The CHEM Jam - how to integrate a game creation event in curriculum-based engineering education

To tackle future sustainability and energy issues, novel learning approaches should be considered in chemical engineering education, particularly those encouraging learners’ problem-solving skills. This paper proposes an example for educators to integrate game-making activities into a chemical engineering curriculum. The specific activity proposed is a collaborative event, known as a game jam in Game Studies. Participants use a custom-made Game Editor for Learning to design levels for a jump n’ run/platform game. The editor facilitates the construction of games for non-game designers, has a tutorial, and is provided with inspirational gameplay videos of level examples and a template for facilitators to assess the resulting levels. This paper argues that prompting learners to create levels based on chemical concepts and structures, challenges and develops their problem-solving skills, and makes the activity valuable to be integrated in present engineering educational programs. The learning experience, named CHEM Jam, starts with an introductory phase during which participants receive essential guidance, while preserving the effectiveness, of learner-centred activities. The assessment methodology is aligned with the learning objectives of an undergraduate process design course. Finally, research and critique on the activity and how chemical engineering can benefit from game-making events and communities is discussed.