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Journal ArticleDOI

Escapp: A Web Platform for Conducting Educational Escape Rooms

04 Mar 2021-IEEE Access (IEEE)-Vol. 9, pp 38062-38077
TL;DR: Escapp as discussed by the authors is a web platform that allows teachers to conduct effective and highly engaging educational escape rooms, which has been used for conducting three different educational escape games (one face-to face and two remotely) in three higher education settings.
Abstract: Educational escape rooms are emerging as a new type of learning activity with the potential to enhance students’ learning through highly engaging experiences. However, conducting educational escape rooms effectively is very complex and there are no software tools available for this purpose. This lack of support is hindering the widespread use and adoption of these activities. This article presents Escapp, a web platform that allows teachers to conduct effective and highly engaging educational escape rooms. The platform has been used for conducting three different educational escape rooms (one face-to-face and two remotely) in three higher education settings. Three case studies were conducted to empirically evaluate the usefulness of Escapp for conducting these activities, which involved more than 400 students. On the one hand, a questionnaire was administered to students to gather their opinions on the Escapp platform, obtaining very positive results in terms of overall usefulness, usability and engagement. On the other hand, data automatically recorded by Escapp during the three educational escape rooms are presented as evidence of the high number of student interactions that take place during activities of this kind and the need of using a software system for conducting them in an effective way. The results of this article show that Escapp is a well-suited solution for conducting effective face-to-face and remote educational escape rooms.

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Citations
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Proceedings ArticleDOI
24 Sep 2021
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the perceptions of K-12 school education teachers towards digital educational escape rooms for STEM education in VR environments and found that teachers reacted positively to the VR escape room, appreciating its value for learning.
Abstract: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills comprise a crucial meta-discipline for success in the 21st century. Education in the industry 4.0 era can be enhanced by adopting Virtual (VR), Mixed (MR), and Augmented (AR). VR can support creative student-centered teaching and learning methods in STEM, such as playful learning, gameful learning (gamification), and serious games. Serious escape rooms are digital interactive, live adventure breakout games with a pedagogical rationale. This paper examines the perceptions of K-12 school education teachers towards digital educational escape rooms for STEM education in VR environments. Twenty-eight Greek teachers responded to a questionnaire after having experienced a cost-effective science-themed digital escape room. Results indicate that teachers reacted positively to the VR escape room, appreciating its value for learning. Moreover, they are eager to engage in professional development activities and embrace gameful learning methods.

15 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a learning analytics study examines the engagement states (sequences, successions, stability, and transitions) of 106 students in 1396 course enrollments over a full program.
Abstract: Student engagement has a trajectory (a timeline) that unfolds over time and can be shaped by different factors including learners’ motivation, school conditions, and the nature of learning tasks. Such factors may result in either a stable, declining or fluctuating engagement trajectory. While research on online engagement is abundant, most authors have examined student engagement in a single course or two. Little research has been devoted to studying online longitudinal engagement, i.e., the evolution of student engagement over a full educational program. This learning analytics study examines the engagement states (sequences, successions, stability, and transitions) of 106 students in 1396 course enrollments over a full program. All data of students enrolled in the academic year 2014–2015, and their subsequent data in 2015–2016, 2016–2017, and 2017–2018 (15 courses) were collected. The engagement states were clustered using Hidden Markov Models (HMM) to uncover the hidden engagement trajectories which resulted in a mostly-engaged (33% of students), an intermediate (39.6%), and a troubled (27.4%) trajectory. The mostly-engaged trajectory was stable with infrequent changes, scored the highest, and was less likely to drop out. The troubled trajectory showed early disengagement, frequent dropouts and scored the lowest grades. The results of our study show how to identify early program disengagement (activities within the third decile) and when students may drop out (first year and early second year).

