We present example assessments featuring spectroscopic unknown puzzles, where the solution to the puzzle is the outcome of a known chemical reaction. These spectroscopic exercises engage students in a substantially more authentic manner than the conventional structure elucidation puzzles that are ubiquitous in organic chemistry instruction.…

Chemical escape rooms (ChEsRms) are educational games in which students use their brain, chemical knowledge, intuition, and a bit of luck to solve a mystery. At the Weizmann Institute, we have developed ChEsRms that are implemented by teachers in their classes. Since the COVID-19 pandemic stopped all the educational activities that took place in…

An escape-room-game activity was introduced to foster team building and collaborative learning in a laboratory-experiment setting. The students were placed in a laboratory with clues and puzzles that required the students to use a sequence of analytical instruments in the laboratory in order to escape. The instruments utilized included a UV-vis…

Data-driven methods have been a successful approach to generating hints for programming problems. However, the majority of previous studies are focused on procedural hints that aim at moving students to the next closest state to the solution. In this paper, I propose a data-driven method to generate remedy hints for BOTS, a game that teaches…

This paper provides nine short chemically based puzzles or problems extensible for use with students from middle school to college. Some of these will strengthen students' recognition of individual elements and element names. Others require students to focus on the salient properties of given chemical elements.

"Exploring" is a magazine of science, art, and human perception, produced by Exploratorium in collaboration with other participating museums. This issue focuses on puzzles and problem solving. Brain teasers, puzzles, and the strategies for solving them are included. Features include: (1) "Homework Assignment #3" (Paul Doherty);…

Recommends the use of puzzles to help elementary school children sharpen their problem solving skills. Describes the use of a Puzzle Day to promote problem solving. (DDR)

Describes an exhibit containing four basic demonstrations relating to center of gravity and rotational equilibrium. The demonstrations involve (1) the stack of bricks, (2) the double cone, (3) the spool roller, and (4) the platform balance. (MDH)

Introduces puzzles that proved challenging and popular in the Mexican Chemistry Olympiad. Presents data showing that mainstream general chemistry students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln enjoyed the puzzles and were challenged by them. (WRM)

One of a series of activity guides designed to aid teachers in developing the thinking skills of intermediate grade students, this publication offers a variety of learning activities and resource materials. The activities and resources include: a calendar which lists important days and birthdays in September, October, and November; poems; word…