrag as a recruitment tool

Wheel of Orgo

Rules:•Teacher draws starting material and final product at opposite ends of a page•Students take turns drawing any reaction from starting material (or branch) OR to final product (or branch)•1 point for correct reaction•3 points for completing synthesis•Students may pass their turn•Generally use a time limit (45 minutes)

Can be played on chalkboard, Smartboard or TabletPC

Modifications

•Open book/web or closed book/web•Give a point for correcting another student’s error•Allow more than one step•Give prize•Give a point just for an attempt even if incorrect•If too many students passing their turn do a simpler synthesis

Example

Chem243.blogspot.com Lecture 015: Wheel of orgo 1

First Play

Mid Play

Completion

Cat Synthesis Problem

Chem243.blogspot.com Lecture 028: Wheel of orgo 5

Opportunity to Contextualize Organic

Chem243.blogspot.com Lecture 028: Wheel of orgo 5

THERE ARE SIMPLE WAYS TO HAVE FUN WITH

CHEMISTRY!

Take Home Message

Edufrag.wikispaces.comEdufrag.blogspot.comChem243.blogspot.com (Wheel of Orgo)Drexel-coas-elearning.blogspot.com