Quantum Tiles: An Interactive Chemistry Board Game to Strengthen Students’ Understanding of Quantum Numbers

Mastery of quantum numbers provides a solid foundation that supports student success in introductory chemistry courses. To aid students in understanding this fundamental yet challenging concept, we designed Quantum Tiles, a Scrabble-inspired game featuring a custom board and tiles representing the four quantum numbers. During the game, students collaborate with their peers to construct valid (i.e., allowable) sets of quantum numbers and reinforce connections to atomic orbitals and the periodic table. We implemented Quantum Tiles in an introductory undergraduate chemistry course for nonchemistry majors and evaluated students’ learning outcomes through pre- and post-tests, students’ self-reported confidence levels after engaging in the game, and postactivity feedback questions. Students scored significantly higher on the post-tests (59.3% immediately after gameplay and 76.2% approximately one month after gameplay) compared to the pretest (36.2%), and the majority of students rated themselves as moderately to very confident in their learning after gameplay. Quantum Tiles provides an engaging, hands-on approach that leads to improved student learning of quantum numbers, which may aid student comprehension of related chemistry concepts, such as electron configurations and atomic structure.