Escape-to-Learn-Exploring-Non-linear-Puzzle-Based-Learning-in-Computing-Education

Welcome to the repository for the Escape-to-Learn project. This repository hosts resources, activities, and collaboration guidelines for participants.

Escape-to-Learn: Exploring Non-linear Puzzle-Based Learning in Computing Education

Introduction

Escape room-inspired activities are gaining popularity in education due to their immersive and engaging nature. However, most implementations are linear and centrally controlled, limiting their pedagogical depth. While physical escape rooms offer richer experiences, they are costly and impractical to scale.

This project explores a scalable alternative: non-linear, digital or hybrid escape room designs embedded within teaching materials. It addresses student disengagement in higher education by investigating whether playful, puzzle-based formats can enhance engagement, enjoyment, and understanding.

Focusing on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) education, the activity builds on an initial implementation and brings educators together to co-develop, trial, and evaluate this approach. The group will share experiences, analyse data, and produce outputs to assess its pedagogical value. Findings may extend to broader computing education contexts. Thus, Exploring scalable, non-linear digital and hybrid escape room-inspired activities to enhance engagement in AI/ML education. This project investigates playful, puzzle-based formats to improve student experience and pedagogical depth in computing education.

For more details, ref to link

📅 Project Activity Timeline

This section includes the project activity and timeline of the project. For a detailed description of the study Activity Timeline, please refer to document: ➡️ RiPPA plan (PDF)

Work Packages

| Work Package | Description | |————–|————-| | WP1. Initiation and Co-Design | - Launch workshop to present aims, theory, and examples.
- Collaborative brainstorming of interventions, ethics, and formats.
- Establish shared understanding and recruit participants. | | WP2. Resource Development and Planning | - Set up shared repository with resources and literature.
- Co-design of instruments (questionnaires, reflection logs).
- Early planning of local puzzle/escape-room activities. | | WP3. Implementation and Data Collection | - Local deployment of activities by participants.
- Collection of student perception data, concept checks (if feasible), and educator reflections. | | WP4. Analysis and Dissemination | - Collation and centralisation of data.
- Cross-site analysis and shared debrief.
- Collaborative writing of paper and toolkit. |

Detailed Plan

Timeline Event / Actor Activity Outcome
4th Sept 2025 Start-up workshop (in-person) - Project leads Present rationale and aims, pedagogic theory, examples, RiPPA plan. Brainstorm potential interventions: study design, ethical considerations, target concepts, student levels, solo vs group, formats (e.g., formative, summative, in-class) etc. Awareness of project scope, initial ideas for interventions, ethical framework (rough), sign-ups
  Participants (1.15 hrs)    
Sep 2025 Follow-up (remote) - Project leads Share collaborative repository; host example resources and literature; invite remote collaboration on survey instruments and educator reflection templates Shared access to tools and ideas, support flexible, context-sensitive adaptations
  Project leads + Participants Begin planning and designing their own puzzle-based activity Early-stage activity plans tailored to local context
Early Oct 2025 Online group meeting 1 (1.5–2 hours) Peer pilot-testing in breakout rooms; finalise student questionnaire; finalise educator reflection log; ethics status updates Refined teaching activities plans, co-designed data collection instruments, peer feedback loop
Oct 2025 Follow-up (Project leads) Share finalised survey instruments; confirm shared data collection procedures Ready-to-use materials for participants, almost ready-to-use activities for students
  All participants Design puzzle-based activities; remote collaboration and support; ethics updates  
Early Nov 2025 Online group meeting 2 (1.5–2 hours) Report on ethics approval; final troubleshooting before deployment Refined activities and deployment plan, final update of local ethics approval
Nov 2025 All participants Final adjustments  
Dec 2025 Online group meeting 3 (1.5–2 hours) Wrap up the term Finalised activities and deployment plan, clear timeline for implementation, final thoughts
Feb–Apr 2026 All participants Implement escape-room/puzzle-based activities; collect student perception data, concept checks (if feasible), performance data (if linked to assessment); log reflections and challenges Local implementations documented, data collection aligned to shared framework
May–June 2026 Online group meeting 4 (1.5–2 hours) Debrief session; share initial data insights; discuss publication pathways and authorship Collaborative planning for outputs
  Follow-up (Project leads) Collate, clean, and centralise data; maintain shared data repository Dataset for cross-site analysis
June–Aug 2026 Project leads + collaborators Draft collaborative paper/toolkit; iterate on drafts via shared Overleaf Final output ready for dissemination (e.g., journal article, toolkit)

Workload Estimate

Estimated 25–35 hours across 9–12 months (may vary by pace and activities).

Timeframe Activity (Participant role) Estimated Time
4 Sept 2025 Attend start-up workshop (in-person) ~1 hr
Sep 2025 Explore repository, review resources, draft ideas ~3–4 hrs
Early Oct 2025 Online meeting 1 (pilot-testing, instruments) ~2 hrs
Oct 2025 Refinements, feedback ~2–3 hrs
  Design local puzzle activity, start ethics process ~4–5 hrs
Early Nov 2025 Online meeting 2 (ethics updates, troubleshooting) ~2 hrs
Nov 2025 Final adjustments, admin ~2–3 hrs
Dec 2025 Online meeting 3 (wrap-up) ~2 hrs
Feb–Apr 2026 Implement activity, collect data ~4–5 hrs
May–June 2026 Online meeting 4 (debrief, outputs planning) ~2 hrs
June–Aug 2026 Contribute to collaborative paper/toolkit ~4–5 hrs

Core commitment (must-do): ~20–25 hrs across one academic year
Extended commitment (with co-authorship and toolkit work): ~25–35 hrs

Research Protocol

For a detailed description of the study design, methodology, ethics, evaluation, and dissemination plans, please refer to our full protocol document: ➡️ Research Protocol (PDF)

This document includes:

This file serves as the reference blueprint for anyone looking to understand or contribute.

Literature and Studies on Puzzle-Based and Escape Room Learning

This document lists relevant studies, articles, and resources related to puzzle-based learning, escape rooms in education, gamification, and non-linear pedagogies.

This list will continue to expand as more studies on puzzle-based and escape-room learning are identified.

Tools and Resources

The following tools, hubs, and examples support the design and implementation of puzzle-based and escape-room style educational activities.
These were collated from the reference document tools and resources.txt.

Hubs / Conference / Groups

Sign Up and Complete Form

Using QR
RiPPASignupFormQR
Signup Form

More Information

For any questions, contact

  1. Salma ElSayed - s.elsayed@abertay.ac.uk
  2. Marwan Mohammed - m.mohammed@abertay.ac.uk

Contributing

We welcome contributions from anyone interested in developing puzzle-based and escape-room style learning activities.

Before contributing, please review our collaboration guide:
➡️ repository_team_guide.txt

This file explains:

Following this guide will ensure smooth collaboration across the team.