Activity

Cite This: J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc

Tap It Fast! Playing a Molecular Symmetry Game for Practice and

Formative Assessment of Students’ Understanding of Symmetry
Concepts
Ricardo Dagnoni Huelsmann, Andrei Felipe Vailati, Lucas Ribeiro de Laia, Patrícia Salvador Tessaro,
and Fernando Roberto Xavier*
Departamento de Química, Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina, Joinville, SC CEP 89219-710, Brazil
*
S Supporting Information

ABSTRACT: Nowadays, there is a lot of discussion regarding teaching

methods, their characteristics and potential, as well as their limitations. Aiming
to encourage new methodologies for the teaching of chemistry in higher
education, a novel didactic game was developed and applied in order to provide
parallel support to undergraduate chemistry students learning about molecular
symmetry. This educational resource was well-accepted by the students and was
found to be a ludic evaluation tool for the study of symmetry. The game was
applied to undergraduate chemistry sophomores and was found to be a powerful
tool to improve students’ skills in several topics, including molecular geometry,
spatial molecular projections, and electronic and vibrational spectroscopy.
During the activities, students participated by sharing their doubts about the
presence of symmetry. In this paper, we report and discuss the results of the
experimental use of this new resource developed for the teaching of molecular
symmetry.
KEYWORDS: Second-Year Undergraduate, Upper-Division Undergraduate, Inorganic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry,
Humor/Puzzles/Games, Collaborative/Cooperative Learning, Group Theory/Symmetry

■ INTRODUCTION
The use of new methods in undergraduate education is growing
and proving to be a differentiated and effective learning
strategy.1−3 Among the new methods and instruments available
are didactic games, which can provide an active and playful
learning environment and can also be used as a revision,
practice, and evaluation tool.1,4,5 Being a source that involves
interaction and cooperative learning, games can improve the
development of knowledge in various science areas, besides
having the competitiveness factor, which boosts the acquisition
of knowledge.6 Studies have shown that games also allow the
students to experience “peer learning”.7
Educational games can transform the heavy atmosphere of
traditional disciplines to provide a new model of meaningful
learning,7 reducing the tension and building bridges between
science and the students’ understanding.2 An appropriate
didactic game can enhance the students’ comprehension of
more complex chemistry concepts, acting as an instrument to
facilitate this process: given the engaging characteristic of the
games, the students are encouraged to reflect about their
learning7
Symmetry Teaching
Symmetry concepts are extremely useful in chemistry. By
analyzing the symmetry of molecules, we can predict infrared/
Raman spectra, describe orbitals used in bonding, predict
© XXXX American Chemical Society and
Division of Chemical Education, Inc.
optical activity, interpret electronic spectra, and study a number
of additional molecular properties.8
Especially in inorganic chemistry, students have difficulty in
observing and identifying the symmetry elements in molecules.9
Thus, there is a need to develop new methodologies and
instruments that help overcome these barriers. Notable source
material on symmetry teaching is available at the Web site
“Symmetry@Otterbein” designed by D. H. Johnston, where
students can interact with 3D rendered molecules and pinpoint
symmetry operations.10 With a better understanding of
molecular symmetry, it is easier to approach more difficult
concepts in inorganic chemistry, such as group theory and
spectroscopy.8
Educational Objectives
The creative aspect of methods developed for the teaching of
chemistry concepts can be observed in several research
studies.8,9,11,12 The game “Tap it fast!”, described herein,
provides parallel support for the teaching of symmetry, aimed at
developing observation skills and quick reasoning around this
theme, in a way which is attractive to the students. The game
should be applied after the symmetry lectures and discussions
and prior to the evaluations and tests.
Received: November 8, 2017
Revised: April 25, 2018
A DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00849
J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
Journal of Chemical Education Activity

By applying this to the teaching of sophomores, it was

possible to evaluate their understanding of the topic, besides
encouraging their development, following a facilitative strategy,
given the playfulness and comprehensiveness of the subject
matter. The game also allows students to perform a self-
evaluation, since their performance in the game elucidates the
scope of their knowledge on the theme.

■ GAME PRODUCTION
The game is easily reproduced since it requires only printed
paper cards, which can be plasticized to improve their
durability. The game is played with three groups of cards, as
outlined below:
• Group 1 corresponds to 30 cards containing distinct
structural representations of organic and inorganic
molecules (Figure 1). This group has smaller and easier
molecules for a warm up.

Figure 2. Examples of Group 2 cards.

Figure 3. Examples of Group 3 cards.

Figure 1. Examples of Group 1 cards.

tap, as fast as they can, a card which contains a molecule with
• Group 2 contains another 30 cards, this time with
the symmetry operation read by the referee. The referee needs
different coordination compounds varying both the
to note which student is the first to touch a card containing a
metals and ligands (Figure 2).
molecule with this symmetry operation. This player collects
• Group 3 consists of 24 cards containing the symmetry
that card (i.e., wins a point) and keeps it until the end of the
operations present in the molecules of Groups 1 and 2
game. When collecting the card, the player explains their
(some of the cards show the same operations), as shown
choice, describing the relevant symmetry element on the card
in Figure 3.
to their colleagues and the referee, besides discussing the theme
Printable card templates for all the groups are provided in the and helping all students to learn. In cases of error, a player who
Supporting Information.

