An escape room is created around a story with various challenges students must complete to "escape" from that room. Physical escape rooms are common as entertainment venues and are enjoyed by many in multiple age groups. Participants generally work together as a group to solve the puzzles that must be completed to discover a code or key to unlock the physical space and escape within a given time frame. This activity is well-suited for educational environments where subject-specific challenges can be designed to test a student's knowledge or require critical thinking to solve. An alternative to a physical escape room is a digital one which can be created for online delivery. This type of activity may be designed for group or individual participation. The advantages of an online escape room are the elimination of physical spaces and items, the ability to modify easily, and the option to add to a course in BlueLine. In addition, this type of activity can be more engaging for students.
The biggest challenge in creating any educational escape room is determining what content will be used for the puzzles and how it will relate to the activity's objectives. Another challenge is determining what tools to use to create it. Fortunately, Google has several tools that make this possible, including Google Sites, Forms, Slides, Docs, and Sheets. Besides the advantage of being free, the Google tools are available from any computer when you log in to your Google account. This guide provides resources on how creating an online escape room may be accomplished.
The first step is creating a Google account if you still need one. You may sign up for one at: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/27441?hl=en. Once you have signed up, you will have access to a Gmail email account as well as the Google tools previously mentioned.
Select the links on the left to learn more about the tools used and how to put them all together for an online escape.
NOTE: When creating an online escape room, be sure to consider accessibility issues that may occur. You can also contact us at the IDEA Hub to help create one. 402-280-3646 or kathycraig@creighton.edu.