Pushing active learning into assessment with a genetics escape-room final: Gamification to develop team skills in STEM, on ground and online

Abstract

Upper-level, undergraduate STEM courses, which often integrate several disciplines, turn comprehensive finals from assessment tools into torturous hurdles. To extend the benefits of active learning to assessment, we transformed a comprehensive, 300-level Genetics final into a team-based escape room, operable both on ground and online. Quantitative and qualitative data support that this gamification and mastery-based approach in biology significantly improved students’ team skills, problem solving ability, courage to speak up, leadership, eased their stress, and furthered student learning while remaining a valuable assessment tool. A detailed description of student activities is presented for generalization of exam gamification to other STEM disciplines.