Escape the Lab: Play a game to build technical skills, build confidence, and practice collaboration

#STEM #education #educators #engineering

Gamification in education promotes motivation, engagement, and learning gains. This presentation will discuss the use of gamification in engineering focusing in on the development, testing, and application of a biomedical engineering laboratory-based escape room. Recreational escape rooms have grown in popularity as an enjoyable immersive experiences in a unique environment to practice communication and collaboration. Some educators are taking advantage of these qualities in escape rooms to challenge students to demonstrate course knowledge in a low-risk and fun learning environment.

The development, iterative design process, and application of an educational escape room tailored for upper-level undergraduate BME students will be described. This escape room allows students to showcase technical skills and problem-solving within a laboratory environment, utilizing tools such as mechanical test frames, ultrasound, spectrophotometers, and more. Equally as important, students are exposed to a unique opportunity to practice teamwork and communication.

The effectiveness of this activity has been analyzed using student self-reported data and reflections, instructor observations, and survey results. Some of the main takeaways are that participants are engaged and empowered to successfully escape even without external motivators like a grade. Whether successful or not, students unanimously emphasized the significance of effective communication during group tasks and the importance of assigned roles. In addition, there is support to show that this immersive experience not only enhances their learning but also boosts their confidence.