Bonding with Chemistry: A Digital Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Learning Module

Abstract

Pedagogical research over the past decade has shown that chemistry courses have high failure rates and low accessibility. The implementation of novel active-learning approaches has great potential to offset these trends. Fundamental concepts that serve as "pinch points" are ripe targets for designing innovative, gamified course materials to achieve these goals. As chemical bonding is foundational for understanding of more complex chemistry topics, a "choose-your-own-adventure" digital learning module incorporating humor was designed in Microsoft PowerPoint for use in collegiate inorganic and organic chemistry courses. Pre-and post-module checks were implemented to consider conceptual learning gains, while learner perceptions were assessed with a post-module survey. Data collected from these tools demonstrated significant increases in ability to solve problems related to chemical bonding in inorganic chemistry (p = 0.010, n = 84) and organic chemistry (p = 0.001, n = 44−54). Survey results indicated increased relevance, interest, and utility for learners following completion of the module. Taken together, these results show that the humorous "choose-your-own-adventure" digital learning module represents an exciting alternative to traditional instructional approaches in high-difficulty STEM courses.