Online Approaches for Implementing a Digital Escape Room with Preservice Teachers
Kalianne L. Neumann, Frances Alvarado–Albertorio, Andrea Ramírez‐Salgado
Abstract
Digital escape rooms can transform any lesson into an engaging learning environment. This article describes the implementation of a digital escape room in an undergraduate educational technology course for preservice teachers. The digital escape room was designed and developed using a 10-step process and covered the topic of gamification. Typically, this activity is facilitated during a face-to-face class meeting; however, instructors were required to modify the activity when the university transitioned to online learning in response to COVID-19. The purpose of the study was to explore the process of implementing the digital escape room using two different approaches to online instruction: synchronous and asynchronous. Preliminary findings suggest that replicating the activity in a synchronous setting is similar to a face-to-face environment, whereas students in the asynchronous setting may need more reading comprehension support. Implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed.