The Wisconsin MRSEC has developed research-inspired educational digital games that are each being played over 1900 times/week. Atom Touch teaches students about atom behavior, bonding, and forces. Crystal Cave lets students explore how molecules form repeating patterns to grow into large crystals. During development, local K-12 teachers provided input on how to make the games more engaging for student learning. Prototypes of the games were tested with local students, K-12 teachers, MRSEC members, and content experts, with their feedback being used to improve later versions. Due to the success of this project, MRSEC is developing a third game designed to teach students how to make data-driven models. An early version of Marvelous Modeling is undergoing monthly testing with local students to inform further development.
