Does a virtual escape room teach hepatitis better?
A hepatitis-themed virtual escape room raised pharmacy students' immediate knowledge scores across campuses.
Source
Implementation of a hepatitis-themed virtual escape room in pharmacy education: A pilot study
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Does a virtual escape room teach hepatitis better?
These passages occur verbatim in the stored paper text. They support the points listed below; they do not verify every statement in the explanation.
418 students participated
A total of 418 students (132 and 286 students from Malaysian and Australian campuses, respectively) participated in the virtual escape room game activity that was conducted in May 2022.
388 students completed pre-intervention assessment (92.8% response rate)
Out of this cohort, 388 students completed the pre-intervention assessment (92.8% response rate) and 337 students completed the post-intervention assessment, corresponding to a response rate of 80.6%.
What they did
Pharmacy educators built Hepatitiscape, a timed virtual escape-room game on hepatitis concepts, and ran it with Year 3 students on Malaysian and Australian campuses. Students completed knowledge assessments before and after the activity, and a subset answered a perception survey about the game experience.
What they found
Hundreds of students joined the May 2022 activity; most completed pre and post assessments. Average knowledge scores rose by a statistically significant margin after the game, with similar patterns across subgroups. Student survey responses described the activity as engaging, and end-of-semester hepatitis item averages were comparable to the prior year's workshop cohort.
The limits
What it doesn't show
This pilot cannot prove long-term retention or clinical performance gains. Campus samples and response rates differ between pre and post surveys, and comparison with the prior year's exam item is observational rather than a randomised controlled trial.
Key terms
- Gamification
- Using game elements such as goals, puzzles, and teamwork in a non-game academic setting to boost engagement.
- Virtual escape room
- A timed digital puzzle activity in which teams solve challenges to 'escape' while reviewing course content.
- Pre/post assessment
- Knowledge tests given before and after an activity to estimate immediate learning change.
- Serious game
- A game designed primarily for learning or training rather than entertainment alone.
- Collaborative learning
- Learning structured so students work together to solve tasks and share understanding.
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Quiz yourself
How many students participated in the May 2022 escape-room activity?
Common questions
How big was the activity cohort?
Four hundred eighteen students participated across Malaysian and Australian campuses.
Did knowledge scores improve?
Yes—average scores rose by 13.39% after the game.
How long did teams have to escape?
Sixty minutes.
Was feedback gathered?
Yes—105 students answered a perception survey about the experience.
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