Escape the Desert Island: Blended Escape Rooms in the First-Semester Problem-Based Learning

Educational escape rooms are immersive puzzle-based games that rely on teamwork skills in problem-solving, critical thinking, and communication. This paper describes the development of desert island themed escape rooms in a blended learning environment using physical and online puzzles that were hosted on Genially. The blended escape rooms were designed to introduce terms and concepts in pharmaceutical chemistry of drugs to first-year students while breaking the ice by fostering rapport, camaraderie, and teamwork at the beginning of their first-semester problem-based learning (PBL) session. Game designs, pitfalls, logistics, and costs involved in developing these blended escape rooms are described in detail. Student feedback indicated that the games were effective in reviewing information related to the PBL and helped them feel more confident before starting the PBL session.