ERIC Number: EJ1062171
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Feb
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: N/A
A Game-Based Approach to an Entire Physical Chemistry Course
Daubenfeld, Thorsten; Zenker, Dietmar
Journal of Chemical Education, v92 n2 p269-277 Feb 2015
We designed, implemented, and evaluated a game-based learning approach to increase student motivation and achievement for an undergraduate physical chemistry course. By focusing only on the most important game aspects, the implementation was realized with a production ratio of 1:8 (study load in hours divided by production effort in hours). Student motivation was found to increase significantly: compared to the traditional lecture format, self-study time was estimated to increase more than 3-fold to 4.6 h per week on average by the students. The failure rate in the final examination was also reduced, mainly because of bonus points that students could receive upon successful participation in the game. However, there is some indication that application of game-based learning might not improve higher-order thinking skills.
Descriptors: Educational Games, Teaching Methods, Science Instruction, Chemistry, Student Motivation, Undergraduate Students, College Science, Program Effectiveness, Lecture Method, Thinking Skills, Student Surveys, Foreign Countries, Technology Uses in Education, Science Tests, Physics, Student Attitudes
Division of Chemical Education, Inc and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Germany
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A