Journal of Academic Development and Education JADE Issue 11 Summer 2019 | Page 46

Discussion
It’s Time to Play the Game
Reframing a library induction as an escape room
takes the typical induction set-up, which would
not normally involve more than providing students
with knowledge of library services, and provides an
opportunity to deliver an active learning experience
(Petty, 2015) encouraging problem-solving and
critical thinking through engagement with puzzles.
Developing subject specific activities allows for
student role play, such as, playing detective to solve
a mystery – something forensic science students
should find relatable and engaging.
Looking at it in terms of Bloom’s taxonomy of
educational objectives, (as seen from Persaud’s
(2018) guide), knowledge only forms a first level
of cognitive development, so a well-designed
escape room activity can potentially reach higher
levels of learning. Application, in using library
catalogues, reading lists and electronic journals, as
well as analysis in terms of assessing the problem
and puzzles and utilising library and game tools in
a way that will help get to the solution. The final
debrief following the success (or failure) of the
activity provides an opportunity for evaluation and
reflection of the techniques used, the knowledge
gained and the application towards achieving the
goal, making the escape room activity a more
effective learning journey than a standard library
induction.
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Unsurprisingly, using games and game elements
within higher education is not a new concept with
many case studies available of ‘gamified learning’
(Subhash and Cudney, 2018). Gamification is a
term that arises when using games in education,
defined by Deterding, et al. (2011) as, “…the use
of game design elements in non-game contexts.”
(p.1), though gamification is not about designing
games, (Dichev, et al., 2004) but rather using reward
systems familiar to games (badges, awards, points,
achievements). Gamification is often used in retail
marketing to develop loyalty through reward and
incentive schemes and provides rewards driven,
extrinsic motivation to achieve something (Dichev,
et al., 2004), so even if you have never played
games you will be familiar with the systems retailers
use to keep you shopping. In developing the
escape room, I was keen to create something that
relied more on intrinsic motivation, where the love
of the game and the experience and challenge
are the motivators. I set out to develop a game
underpinned by the concept of a subject specific
library induction, which Dichev, et al. (2004) refers
to as ‘gameful design’ – designing gaming activities
for a learning environment.
The Best Laid Plans…
As Liaison and Research Support Librarian, I already
have knowledge of the library services and subject
resources for the areas supported, so the key was to
cover what I normally cover differently. I began by
seeing if other libraries had tried this technique and
a number in America and the UK have, though these