LAUSR

A post-activity survey revealed 87% of students strongly agreed on its usefulness for knowledge consolidation, application of high-yield concepts, and capturing their attention. Faculty observers indicated that students were highly engaged and motivated to work as a team to solve the puzzles and be the first ones to escape and win the game. Although this activity was very successful, there were limitations. First, in gamifying the CBL experience, some students indicated that they felt rushed in answering the puzzles rather than taking their time to enjoy the exercise. Second, the instructional design process compared to traditional CBL lessons required triple the amount of dedicated hours. However, the team determined that the investment of time paid off especially as the escape room programming will be used for future exercises. Third, the pilot was non-mandatory and conducted virtually, therefore students who participated likely had a positive bias towards games. Upon return to in-person small-group CBL, the session was mandatory and showed the same success rate. Virtual escape rooms serve as a unique alternative to traditional smallgroup CBL that can be used worldwide. The novelty of the experience helps to capture student attention while aligning to curriculum objectives. Given the positive response from students and faculty, the current example will continue to be integrated into the course and the programming will be used to create additional virtual escape rooms throughout the curriculum. Vania Zayat Andrea Berry Diane D. Davey Melissa Cowan