15 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a comparative study of the effectiveness of face-to-face and remote educational escape rooms was performed, where two versions of the same educational escape room were conducted: one in-class and one remotely.
Abstract: Existing literature has provided strong evidence that educational escape rooms are engaging and effective learning activities when they are properly conducted in the classroom. However, no prior research has determined whether the positive effects of these novel educational activities on students’ perceptions and learning persist when conducted remotely. This article performs, for the first time, a comparative study of the effectiveness of face-to-face and remote educational escape rooms. For this purpose, two versions of the same educational escape room were conducted: one in-class and one remotely. Both experiences were evaluated by means of three different instruments: (1) a pre-test and a post-test for measuring learning gains, (2) a questionnaire for assessing students’ perceptions, and (3) a web platform for recording student interaction data during the activities. The results obtained suggest that, although remote educational escape rooms for learning programming can be as engaging as their face-to-face counterparts, their learning effectiveness is somewhat lower.

14 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the use of educational video games in an online course in MOOC format with the aim of developing teachers' digital competence in the e-safety area.
Abstract: There is a clear need to promote motivating and effective training actions for the development of teachers’ digital competence, especially in the area of e-safety. Although educational video game-based learning has proven effective to improve motivation and learning outcomes, the existing evidence about its effectiveness for the development of teachers’ digital competence is very limited. This study examines the use of educational video games in an online course in MOOC format with the aim of developing teachers’ digital competence in the e-safety area. A total of 179 teachers from nonuniversity schools in the region of Castilla y Leon (Spain) participated in this study. A pre-test and a post-test were used to measure the knowledge acquired by the participants, and a questionnaire was used to measure their perceptions. The obtained results suggest that game-based learning using educational video games is an effective and viable approach to train teachers in the e-safety area of digital competence.

7 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article , the authors use sequence mining methods to analyze the temporal and sequential aspects of the activities carried out by students during these novel educational games and further use clustering to identify different player profiles according to the sequential unfolding of students' actions and analyze how these profiles relate to knowledge acquisition.
Abstract: Learning analytics methods have proven useful in providing insights from the increasingly available digital data about students in a variety of learning environments, including serious games. However, such methods have not been applied to the specific context of educational escape rooms and therefore little is known about students' behavior while playing. The present work aims to fill the gap in the existing literature by showcasing the power of learning analytics methods to reveal and represent students' behavior when participating in a computer-supported educational escape room. Specifically, we make use of sequence mining methods to analyze the temporal and sequential aspects of the activities carried out by students during these novel educational games. We further use clustering to identify different player profiles according to the sequential unfolding of students' actions and analyze how these profiles relate to knowledge acquisition. Our results show that students' behavior differed significantly in their use of hints in the escape room and resulted in differences in their knowledge acquisition levels.

7 citations

References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is concluded that more systematic, detailed research is needed in a broader range of contexts on the benefits and challenges associated with the use of an ARS.
Abstract: Audience response systems (ARSs) permit students to answer electronically displayed multiple choice questions using a remote control device. All responses are instantly presented, in chart form, then reviewed and discussed by the instructor and the class. A brief history of ARSs is offered including a discussion of the 26 labels used to identify this technology. Next a detailed review of 67 peer-reviewed papers from 2000 to 2007 is offered presenting the benefits and challenges associated with the use of an ARS. Key benefits for using ARSs include improvements to the classroom environment (increases in attendance, attention levels, participation and engagement), learning (interaction, discussion, contingent teaching, quality of learning, learning performance), and assessment (feedback, formative, normative). The biggest challenges for teachers in using ARSs are time needed to learn and set up the ARS technology, creating effective ARS questions, adequate coverage of course material, and ability to respond to instantaneous student feedback. Student challenges include adjusting to a new method of learning, increased confusion when multiple perspectives are discussed, and negative reactions to being monitored. It is concluded that more systematic, detailed research is needed in a broader range of contexts.

632 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Outcomes of research that examined students’ experience using a game-based student response system, Kahoot!, in an Information Systems Strategy and Governance course at a research-intensive teaching university in New Zealand revealed that Kahoot! enriched the quality of student learning in the classroom.
Abstract: Technology is being increasingly integrated into teaching environments in view of enhancing students’ engagement and motivation. In particular, game-based student response systems have been found to foster students’ engagement, enhance classroom dynamics and improve overall students’ learning experience. This article presents outcomes of research that examined students’ experience using a game-based student response system, Kahoot!, in an Information Systems Strategy and Governance course at a research-intensive teaching university in New Zealand. We conducted semi-structured interviews with students to learn about the extent to which Kahoot! influence classroom dynamics, motivation and students’ learning process. Key findings revealed that Kahoot! enriched the quality of student learning in the classroom, with the highest influence reported on classroom dynamics, engagement, motivation and improved learning experience. Our findings also suggest that the use of educational games in the classroom is likely to minimise distractions, thereby improving the quality of teaching and learning beyond what is provided in conventional classrooms. Other factors that contributed to students’ enhanced learning included the creation and integration of appropriate content in Kahoot!, providing students with timely feedback, and game-play (gamification) strategies.

