Green Tycoon: A Mobile Application Game to Introduce Biorefining Principles in Green Chemistry

• Published in: Journal of chemical education Vol. 97; no. 7; pp. 2014 - 2019
• Main Authors: Lees, Matthew, Wentzel, Michael T, Clark, James H, Hurst, Glenn A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Easton American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc 14-07-2020; Division of Chemical Education, Inc; American Chemical Society
• Subjects: Applications programs; Chemical plants; Chemical reactions; Chemical synthesis; Chemistry; Coding; College Science; College students; Computer & video games; Concept Formation; Educational Games; Educational Technology; Feedback; Game Based Learning; Games; Green chemistry; Handheld Devices; Learning; Mobile computing; Organic Chemistry; Principles; Program Effectiveness; Refining; Research projects; Science Education; Science Instruction; Scientific Concepts; Scientific Principles; Software; Student Attitudes; Students; Telecommunications; Undergraduate Students; Undergraduate Study; Upgrading; Minnesota (Minneapolis); First-Year Undergraduate/General; Humor/Puzzles/Games; Green Chemistry; Multimedia-Based Learning; Chemical Engineering; Environmental Chemistry
• ISSN: 0021-9584; 1938-1328
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00363

Green Tycoon is a free-of-charge game-based mobile application that embraces a systems thinking approach to introducing students to a biorefining process model within green chemistry. Players adopt the role of a manager in a chemical factory, synthesizing the fictional compound, Yorkanone. Through upgrading the system and engaging with the integrated quiz, players can learn fundamental green chemistry principles while appreciating some of the considerations in biorefining. Green Tycoon was implemented with 33 undergraduate students where survey feedback demonstrated that the game was engaging and innovative and was a helpful tool to appreciate the importance of green chemistry when designing chemical processes. On the basis of pretest and post-test questions to evaluate learning gain, Green Tycoon proved to be a useful resource to introduce students to green chemistry and its role in moving toward a bioeconomy. Design of the mobile application serves as a useful example of what an upper-division undergraduate student with no coding knowledge can achieve through a chemistry education research project.