Flashcards—Their Use in Chemistry

Increasing numbers of students are using electronic flashcard engine to study for basic chemistry content like names and symbols of the elements, names and formulas of polyatomic ions, and one-step transformations. We used a survey to compare two electronic flashcard engines–Quizlet and Anki–and determined which engine the research team should use to create electronic flashcard decks for students to utilize. The survey results shows that more students have used Quizlet compared to Anki, but those who used both preferred Anki. We then created Anki decks and a best practices document to help students use the electronic decks more effectively for their studies.