Digital escape rooms – 9 reasons to love them

What are digital escape rooms?

Digital escape rooms involve the solving of problems to unlock digital locks in an attempt to ‘escape’. 

They usually start with a scenario and an initial task. Once that task is solved it provides the key (usually a code or number) to get to the next task. This continues until the last task or puzzle is solved and students are able to ‘escape’.

Often digital escape rooms are set up in form such as a Google Form. Each task is presented individually and a specific code needs to be entered correctly in order to reveal the next task. 

Why use digital escape rooms?

Student benefits

1. Digital escape rooms promote collaboration

For any teacher, the sound of engaged excitement and chatter is music to the ears. A word of warning – this can get loud during digital escape rooms! Students love to work together so they can get through each challenge. For competitive classes, I also recommend setting up a timer at the front of the room so students can race. 

2. Digital escape rooms promote problem-solving and critical and creative thinking

The tasks provided are usually varied. Some may appear like normal task cards, while others involve a little more problem-solving or critical and creative thinking. 

3. Digital escape rooms are fun and engaging

Digital escape rooms are fun! Students are engaged because they love to be challenged by the scenario. They love the new and different format of the lesson. They enjoy working with their peers as they learn.

Teacher benefits

4. No marking

Why leave the best till last? Any activity that means no marking has my vote! 

In digital escape rooms, students need to enter the correct answer before they can move on. This means it is automatically marked as they go. If they get the answer wrong they know to go back and check their work. 

5. Full teacher answers included 

Just in case students are struggling, teacher answers can be helpful to guide them in the right direction. Make sure if you are purchasing digital escape rooms that teacher answers are provided for this exact situation. Sometimes the difference of a capital letter or space can make all the difference in a digital form. 

6. Cheap 

With no need to buy locks or materials all you need to pay for is the escape room activity itself. Usually around $4 – 8 these are great value!

7. No prep

Any resource that doesn’t require me to do more work or preparation is an absolute win! Digital escape rooms generally only require that you share a link or access to students and the rest is done for you.

8. Can be used each year

Digital escape rooms can be used year after year, or class after class. 

9. It can be used in a wide range of environments

Being digital, these activities are highly versatile and can be used in any learning environment with internet access. This includes the classroom, online learning, homeschooling and distance education.

Digital escape rooms vs normal escape rooms

Normal escape rooms are similar in that they have a scenario, task cards, a way to get out and escape. It is usually the way to get out that is the difference. These are generally some kind of physical lock or key that unlocks a box or clue. 

Students love both kinds of escape rooms. However, I prefer digital ones. Why?

1. They are cheaper

The first time I went about setting up a hands-on digital escape room I severely underestimated the cost involved in buying the different locks and keys and equipment. Even to do one with only 6 task cards, that means 5 different “locks” for each group participating. In a class size of 28+ students that is a lot of materials and a big expense. 

To buy a decent digital escape room you’re looking at around $4 – 8. These escape rooms can be used by every group and can be used again and again each year or class. This is a much more affordable option.

2. They are less preparation

The preparation involved in setting up a hands-on escape room is intense. It isn’t as simple as printing the task cards. You need to think about how each task will be unlocked, set up the materials in the specific order for each group, and think about how each group will move around the classroom. 

Digital escape rooms are (generally) no or little prep. For those I create, a link is shared with the students and away they go!

3. They can be used in a wider variety of situations

Digital escape rooms can be used for online learning, homeschooling, classroom or distance education situations. They are so versatile and don’t require teacher set-up. 

Things to look for when purchasing Digital Escape Rooms:

1. What you need to make it work

Is it just internet required? Do students need to log into a particular program or site? Do you need particular software on your devices? 

2. Full teacher answers 

You want to make sure that full teacher answers are included in case there are any issues with digital technology. This makes troubleshooting easier and also helps you feel prepared for the lesson.

3. Cost

Different teachers will have different budgets. However, it’s important to keep in mind that a digital escape room is just one lesson. An awesome lesson! But still just one. For me, I wouldn’t want to spend over $5 for one lesson. Knowing how many hours of preparation go into creating just one digital escape room I definitely believe up to $8 is very reasonable. But being on the teacher side of this too I also know you will have other lessons and topics you may need to buy resources for. 

4. Content

Make sure the content is suitable for your class topic and grade level. While the product should have this clearly stated in the product description, once purchased you should also go through the answers and tasks and check that you have covered all parts. Don’t fret if there is one term or section you haven’t covered. You can either cover it in a lesson leading up to the digital escape room, or you can choose to provide the students with the answer for that part. 

Where can they be purchased?

A quick Google search brings up a lot of places you can find digital escape rooms. Pinterest is also a great place to look for escape rooms for a particular topic. 

My science digital escape rooms, and other high quality options for various subjects, can be found on Teachers Pay Teachers or Amped Up Learning. 

Conclusion

Digital escape rooms are an excellent tool to use in any learning environment. 

Have you used digital escape rooms before? Let us know what you thought in the comments below!