Educational Escape Room: Break Dalton’s Code and Escape!

Educational escape rooms within health sciences education are gaining traction as a unique and engaging game-based strategy for reviewing instructional content. Educational escape rooms cultivate valuable skills such as teamwork, communication, creativity, attention to detail, and the ability to apply knowledge under time pressures. While several studies have independently assessed learners' knowledge gains after educational escape room interventions, the present work meta-analyzes the efficacy of educational escape rooms across studies and student learners within health sciences education. A systematic search across seven databases was performed by a health sciences librarian from inception to March 24, 2023. Record screenings, full-text reviews, and data extractions were managed within Covidence. MERSQI criteria were used to assess study quality. Pooled effect sizes (Standardized Mean Differences = SMD) were estimated through meta-analysis to summarize learner performance outcomes after educational escape room interventions. Eleven studies followed a longitudinal pretest-posttest design, and five studies followed a control-treatment group design. Learners' posttest scores after participating in an educational escape room were statistically higher than their pretest scores as indicated by a large positive summary effect size (SMD ≥ 0.893; p <0.001). Educational escape rooms were also effective for treatment group participants (n = 508), who significantly outperformed (SMD = 0.616; p <0.001) control group participants (n = 555). Most escape rooms were employed as a mechanism for reviewing educational content. This meta-analytic review suggests escape rooms are effective educational interventions for increasing knowledge gains among health sciences learners and highlights common implementation practices to help guide educators interested in this game-based learning approach.

BackgroundEarly exposure to research methodology is essential in medical education, yet many students show limited motivation to engage with nonclinical content. Gamified strategies such as educational escape rooms may help improve engagement, but few studies have explored their feasibility at scale or evaluated their impact beyond student satisfaction.ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess the feasibility, engagement, and perceived educational value of a large-scale escape room specifically designed to introduce third-year medical students to the principles of diagnostic test evaluation.MethodsWe developed a low-cost immersive escape room based on a fictional diagnostic accuracy study with 6 puzzles mapped to five predefined learning objectives: (1) identifying key components of a diagnostic study protocol, (2) selecting an appropriate gold standard test, (3) defining a relevant study population, (4) building and interpreting a contingency table, and (5) critically appraising diagnostic metrics in context. The intervention was deployed to an entire class of third-year medical students across 12 sessions between March 2023 and April 2023. Each session included 60 minutes of gameplay and a 45-minute debriefing. Students completed pre- and postintervention questionnaires assessing their knowledge of diagnostic test evaluation and perceptions of research training. Descriptive statistics and 2-tailed paired t tests were used to evaluate score changes; univariate linear regressions assessed associations with demographics. Free-text comments were analyzed using the hierarchical classification by Reinert.ResultsOf the 530 participants, 490 (92.5%) completed the full evaluation. Many participants had had limited previous exposure to escape rooms (206/490, 42% had never participated in one), and most (253/490, 51.6%) reported low initial confidence with critical appraisal of scientific articles. Mean overall knowledge scores increased from 62 of 100 (SD 1) before to 82 of 100 (SD 2) after the activity (+32%; P<.001). Gains were observed across all learning objectives and were not influenced by age, sex, or previous experience. Students rated the educational escape room as highly entertaining (mean score 9.1/10, SD 1.1) and educational (mean score 8.2/10, SD 1.5). Following the intervention, 86.9% (393/452) felt more comfortable with critical appraisal of diagnostic test studies, and 79% (357/452) considered the escape room format highly appropriate for an introductory session.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates the feasibility and enthusiastic reception of a large-scale, reusable escape room aimed at teaching the fundamental principles of diagnostic test evaluation to undergraduate medical students. This approach may serve as a valuable entry point to engage students with evidence-based reasoning and pave the way for deeper exploration of medical research methodology.

Background: As STEM education evolves, there is an increasing demand for innovative pedagogical tools that not only engage students but also enhance their learning experiences. Educational escape rooms (EERs) have shown promise in meeting these demands by combining enjoyment with effective educational strategies. Purpose: This paper introduces the CREATE framework, a novel approach designed specifically for developing EERs in STEM education. The framework aims to integrate core pedagogical principles with the engaging mechanics of escape rooms to enrich learning outcomes. Sample: While this paper does not focus on a specific sample in empirical research, it addresses the broader academic community involved in STEM education, including educators, curriculum designers, and educational researchers. Design and Methods: The CREATE framework is described through its six key components: Content Integration, Real-world Engagement, Educational Alignment, Adaptability and Accessibility, Teamwork and Communication, and Evaluation and Feedback. Each component is supported by relevant educational theories which guide the design and implementation, ensuring the EERs align with educational standards and learning objectives in STEM. Results: The framework was conceptualised to facilitate the creation of EERs that are theoretically sound and pedagogically effective. The paper provides a theoretical basis and design methodology expected to enhance the educational impact of escape rooms. Conclusion: The CREATE framework offers a scalable and theory-based approach to enhance STEM education through EERs. It holds significant potential for educators seeking to innovate and improve student engagement and learning outcomes. Future research should focus on empirical validation of the framework across various educational settings to substantiate its effectiveness and adaptability.

This article presents a systematic literature review on escape rooms as a didactic tool for teaching and learning programming. The review examined the programming topics and languages addressed, the educational levels targeted, evaluation methods used and key design elements such as format, duration, location and narrative structure. Methodological quality was assessed using the MMAT and GRADE frameworks to determine the strength and reliability of the included studies. Findings indicate that while educational escape rooms show strong potential to support programming education through active, experiential learning, the current body of research is relatively small and still developing. The topics covered included basic programming concepts, web development and data analysis. Most escape rooms were implemented in higher education contexts and delivered in various formats (physical, fully virtual or hybrid), often incorporating digital tools and physical elements to enhance immersion. Although motivational and engagement benefits were consistently reported across studies, the majority relied heavily on post‐activity perception surveys for evaluation. Only a few studies used more objective assessments such as pre/post‐tests or learning analytics. Notably, no study included delayed post‐tests or longitudinal follow‐ups, and only a small number explored teamwork, collaboration or problem‐solving strategies in depth. Consequently, the overall certainty of evidence on measurable learning outcomes remains low to moderate. Context and implications Rationale for this study: Learning programming is challenging, and traditional teaching often falls short. Game‐based learning, particularly educational escape rooms, may help, yet no prior review has focused on programming. Why the new findings matter: This study shows escape rooms boost engagement and motivation, though current research remains small‐scale, beginner‐focused, and methodologically weak, limiting evidence of lasting learning impact. Implications for researchers and educational institutions: For educators, escape rooms provide a promising and adaptable method for teaching programming and teamwork skills, but they must be firmly grounded in established learning theories, embedded into curricula, and evaluated through robust mixed‐methods approaches. Researchers should extend the scope beyond introductory content to include advanced topics, a wider range of learner demographics and long‐term outcomes that assess retention and skill transfer. Policy‐makers and funders can help scale these initiatives by investing in educator training, developing accessible design tools and fostering cross‐institutional collaborations. Such efforts will ensure escape rooms are inclusive, evidence‐based and capable of delivering meaningful, sustainable learning impacts.

The increasingly neoliberal course of Higher Education is linked to rises in student anxiety around assessment and increased fear of the consequences of failure. Making mistakes is an inevitable part of any learning process (and of life generally) and managing failure in a productive and positive way is crucial for success and wellbeing beyond university. In this article, we argue that academia does not adequately prepare learners for managing mistake-making progressively and that escape rooms can provide a way to facilitate learning through failure. We first present an original model of failure-based learning that explores why being able to make mistakes safely is important for students and why the use of escape rooms in Higher Education presents an excellent opportunity for the application of this model. We then show the relevance of this model by using it to analyse two case studies that explore different ways in which educational escape rooms can be used in Higher Education: either designed to facilitate learning by playing a game; or supporting learning through designing a game. Our model of failure-based learning has three stages, emphasising the importance of preparation, an iterative play cycle of testing, failing, reflecting, and revising, and finishing with a presentation phase. The article concludes by considering the limitations of educational escape rooms in this context and highlighting some practical considerations for the use of these approaches.