■
GAME PLAYING
The students are oriented to form teams containing between
two and six players. Each team receives one game kit (the three
groups of cards) and is assigned a referee to monitor the game.
Initially, the first 30 cards (organic and inorganic molecules,
Group 1) are distributed randomly on the table in a way that
allows them to be easily seen and accessed by all players. The
referee is responsible for controlling the cards in Group 3
(symmetry operations), preventing prior access and observa-
tion by the players.
In each round, the referee picks one card of Group 3 and
reads the symmetry operation on it out loud (ensuring that all
of the team players can hear it). The goal is for the students to
B DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00849
has tapped a card with a molecule that does not show the
symmetry operation read by the referee will not win a point,
leaving the card tapped on the table. The referee then points
out the mistake and provides examples of the correct choice.
In each round the referee announces a new operation
(randomly). The players analyze the cards available and tap, as
fast as possible, the card (or maybe cards) with that symmetry
operation. In the case of multiple answers on the table (e.g., if
the referee calls the “E” operation, which all of the cards show),
the student who taps one first wins the point.
There may be instances where the symmetry operation
requested by the referee does not exist on the cards left on the
table (available cards). In this case, the players evaluate the
situation (i.e., they do not find molecules with such an
operation), and the one who verbally states first that there is no
J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
Journal of Chemical Education
Figure 4. Evaluation results according to the Likert Scale (SA= Strongly agree, A = Agree, N = Neutral, D = Disagree, and SD = Strongly disagree).
card available on the table with such an operation wins the
point.
The final winner is the player with the highest number of
cards (points) at the end of 24 rounds (note that all of the
Group 3 cards remain with the referee).
In the next game, the 30 coordination compounds in Group
2 are distributed on the table, as in the previous game. The
referee then uses the same symmetry operation cards of Group
3 (previously shuffled), and the new game starts. Once again, at
the end, the player who has achieved the most points wins. The
overall winner is the student with the highest total number of
points from rounds 1 and 2, small molecules and coordination
compounds, respectively. In the case of a tie, all of the cards
from Groups 1 and 2 are placed on the table, and only the
players whose scores tied dispute an extra round, in which the
operation is selected by the referee.
In the case of big classes, it is recommended that the students
are initially divided into smaller teams (at least 3 or 4). Later, at
the end of the initial games, the winning student of each team
qualifies for a final match with the winners of the other teams.
In this case, all 60 cards (30 simple molecules and 30
coordination compounds) are mixed and distributed on the
table, and the player who gains the most points is considered
the “Symmetry Master”.
As a further option, where time is not a restriction, it is
possible to improve the efficiency of the game by including, in
each round, a discussion about the symmetry operation of the
card picked. Here, the lecturer/instructor could add or subtract
cards of certain molecules of interest to illustrate given
symmetry elements and/or add a symmetry operation not
currently included in Group 3 (e.g., an inversion center (i)).
C DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00849
Activity
■ RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The game was applied twice in inorganic chemistry lessons in
the first (2017-1) and second (2017-2) semesters of 2017, the
classes having 19 and 24 second-year undergraduate students,
respectively.
During the activities, it was noted that the students actively
participated, talking enthusiastically about the theme and their
doubts. At the end of the activity, a game evaluation form was
applied. On the basis of the Likert Scale, the results given by
the students in the two groups were excellent, as seen in Figure
4.
On the basis of the student responses, it is possible to
reinforce the importance of using didactic games in chemistry
lessons. The students agreed that the playful nature of the game
helped them to elucidate doubts regarding their understanding
of symmetry, and the collective spirit, with students helping
each other, was a major aspect in the success of the game.
With the first question in Figure 4, the game was assessed as
an instrument to evaluate the students’ understanding of
symmetry. According to both classes and all of the students, the
game is an effective method, and it can be used as an evaluation
tool for learning and self-assessment by the student along with
evaluation by the teacher.
The second question revealed the importance of the didactic
approach, which aided the application of an understanding of
symmetry, since 93% of the students agreed with the
affirmation and none disagreed (only 7% were neutral). This
may have led to the excellent responses to the last two
questions, where the students affirmed that the didactic strategy
allowed self-evaluation of the learning difficulties, promoting
evolution and significant improvement.
J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
Journal of Chemical Education
The benefits of applying the activity developed can also be
