Unlocking the Potential of Puzzle-based Learning: Designing escape rooms and games for the classroom

by Scott Nicholson, Liz Cable

Discover the educational power of puzzle-based learning. Understand the principles of effective game design, the power of well-crafted narratives and how different game mechanics can support varied learning objectives. Applying escape room concepts to the classroom, this book offers practical advice on how to create immersive, collaborative learning experiences for your students without the need for expensive resources and tools. Packed with examples, including a full sample puzzle game for you to use with your students, this book is a primer for classroom teachers on designing robust learning activities using problem-solving principles.

189 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 16, 2020

About the author

Dr. Scott Nicholson is an Associate Professor at Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies and the Director of the Because Play Matters game lab. His areas of interest include meaningful gamification and the creation of transformative games for informal learning and training. During the 2011-2012 academic year, he was a visiting professor at MIT in Comparative Media Studies and the GAMBIT game lab. Dr. Nicholson is a published board game designer, wrote the book Everyone Plays at the Library, and was an academic reference librarian. His research blog is at http://becauseplaymatters.com.

Reviews

[Erik Dewey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It contains many examples (including an entire escape-room activity in the back) and I liked the comparison of a standard escape room experience versus one with learning objectives in mind.

If you are looking at building some escape room activities into your curriculum, then this is the book you want.

[Liz Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting, and a good starting point for me as I consider using escape rooms in class this year.