Online Escape Rooms: Learner Manual

Aims of the tool

The aims of the “Online Escape Rooms: The CO-ART Learner Manual” are to support youth workers, youth leaders, educators and trainers in delivering media-rich and interactive training activities to young people
- by adapting the CO-ART approach of online escape rooms;
- by equipping them with the knowledge, skills, competencies and tools necessary for them to design their own online escape rooms in order to use them in their teaching/learning activities;
- by promoting online escape rooms as an efficient tool to be used for online teaching/learning.

Description of the tool

Educators all over the world have been motivated to incorporate escape rooms in educational settings as a result of the global increase in leisure escape rooms as well as in the context of the recent rise of online learning due to the pandemic. As escape rooms become more and more popular in both formal and non-formal education, there is a need for guidelines on how to create and operate escape rooms in educational contexts. This Manual has been created for exactly that purpose. Education experts will benefit from Manual’s suggestions for designing and implementing escape rooms because these new learning environments will help students gain knowledge and abilities more effectively. In contrast to recreational escape rooms, players in educational escape rooms must complete educational objectives in order to advance in the game. This manual has laid out how to align the game mechanics and educational learning objectives and outcomes in 4 different sections.
• The first section is about Online Escape Rooms. More precisely, the concept of online escape rooms includes the same principles as the physical escape rooms, but instead of escaping an actual room, learners, individually or in groups, are required to solve a series of clues to unlock the next challenges, solve the puzzles and reach specific learning outcomes online. The advantage of ER is that everyone can take part from the comfort of their own home – or an office, a local coffee shop, library or anywhere else. All that is needed to participate is a computer or a smartphone and an internet connection.

• The second section is focused on the Co-Art Approach. Meaning, on the skills and competencies currently in demand among young unemployed Culture and Creative Sector (CCS) workers and aspiring (art) entrepreneurs. Taking that into account the scope of CO-ART escape room activities has been based on two learning frameworks – The Entrepreneurship Competence Framework (ENTRECOMP) and The Digital Competence Framework for Citizens (DIGCOMP 2.1). Each of the framework's centers around a set of specific skills, competences and attitudes that are relevant for the personal and professional development of individuals.

• The third section tells us how to design an escape room step by step, with the question “why”, “what” and “how”. Posing the question “Why?” will assure learning objectives and expected learning outcomes are properly set to make an escape room not just a fun game, but also a meaningful learning experience. The question “What?” allows to specify topics and particular knowledge necessary for learners to succeed in a learning journey. A clear storyline is required to make the learning content relevant for young learners. By asking “How?” you ensure the learning experience is well-structured, easy to follow and sequences just like real-life escape rooms are. This is the main phase of technical design which ensures gamification is in place. Significantly, it includes testing as a necessary element of digital escape room quality assurance.

• Section 4 presents the approach designed within the CO-ART project for training youth workers, youth leaders, educators and trainers in developing, testing and piloting one’s own online escape rooms.