Breaking the Code: Creating Engaging Lock-Based Activities to Transform Student Learning Experiences

Abstract

General Chemistry serves as a foundational course for STEM students, where early engagement and confidence are critical to academic success. To reinforce core concepts from college-level introductory chemistry courses, we developed an interactive puzzle box game focused on limiting reagents, hybridization, de Broglie wavelength, and dipole moments. Students were asked to help save their chemistry professor and create a fleet of superhumans to stop the evil Dr. Doomfizzle from taking over the chemistry department. They were given four question sets to open three vaults and complete a final task. The game was implemented as a final exam review in the penultimate week of the quarter, and participating students completed pre- and postactivity surveys. Confidence was measured using a self-reported five-point Likert scale. Results indicated significant increases in student confidence across three of the four topics (p < 0.001). Students who participated scored higher on the final exam than those who did not.