Mol An interactive learning platform to address difficult concepts in organic chemistry

In this NIH Phase I SBIR project we propose to develop and evaluate a proof of concept for Mol a mobile STEM game to address difficult to learn topics in organic chemistry Our first module will focus on stereochemistry a notoriously challenging concept facing nearly million undergraduate students each year who are pursuing a healthcare career and another million biology and chemistry students Significance Organic compounds and their interactions constitute the very foundation of life The relevance of organic chemistry to medical research and practice is profound About half of medicinally used pharmaceuticals toxins and illicit drugs require chiral centers for their activity The increasing relevance of organic chemistry to medicine means that the integration of organic chemistry is more and more important in modern health related education Interactive media provides a potentially transformative technology for education The intrinsic appeal and intuitive nature of interactive apps to the millennials and the as yet unnamed post millennial generation makes them a powerful medium for learning and interactive apps are beginning to take their place in classrooms as a complement to teacher based lectures Innovation The Mol mobile app would provide a powerful approach to enable student success learning about the D shapes and properties of organic molecules and how these relate to real life health applications Gameplay mechanics could include spatial puzzles where the player must correctly identify chiral centers on rotating D structures time trials challenging the player s ability to quickly match the corresponding structure with the nomenclature presented and a mode promoting the manipulation of d models to determine stereoisomerism and build your own stereoisomer Approach Our team has extensive knowledge in educational game development notably with the NIH SEPA sponsored Meta!Blast Developed with Unity D Meta!Blast is now used in college classrooms and in informal education settings including being incorporated as a major component of the core Biology Lab at Iowa State University It s being evaluated in several biology classroom settings at institutions across the country one example is at Chaffey College Rancho Cucamonga California a two year community college with a high proportion of Hispanic students and veterans We are confident this experience can be extended to the project outlined in this proposal Each aspect of Mol will be developed with user input using a rapid iteration approach Bi weekly discussions and formative evaluations will ensure the creation of a product that is engaging fun relevant usable and educational This will be followed by a larger summative evaluation and data analysis Commercialization Through our experience in the rigorous NSF I Corps program we believe that following a successful Phase I and Phase II effort we have the knowledge and support to address the large opportunity in this market segment A commercially viable app would be distributed to Android and iOS platforms through Google Play and the Apple App Store respectively As observed in our customer discovery process students indicated a significant factor in their adoption of new learning materials would be from a recommendation or requirement by their instructor As such a key element in our marketing strategy is to cultivate relationships with chemistry instructors and view them as demand creation partners Project Narrative Organic compounds and their interactions constitute the very foundation of life Driven by new technologies of analytical chemistry and nanobiology organic chemistry now provides the basis for the fields of toxicology pharmacodynamics the effect a drug has on the body pharmacokinetics how the body metabolizes a drug and rational drug design using understanding of a biological target to design new drugs Our proposed STEM game aims to address the challenges undergraduate students face when learning organic concepts