"Nexus" enables pupils to learn about chemical processes in a playful way. The game breaks down the abstract processes of redox reactions to the essentials and then visualizes them in a new way - both in the form of a physical board game that revolves around oxidation numbers and in the form of a mobile app that deals with electron exchange and the composition of substances. To increase the fun of the game and provide additional incentives to use it, the students also incorporated a mechanism into the app that can be used to earn special cards, which in turn can be used in the card game. In this way, the board game promotes social learning in the classroom, while the app ensures a better understanding of chemistry at home.
"Excellent example of what the education of tomorrow could look like"
With this innovative idea and its implementation, the student team was nominated for the German Multimedia Award mb21; a nationwide competition that honors the digital works and projects of children, teenagers and young adults and has developed into one of the most important forums for digital media culture in Germany since it was founded in 1998. "Nexus" impressed the jury and won the award in the 21-25 age category. "Whether through the visualization of complex chemical processes, varied gameplay or the self-produced instructional video - 'Nexus' shows how important it is to tailor learning materials directly to the needs of students and how successfully gamification can be implemented in an educational context. An excellent example of what the education of tomorrow could look like," said the award ceremony.
The full laudation and further information on the "Nexus" award can be found on the website of the German Multimedia Award mb21: https://www.mb21.de/wettbewerbsjahr_2023.html?articles=nexus.
Contact person
Prof. Michael Hebel
