Organic Chemistry I Cassino: A Card Game for Learning Functional Group Transformations for First-Semester Students

Abstract

Several challenges face new students of organic chemistry in the more traditional, quantitatively oriented general chemistry curriculum. Students must learn to visualize chemical structures, understand how chemical reactions take place at the molecular level (i.e., mechanisms), name organic molecules, memorize functional group transformations, and design a logical synthetic sequence. In order to supplement the traditional lecture format presentation of these concepts as well as individual drilling with various pedagogical tools, a card game based on learning the basic functional group interconversions commonly encountered in the first-semester organic chemistry is presented. Games and puzzles provide an alternative adjunct method for an enjoyable group activity that engages students in learning organic transformations.

CheMakers: Playing a Collaborative Board Game to Understand Organic Chemistry

“…Game-based learning is defined as the utilization of games or simulations in any forms to fulfill specific learning objectives . Along with the advancement in technology, the possibilities of incorporating game-based learning in organic chemistry have been explored in the forms of card games, − a quiz show, a board game, ,, and even a physical escape room . The shift toward game-based learning is largely due to the engaging nature of games. , Although significant empirical evidence of the effects of game-based learning is not yet available, there is some indication that employing games can potentially improve students’ learning .…”

Choose Your Own “Labventure”: A Click-Through Story Approach to Online Laboratories during a Global Pandemic

“…Modern gamification efforts use both technology and lower tech (e.g., paper). For example, a quiz-show-style game for increasing lexical communication and a quiz-based approach to learning structure and reactivity of organic compounds; an app for introductory organic chemistry topics; a gamification to bridge precollege and undergrads; a gamification of the entire physical chemistry curriculum; games centered around the periodic table or periodic trends; − a European-style board game for organic chemistry; a card game for learning organic chemical transformations and synthesis; a picture game for laboratory items; a green chemistry game for safer design concepts for undergrads and high school students; and an approach that uses a dominos-like game to learn relationships between valence, atomic number, and symbol . Another popular approach uses the Escape Room concept.…”

Techniques adopted in teaching students organic chemistry course for several years

“…(2020) In 2020, the act of learning organic chemistry focused on causal mechanistic arrows in substitution reaction (Crandell et al, 2020), the application of chemical structure teaching (CST) (Zheng et al, 2020), use of card game especially in learning functional group (Bell et al, 2020), and application of Posner's approach by implementing the design-based research technique (Kaanklao & Suwathanpornkul, 2020). Furthermore, it focused on the terminal object (TOs), and the development of specific students' capabilities (Betancourt-Pérez et al, 2020).…”

“…The lecturers also tried to improve their course quality using the Topic-Specific Pedagogy Content Knowledge (TSPCK), Content Knowledge (CK) (Davidowitz & Potgieter, 2016), and process-oriented guided inquiry learning (POGIL) (Carneiro et al, 2016). Therefore, they provided an alternative method for students in a group activity to enjoy learning organic chemistry by using the card game and puzzles (Bell et al, 2020).…”