An escape room application in perfetti approach within occupational therapy bachelor’s degree

Abstract

Introduction: The European Higher Education Area brought new challenges to teaching methodology. Gamification and the use of games are considered beneficial to promote learning and improve academic results (Bermejo, Rodríguez & García, 2019; López Raventós, 2016; Rodríguez & Santiago, 2015). However, there is a lack of studies, particularly in degrees of health area (Da Silva, Faro, Alves & Morais, 2017, 2019; Perrier Melo, R. J., Brito Gomes, J., Melo de Oliveira, S. F. & da Cunha Costa, 2016). Objectives: to evaluate the effect of an escape room experience as a learning method in Occupational therapy Bachelor’s degree students. Method: a pilot study was performed. The escape room based on a clinical method was developed to work in the classroom. 50 participants were given 10 minutes to solve puzzles and riddles. A Google Form design questionnaire evaluated the level of participant’s satisfaction. Kahoot! formative tool was used to provide instant feedback and as part of the game-based learning design. Results: 62.5% of participants considered a very good idea the use of an escape room as a learning method while 55% thought it was also very helpful to integrate concepts. 65% felt it was a very good method to enhance participation in the classroom. And 97.5% of students would like to repeat the experience to reinforce knowledge. An improvement of 0.66 points was found in the students marks with regard to previous academic year with no gamification experience. Conclusion: The experience of an escape room applied to a teaching-learning process is more motivating and might help consolidate knowledge.