3.2. Setting 2: Digital escape room in collaborative learning

Popular recreational games, escape rooms, can be adapted and used in the educational context. This interesting, engaging, and collaborative activity can be used to introduce the new content, as an activity for reflection on the previously received input, or the assessment of knowledge or skills. The intention of the activity is to increase motivation, improve learning and develop collaboration (Veldkamp et al., 2020). The literature has described escape room settings in various fields, for instance, medicine, chemistry, mathematics, history, English, physics (Veldkamp et al., 2020). The game consists of a challenging story, formulated as a mission that students need to achieve in a short time. During the mission, they solve various clues and puzzles that lead them to the final clue which is the exit of the game.

The digital escape room can be performed synchronously and asynchronously (Neumann et al., 2020). Playing the escape room synchronously the educator introduces the game at the beginning of the meeting and divides the students into breakout rooms. In the asynchronous approach, the educator can introduce the game with a brief video and explain the mission and process. In both approaches is important to offer support, monitor the development of the game, to react and answer the challenges that may occur.

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