In recent years, outreach activities have acquired great importance among the three university missions for the involvement of the non-expert community. In this context, the “Physics4Teenagers” outreach group of the Physics Department of Pavia University, in Northern Italy, designed the “PER me si va ne la fisica recente” experience. In physics promotion, our major target are usually high school students with a particular focus on the choice of their future studies. With this in mind, we decided to exploit a new format: the educational escape room. Based on the success of recreational escape rooms, this format has acquired great visibility in the last decades, combining entertainment with learning goals. Besides, it allows for the development of soft skills such as collaboration and critical thinking through hands-on activities. We created a journey through the history of particle physics from the atomic theory of Democritus to the discovery of the Higgs boson, which completes the Standard Model. Furthermore, we pushed the boundaries of our map towards the questions that remain unsolved in this theory, such as the problem of dark matter, neutrino masses and oscillations, and unification of forces. At the end of the escape room, we asked the participants for feedback and suggestions through a satisfaction questionnaire. The good results in both occasions confirm the suitability of the format and the effectiveness of the friendly and informal attitude.

Due to their interactive and engaging nature, escape rooms have increasingly been used not only for recreational purposes but also in various educational contexts. This study explores the design and implementation of an educational escape room in university pedagogy, a discipline lacking prior studies on utilising escape rooms. The escape room focused on curriculum planning and employed the principles of constructive alignment. Feedback from university teachers and doctoral students (N = 25) was collected via a questionnaire and analysed using data-driven content analysis. Results indicate high engagement and perceived educational value in terms of revision, with recommendations for future applications targeting basic-level studies and including smaller groups sizes and more homogenous groups.

Confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic has hastened an educational shift from face-to-face to online classrooms. This distanced education seeks to achieve learning goals mediated by technology as they would be achieved in the face-to-face classroom, without ignoring the psychological and social impact that COVID-19 has had on students and teachers. Faced with this situation, the use of online educational escape rooms has been proposed as a motivating strategy for students to review curriculum content in a cooperative and fun way. A qualitative investigation was carried out to explore the perceptions of university students in the Social Education degree program after the implementation of an educational escape room. Our main findings are that most students found that it allowed them to interact with their peers beyond traditional education, that it was useful for their learning and that it was a pleasant activity. However, it was also mentioned that it can be a stressful activity as being an online activity, some students may have connectivity problems. It is concluded that online escape rooms can be active and effective learning strategies for university students.

The University of Surrey Library and Learning Support Services (LLSS) recognised an increasing need to transform its welcome, induction and orientation activities for students. Past activities have entailed delivering information to students in ways which may have led to information overload and lack of engagement by students with library services. The LLSS have been exploring innovative ways to welcome students to university, moving away from didactic approaches. This paper presents one such innovation produced among a series of activities during 2017/18, an educational escape room, informed by the work of Walsh (2017). This activity invited students to solve a series of themed puzzles in the escape room, introducing them to library services and information literacy (IL) skills to support their studies. This report provides an account of the challenges and positive outcomes encountered in designing the escape room, with a view to sharing good learning and teaching practice.

Experts predict that more IT-Security specialists will be needed in the coming years, but in current higher education in engineering disciplines, this topic is hardly addressed. Newer learning methods such as game-based learning (GBL) are enjoying an increasing popularity as their improvement in the education of subject specific topics can be proven by a variety of studies. We chose Educational Escape Rooms (EduER) as a GBL-tool to impart IT-Security in higher education of engineers. In our Escape Room (ER), the students try to solve puzzles and riddles with learned knowledge on the emphasis of cryptography. This paper first deals with a brief introduction to GBL and EduERs, followed by the design of our ER concept, containing different tasks with focus on the topic of cryptography. The tasks cover different cryptographic methods and hash algorithms, e.g. AES, RSA, SHA3. Afterwards the experimental study is presented. The study of the EduER was carried out with students from the bachelor's program in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at the OTH Regensburg. The participants were divided into three groups of 5 to 8 persons each. They received a briefing with important information, followed by the ER execution, a debriefing afterwards and an exam-like evaluation sheet to test their learned knowledge. Finally, first basic results are presented.

Escape rooms are effective educational tools for engaging learners and may serve as a strategy for medication safety training to increase perceived learned safety measures and knowledge retention. Escape rooms are lifelike environments in which participants work together to solve a succession of puzzles to escape a locked room in the allotted time. Novel medication safety training modules such as a pharmacy escape room allow medical errors to be simulated in a team-based, controlled environment focusing on system improvement to establish a culture of safety. This project was conducted to improve medication safety knowledge using a novel pharmacy escape room training module piloted within a large, integrated pharmacy department. Several pilot groups of 2 or more pharmacy employees took part in a virtual medication safety escape room as part of a training module at Advocate Aurora Health between January and March 2021. Participants included pharmacists and pharmacy technicians employed at Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center, Aurora Sinai Medical Center, and Pharmacy Integrated Clinical Services. Assessments were administered before and after completion of the escape room module to evaluate medication safety knowledge and perceived learned safety measures by comparing scores. A total of 101 employees participated in the pharmacy escape room, with an average escape time of 42 minutes. Overall assessment scores before completion of the escape room module ranged from 20% to 86.6%, while those afterwards ranged from 33.3% to 93.3%. Participant feedback was positive, with reports that the novel escape room training module was more engaging and interactive than the alternative online self-paced learning modules. Virtual escape rooms can be used as a novel medication safety training module to increase medication safety knowledge and allow medical errors to be simulated in a controlled environment. Incorporating high-reliability tools and tactics into development of the escape room can promote safe medication practices and reinforce principles of high-reliability organizations.

In this industrial age, skills required in most jobs are 21st-century skills. The current study aimed to investigate whether there is a relationship between implementing project-based collaborative learning using PowerPoint and improving students’ 21st-century skills from the students’ perspectives. It also examines whether there is a significant relationship between students’ attitudes toward learning collaboratively using PowerPoint to improve their 21st-century skills and their major. The participants of the study were 75 female students enrolled in an Educational Technology and Means course at Najran University. The findings revealed that there is a significant and positive relationship between implementing a project-based collaborative learning approach using PowerPoint and improving the students’ 21st-century skills, r (74) = 0.74 and p &lt; 0.05. Additionally, the findings demonstrated that 21st-century skills improved the most through “actively collaborating with others” (M = 4.6, SD = 0.56). Additionally, there was no significant difference in students’ attitudes toward learning collaboratively using PowerPoint to improve their 21st-century skills in terms of human studies or scientific studies majors, t (37) = 1.97 and p &gt; 0.05. The findings demonstrate that more research is required on the role of higher education in developing meaningful technology-based strategies to improve students’ 21st-century skills in learning environments.

We present a literature review that aims to understand the role of the Educational Escape Room (EER) in improving the teaching, learning, and assessment processes through an EER design framework. The main subject is to identify the recent interventions in this field in the last five years. Our study focuses on understanding how it is possible to create an EER available to all students, namely visually challenged users. As a result of the implementation of new learning strategies that promote autonomous learning, a concern arose in adapting educational activities to each student’s individual needs. To study the adaptability of each EER, we found the EER design framework essential to increase the student experience by promoting the consolidation of knowledge through narrative and level design. The results of our study show evidence of progress in students’ performance while playing an EER, revealing that students' learning can be effective. Research on Procedural Content Generation (PCG) highlighted how important it is to implement adaptability in future studies of EERs. However, we found some limitations regarding the process of evaluating learning through the EERs, showing how important it is to study and implement learning analytics in future studies in this field.

Marie Curie Lab STEAM Room, is an immersive interactive didactic activity with an educational approach STEAM, Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics, which integrates these disciplines and uses active teaching methodologies, in this case an educational escape room, for the achievement of significant learning. The objective of the activity is to bring the participants closer to science in a playful way, working on curricular contents of the STEAM disciplines in a context of interest to students, which promotes the development of skills for the 21st century. The escape room was presented in the 2022-1 semester, at the Institute of Engineering to the university community, four presentations were made, each with four teams of approximately three members, who worked collaboratively to overcome the challenges posed. The result of the presentation shows that the participants favorably evaluated the activity, found it creative, fun, and stated that they had learned about chemistry, teamwork and about Marie Curie as a scientific figure of reference. The implementation of this activity shows that educational escape rooms are attractive immersion experiences for the participants. In addition to that they can be designed aligned to the curriculum of various subjects, for implementation in the classroom. They develop skills such as collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity; these experiences are demanding, challenging, interesting and fun at the same time.

In recent years, we have seen an emerging trend: the application of recreational escape rooms to educational purposes to engage students in their learning environment. This trend also applies to higher education and to the complex issue of climate change. The objectives of this chapter are to revise literature in this domain and to share a case study for a digital and educational escape room related to climate change: “Escape Global Warming.” This digital escape room integrates the core concepts of climate change and global warming into a game to familiarize participants with this topic and with actions that can be taken to reduce and counteract the effects of climate change while entertaining. After playing, students acknowledge to being more knowledgeable about the issue and more motivated to learn.