The Game of Science

Student engagement has long been a problem of practice, especially in science. We have considered the fact that this is a major contributing factor in some of our test scores. We constantly observe the student that doesn’t feel they quite “get” science and our proposal would be to develop a fun, science-based, card game that would accurately incorporate scientific concepts in a way all students could learn from. Sometimes teachers may avoid activities that they feel may be too “fun”. We hope to create this game in such a manner as to allow these students to not be overwhelmed but included in the learning process. This game, we feel, would result in a measurable increase in the involvement of students in the learning process that we may otherwise overlook. The basis for the game would be the relationship between matter and energy. Players would first vie for the creation of elements, then ever increasingly complex reactions and processes. Ultimately, the players would reach the level of reactions taking place in living organisms. The cards themselves would be collectable, much like other non-science related card sets. The grant money would be used to research and develop the card game rules with any remaining funds going into the graphical design of the individual cards. Ultimately, we would hope to continue to refine the game and the cards themselves to the point they become a marketable and potentially revenue-generating item. This revenue would be used to update and cover production costs of the cards. To evaluate this, we would survey students on their self-perceived level of desire to participate in a given science class. In addition, a simple pre-evaluation would be administered. The card game would be utilized for a predetermined period of time, and afterwards, the survey and evaluation would be re-administered and the results evaluated.