Can university teachers escape curriculum planning? Reflections on building and experiencing an educational escape room in university pedagogy training

Abstract

Due to their interactive and engaging nature, escape rooms have increasingly been used not only for recreational purposes but also in various educational contexts. This study explores the design and implementation of an educational escape room in university pedagogy, a discipline lacking prior studies on utilising escape rooms. The escape room focused on curriculum planning and employed the principles of constructive alignment. Feedback from university teachers and doctoral students (N = 25) was collected via a questionnaire and analysed using data-driven content analysis. Results indicate high engagement and perceived educational value in terms of revision, with recommendations for future applications targeting basic-level studies and including smaller groups sizes and more homogenous groups.