Escape the Traditional Classroom: Using Live-Action Games to Engage Students and Strengthen Concept Retention

Abstract

A constant challenge for faculty is to gain and to hold student interest so that substantive learning can occur. One way to achieve this is through the use of games. This article describes an escape room activity for the classroom that is modeled after commercial escape rooms. This fun, single-session team dynamics exercise can be used in an organizational behavior class or be easily adapted to other disciplines and courses. Research shows—and our survey results confirm—that games capture student attention, motivate them, and support learning when connected to specific outcomes. Furthermore, both the competitive element of the activity and the offer of a reward produced a stronger motivation for students to prepare for class and engage with the content. The additional preparation time required to create this novel activity will engage students, anchor class learning, and create readiness for understanding course concepts.