Global lessons: a comparative analysis of nuclear gamification's impact in American and British students

The global nuclear skills shortage demands urgent educational investment, particularly for students aged 11–18. To help address this, we have introduced RAD Ratings, an interactive card game designed to improve the teaching of nuclear concepts to students, which includes subjects such as half-lives, types of radiation, and radionuclide applications. RAD Ratings has already been successfully piloted in the United Kingdom and in this paper, we present a comparison in selected American schools for the first time. Snapshot survey results show RAD Ratings improve interest in nuclear science and careers, offering insights into gamification’s potential to improve engagement across different geographic locations.. Authors: Lu, Sarah Elizabeth [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000307710454); Hemming, Shaun [Univ. of Southampton (United Kingdom)]; Purkis, Jamie [Univ. of Southampton (United Kingdom)]; LaMont, Stephen Philip [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000212960936). DOE Contract: 89233218CNA000001. Subjects: 38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY; Atomic Properties / Structure; Chemical Education Research; Educational Research; Gamification; Nuclear Medicine; Nuclear skills; Public Engagement with Science; Science Education; Societal Outreach of Physics; eLearning