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Darn It Professor...!

Using the Escape Room Format for Information Literacy -- A Hands On Workshop Presented at The Collective, Spring 2019

Assessment

Why Assess?black and white image includes three boxes stacked with bold check mark in the first two

Assessment determines whether your learning objectives are being met and measures participants' changes in skills, knowledge, and attitudes. Assessment is integral to both library instruction and outreach efforts and is a meaningful way to demonstrate to stakeholders the impact of your Escape Room experience! The quantitative and qualitative data gathered via assessment can be used to craft a narrative and give context to how your Escape Room factors into your library's instruction and outreach initiatives. 

Types of Assessment

Assessment Option Breakdowns

  • Surveys or Post-Tests
    • Aimed at assessing gains in knowledge or skills
    • Best in digital format, eg Qualtrics
    • Best chance of participation if an instructor or other point of authority is encouraging participation
  • Brief Surveys
    • Usually attitudinal 
    • Easily delivered directly following the activity
  • In-Game Observations
    • Relatively unobtrusive way to immediately gauge whether participants are achieving learning objectives 
  • Anecdotal Feedback
    • Especially useful for capturing candid, shareable blurbs
  • Post-Game Discussions
    • Provide in-depth data about how participants perceived the experience
    • Create opportunities for further learning and critical reflection

Sample Assessment

Sample Reflection Questions

Form of Assessment for any Escape Game Format
  1. How is solving puzzles in a game like this similar to solving problems/puzzles in real life (research projects, writing a paper, etc.)?
  2. Why would your professor require you to use a variety of source types for your research? (know how the difference between primary and secondary sources, know how to use CRAAP Test to evaluate your sources, etc.)? 
  3. What was the most challenging puzzle during today's game? Why do you think it was the most challenging?
  4. What was the easiest puzzle during today's game? Why do you think it was the easiest?
  5. Describe something new that you learned because of the game.
  6. What was the greatest strength of your team? What was your team's weakness and how did you overcome it? 
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​ All materials prepared for and directly part of this guide are made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike (CC-BY-NC-SA) license.