ConfChem Conference on Interactive Visualizations for Chemistry Teaching and Learning: Learning by Being - Playing Particles in the MeParticle-WeMatter Simulation

MeParticle-WeMatter is a participatory simulation in which students play the role of particles to learn about the structure and properties of matter. The students navigate their particle in a multiparticle environment, as they are pulled or pushed by Lennard-Jones forces. We show how the student control of the particles resembles a random heating algorithm and describe a quasi-experimental setup to study how participating as particles in this environment contributes to learning. This communication summarizes one of the invited papers to the ConfChem online conference Interactive Visualizations for Chemistry Teaching and Learning, held from May 8 to June 4, 2015 and hosted by the American Chemical Society Division of Chemical Education Committee on Computers in Chemical Education.