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Supporting Information for “Chirality-2: Development of a Multi-Level Mobile Gaming App to Support the Teaching of Introductory Undergraduate Level Organic Chemistry”Oliver A.H. Jones*,? Maria Spichkova? and Michelle J.S. Spencer*,?? Australian Centre for Research on Separation Science (ACROSS), School of Science, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia? School of Science, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, AustraliaGame Content and DevelopmentThe content in the game was developed by two of the authors (OAHJ and MJSS). It is based on concepts and material that students encounter in the 1st year organic chemistry content of the course (CHEM1030 - Chemistry of Materials 1) taught by MJSS at RMIT University (RMIT) in Melbourne, Australia. During development, some of the key theories covered in this course were identified and then a game or task was designed to cover each concept identified. The goal was not only to provide content to cover several parts of the course, but also to create game levels that differ from each other to maintain the users interest. In Chirality-2 the game tasks on each level differ not only in their content but also in the actions the user has to perform. To make the game more interactive and appealing, some levels have additional sub-levels, for example time trial or ‘extreme’ modes, which are more challenging in comparison to the standard modes.Developing the app was undertaken as a semester long software engineering project as part of the YourSoftware program run by one of the authors (MS) at RMIT. The YourSoftware program includes several Software Engineering courses and is designed to provide Bachelor of Software Engineering, Master of Computer Science and Master of Information Technology students with hands-on, practical experience in developing software within a real project environment. Students work with industrial stakeholders providing real life problems (in this case, the authors MJSS and OAHJ), as well as gain experience in team work and presenting results. The names of all students who assisted in the development of the software are listed in the “about” screen of the app. To increase the usability of the app, several 2nd year Chemistry students were involved in the user acceptance testing phase of the app’s development.ProgrammingChirality-2 was developed using the cross-platform game engine ‘Unity’ (which was also used to build the “Chairs!” app). Unity is a popular development platform. As well as mobile devices, it can be used to develop games on PCs, consoles (PS4, XBOX) and websites. Although the primary version is closed source there is a free version available for students, which was used in this project. Unity has a visual editor which helps to see changes in real time, making iterative development and rapid prototyping easier. It supports both 2D and 3D game development, and it comes with a graphical user interface (GUI) based integrated development environment (IDE). Developers can include both audio and video elements, and create characters and scenes directly using the visual interface. Another significant advantage of Unity is that it can compile the basic code into the necessary format for multiple operating systems (including iOS, Android, Windows, etc.) which automatically saves a significant amount of time (and money) that would otherwise be needed to create each version of the app separately in different programming languages.NamingThe name of the game is drawn from Chemistry. Chiral molecules are asymmetric and cannot be superimposed. The name symbolizes that the app is also asymmetric in that it is both educational and a (fun) game. Both features are required for the app to achieve its goals. Chirality-2 also features a left-handed mode where needed (levels 1,3,4 and 6 of the game) to facilitate the learning of those who are not right-hand dominant. This feature can be turned on and off in the app settings (accessed by clicking the gear icon in the top left of the home screen).The app was released on both Apple/iTunes ADDIN EN.CITE <EndNote><Cite><RecNum>2698</RecNum><DisplayText><style face="superscript">1</style></DisplayText><record><rec-number>2698</rec-number><foreign-keys><key app="EN" db-id="zd9wt99eowsaszepv2p555w90sve2f900rxe" timestamp="1507792338">2698</key></foreign-keys><ref-type name="Web Page">12</ref-type><contributors></contributors><titles><title>Chirality-2 on iTunes. (accessed October 2017).</title></titles><dates></dates><urls></urls></record></Cite></EndNote>1 and Android/Google Play ADDIN EN.CITE <EndNote><Cite><RecNum>2699</RecNum><DisplayText><style face="superscript">2</style></DisplayText><record><rec-number>2699</rec-number><foreign-keys><key app="EN" db-id="zd9wt99eowsaszepv2p555w90sve2f900rxe" timestamp="1507792468">2699</key></foreign-keys><ref-type name="Web Page">12</ref-type><contributors></contributors><titles><title>Chirality-2 on Google Play Store. (accessed October 2017)</title></titles><dates></dates><urls></urls></record></Cite></EndNote>2 in June 2017. Both Apple and Google require all new apps to undergo a review process to ensure their quality. Chirality-2 passed quality control checks and as yet there have been no reports of crashes during use, indicating that the app is stable. It was found that users may need to be logged out of Gmail and/or Chrome in order to be able to see the app in the Google Play store on both phone and tablets (or use an alternative web browser to Chrome) but users around the world can download the game for free.Both the Apple and Android stores facilitate app analytics to track the number of installations and problems from users, who opt in to provide the data. At the time of writing (9th May 2018) the app had been downloaded 4863 times from the Apple store and 2950 times from Google Play. While a download does not necessarily mean that the app was actually opened, the data give a good overview of the app’s overall popularity.Student FeedbackFeedback from student test users at RMIT has been universally positive with second- and third-year undergraduates commenting that the app was helping them remember concepts they had forgotten from introductory organic chemistry. The results of a student survey held at RMIT are shown in Table S1.Table S1. Comparison of Response Scores for the Chiarlity-2 App Student User SurveyStatements for ResponseCombined Count of Students’ Selection,a N = 51234567I found the app easy to use.14I enjoyed playing the app.14I feel that playing the app helped improve my understanding of the course material.122I like the overall look of the app.5In general I find using technology difficult.41The facts provided in Levels 1 and 3 were interesting.122I found the instructions in the app easy to follow.112The app crashed while I was playing it.41I liked having timed modes for some of the levels.13I worked out how to use the app quickly.5The app reinforced concepts I learnt in organic chemistry.23The app looks modern in design and functionality.221Playing the app increased my enjoyment of the class content.122It was difficult working out how to play the levels in the app.41I liked being able to post my scores to Twitter or Facebook.31Playing the app was a waste of my time.23I prefer reading my lecture notes to revise chemistry concepts than playing the app.1211I like being able to use the app without requiring an internet connection.14I like to know how my performance compares to my classmates.122I think playing this app will help improve my ability to answer questions relating to organic chemistry concepts.1112aThe scale for responses ranges from 1 (Strongly Disagree), through 4 (Neither Agree nor Disagree), to 7 (Strongly Agree).References ADDIN EN.REFLIST (1)Chirality-2 on iTunes. (accessed May 2018).(2)Chirality-2 on Google Play Store. (accessed May 2018). ................
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