Minecraft mod used to teach kids science

A team of scientists from the University of Dallas are using a modified version of the popular Minecraft world-building game to teach kids the fundamentals of chemistry.

"Imagine a class without lessons, tests and homework, but with missions, quests and teamwork. Video games offer an attractive educational platform because they are designed to be fun and engaging, as opposed to traditional approaches to teaching through lectures and assignments," the team said in their research paper, published in Nature Chemistry last December. 

Dubbed "Polycraft World", the game enables players to construct in-game items—everything from pogo sticks to jetpacks—by putting together raw materials whose interaction is based on actual chemical reactions.

Click here to download or learn more about Polycraft World. 

A group of 39 college students from various courses and backgrounds successfully learned basic chemistry just by playing the game, without the need for in-class instruction.

Lead researcher Dr. Walter Voit, a materials science and engineering professor at the University of Dallas' Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, believes the key to engaging students is to finding in-game objectives that were challenging but not overly difficult to achieve.

"If the game is too difficult, people will get frustrated. If it's too easy, they lose interest. If it's just right? It's addicting, it's engaging, it's compelling," he told Phys.org.

"The games that already exist mostly serve only as a companion to classroom learning. The goal here is to make something that stands alone," added assistant chemistry professor Dr. Ron Smaldone, who helped with the game's scientific accuracy.

"Our goal was to demonstrate the various advantages of presenting educational content in a gaming format. An immersive, cooperative experience like that of 'Polycraft World' may represent the future of education," Voit concluded.

Plans are already underway for future versions of Polycraft World to teach economics and other subjects. — GMA News