235 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is revealed that knowledge domain, class size, and the use of clicker questions, are among factors that significantly moderated the summary effect sizes observed among the studies in the meta-analysis.
Abstract: Audience Response Systems (ARS) are thought to be a good way of using technology to increase engagement in the classroom and have been widely adopted by many instructors seeking to improve academic performance through student engagement. While researchers have examined the degree to which they promote cognitive and non-cognitive learning outcomes in the classroom, most of their findings are largely mixed and inconclusive. This meta-analysis seeks to resolve the conflicting findings. Specifically, the meta-analysis compared classrooms that did, and did not use ARS-based technologies on different cognitive and non-cognitive learning outcomes to examine the potential effects of using ARS. Overall, we found small but significant effects of using ARS-based technologies on a number of desirable cognitive and non-cognitive learning outcomes. Further analysis revealed that knowledge domain, class size, and the use of clicker questions, are among factors that significantly moderated the summary effect sizes observed among the studies in the meta-analysis. These findings hold significant implication for the implementation of clicker-based technologies in the classroom. Clickers have a small but significant effect on cognitive learning outcomes.Clickers have a near medium effect on non-cognitive learning outcomes.These effects are moderated by a number of moderators.Findings have implication for instructional design and research.

197 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The diabetes escape room proved to be a valuable educational game that increased students’ knowledge of diabetes mellitus disease management and showed a positive perceived overall value by student participants.
Abstract: Objective. To design an educational game that will increase third-year professional pharmacy students' knowledge of diabetes mellitus disease management and to evaluate their perceived value of the game. Methods. Faculty members created an innovative educational game, the diabetes escape room. An authentic escape room gaming environment was established through the use of a locked room, an escape time limit, and game rules within which student teams completed complex puzzles focused on diabetes disease management. To evaluate the impact, students completed a pre-test and post-test to measure the knowledge they've gained and a perception survey to identify moderating factors that could help instructors improve the game's effectiveness and utility. Results. Students showed statistically significant increases in knowledge after completion of the game. A one-sample t-test indicated that students' mean perception was statistically significantly higher than the mean value of the evaluation scale. This statically significant result proved that this gaming act offers a potential instructional benefit beyond its novelty. Conclusion. The diabetes escape room proved to be a valuable educational game that increased students' knowledge of diabetes mellitus disease management and showed a positive perceived overall value by student participants.

186 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The study findings demonstrated that the scientific research methods academic achievement x student engagement x group interaction model (Wilks's lambda = . × group interaction model ) led to a difference in academic achievement and student engagement.
Abstract: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the reflections of gamification activities that are used as a formative assessment tool based on academic achievement and student engagement in learning environments. It was also aimed to investigate whether the utilization of the gamification tool led to a difference in academic achievement and student engagement. Three research groups were determined; two experimental groups where 7E instructional model gamified with Kahoot and Quizizz was implemented and a control group where conventional 7E instruction method was implemented. The groups were determined by random assignment of 97 pre-service teachers who took scientific research methods course in the 2017–2018 academic year spring semester. However, since only 71 of the assigned pre-service teachers voluntarily participated in the study, the study data included 71 pre-service teachers. At the beginning and the end of the six-week-long instruction activities, the academic achievement test and student engagement scale on the content instructed in the six-week-long scientific research methods course were applied. Furthermore, in-depth views of pre-service teachers were obtained with focus group interviews. Therefore, the study was conducted with mixed design principles. The study findings demonstrated that the scientific research methods academic achievement x student engagement × group interaction model (Wilks's lambda = .819, F[2, 66] = 7.301, p

161 citations