Virtual Reality Escape Rooms for STEM Education in Industry 4.0: Greek Teachers Perspectives
Stylianos Mystakidis, George Papantzikos, Chrysostomos Stylios
Abstract
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills comprise a crucial meta-discipline for success in the 21 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">st</sup> 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.