The Evolution of Games and Case Studies in Organic Chemistry

Both organic chemistry educators and organic chemistry students are usually quite familiar with how difficult organic chemistry is to teach and learn. As such, it is important that educators know what contemporary teaching tools are at their disposal to help their students develop mature study habits. Games and case studies tailored for teaching organic chemistry provide a rich learning environment that does not focus on mere memorization. Rather, both games and case studies invite students to think critically about organic chemistry in the context of either a playful environment (games) or compelling storytelling (case studies). Here, a review of what games and case studies are available for the organic chemistry classroom is provided. These resources will be discussed in context of their publication history and the variety of broad concepts addressed. Ideally, organic chemistry educators will see that, while there are excellent games and case studies ready for the classroom, the field would greatly benefit from further investment in publishing these types of educational tools.