observed quantitatively in the average scores (in percentages)
obtained by the students in the lessons with and without the
application of the game (Figure 5). In classes that did not
Figure 5. Student scores (percentage attained) with and without the
application of the game.
participate in this didactic activity, the average score was less
than 50%, while for classes that participated in the game the
score was much higher, approaching and even surpassing the
minimum required for passing this discipline (70%). In all
cases, the classes were taught by the same lecturer, and the
evaluations were based on the same methodology for the theme
of symmetry, including the written tests. Thus, we could
quantitatively evaluate the students’ results and compare the
scores for the different classes.
The game did not just provide benefits to the students but
also to the teacher, who could evaluate the students on the
basis of their participation and discussion. For some students,
the strategy allowed their difficulties in relation to the
symmetry operations studied to be identified and subsequently
overcome with the aid of their classmates and the educator.
Although the evidence of joy and fun associated with the
game could not be quantitatively measured when compared
with a standard class, the enhancement of the student/student
relationships when the chemical subject (symmetry operations)
was discussed could be clearly noted. Peer-to-peer interaction is
a powerful way to improve the students’ knowledge.
■
CONCLUSIONS
A simple and low cost new didactic game involving molecular
symmetry was developed and tested in two inorganic chemistry
classes over a period of two semesters (2017-1 and 2017-2).
This material demonstrated good potential as a form of extra
support for second-year chemistry students.
The application of the game favored the ability of the lecturer
of this subject to assess the knowledge level of the students, as
well as their difficulties in relation to molecular symmetry in a
playful and spontaneous way. The game can also be expanded
with different molecules and complexes or reduced for
application in a shorter time.
The game covers both organic molecules and inorganic
complexes and can be used for assessments and introduced in
group theory or exercises in lessons to practice these topics.
Another aspect that demonstrates the potential of the game is
its easy replication and low cost production, making use of
easily accessible material that benefits student learning in a
playful and interactive way.
D DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00849
Activity
Finally, the activity serves as a formative, rather than
quantitative or numerical, evaluation. It is useful for the
lecturer/instructor to assess students’ difficulties outside the
classical context of undergraduate subjects (lists of exercises
and theoretical tests).
■
*
ASSOCIATED CONTENT
S Supporting Information
The Supporting Information is available on the ACS
Publications website at DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00849.
Cards with organic and inorganic molecules (PDF,
DOCX)
Cards with coordination compounds (PDF, DOCX)
Cards with symmetry operations (PDF, DOCX)
■ AUTHOR INFORMATION
Corresponding Author
*E-mail: fernando.xavier@udesc.br.
ORCID
Ricardo Dagnoni Huelsmann: 0000-0001-6103-101X
Fernando Roberto Xavier: 0000-0002-2056-4052
Notes
The authors declare no competing financial interest.
■
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors would like to thank the students who fully agreed
to participate in the game activities during the 2017-1 and
2017-2 semesters. Many thanks to Tânia Neumann Barroso
and the Department of Chemistry for the material used in the
game.
■
REFERENCES
(1) Capps, K. Chemistry Taboo: An Active Learning Game for the
General Chemistry Classroom. J. Chem. Educ. 2008, 85 (4), 518−518.
(2) Najdi, S.; Sheikh, R. E. Educational Games: Do They Make A
Difference? Procedia Soc. Behav. Sci. 2012, 47, 48−51.
(3) Green, M. L. H.; Parkin, G. Application of the Covalent Bond
Classification Method for the Teaching of Inorganic Chemistry. J.
Chem. Educ. 2014, 91 (6), 807−816.
(4) Zhang, X. Acid−Base Poker: A Card Game Introducing the
Concepts of Acid and Base at the College Level. J. Chem. Educ. 2017,
94 (5), 606.
(5) Angelin, M.; Ramström, O. Where’s Ester? A Game That Seeks
the Structures Hiding Behind the Trivial Names. J. Chem. Educ. 2010,
87 (4), 406.
(6) Kurushkin, M.; Mikhaylenko, M. Orbital Battleship: A Guessing
Game to Reinforce Atomic Structure. J. Chem. Educ. 2016, 93 (9),
1595.
(7) Rastegarpour, H.; Marashi, P. The effect of card games and
computer games on learning of chemistry concepts. Procedia Soc.
Behav. Sci. 2012, 31, 597.
(8) Fuchigami, K.; Schrandt, M.; Miessler, G. L. Discovering
Symmetry in Everyday Environments: A Creative Approach to
Teaching Symmetry and Point Groups. J. Chem. Educ. 2016, 93 (6),
1081.
(9) Flint, E. Teaching Point-Group Symmetry with Three-Dimen-
sional Models. J. Chem. Educ. 2011, 88 (7), 907.
(10) Johnston, D. H. Symmetry@Otterbein. http://symmetry.
otterbein.edu/index.html (accessed Mar 2018).
(11) Scalfani, V. F.; Vaid, T. P. 3D Printed Molecules and Extended
Solid Models for Teaching Symmetry and Point Groups. J. Chem.
Educ. 2014, 91 (8), 1174.
J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
Journal of Chemical Education Activity

(12) Chen, L.; Sun, H.; Lai, C. Teaching Molecular Symmetry of

Dihedral Point Groups by Drawing Useful 2D Projections. J. Chem.
Educ. 2015, 92 (8), 1422.

E DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00849
J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX