{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,23]],"date-time":"2026-10-23T20:56:19Z","timestamp":1792788979659,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789516800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Bristol Institute for Learning and Teaching (BILT) at the University of Bristol","id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/0524sp257","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Active learning approaches are increasingly used to enhance student engagement and support meaningful learning in higher education, particularly in content-heavy disciplines such as microbiology. This study evaluates MicrobEscape Room, a microbiology-focused escape room-based activity designed as a collaborative revision activity for first-year undergraduate students. The game was co-created with undergraduate student partners to ensure alignment with learning objectives, such as teamwork, communication, retrieval of microbiology knowledge, and appropriate difficulty calibration. The activity integrates a story-based approach and problem-based tasks that require teams to solve microbiology-related puzzles across a sequence of escape boxes. The activity was implemented across three academic cohorts (2022\u20132025), with a total of 118 student questionnaires collected, along with informal oral feedback and observational data. Quantitative outcomes were analysed descriptively using 0\u201310 rating scales, and qualitative responses were summarised using free-text descriptors. Results indicate consistently high student ratings for organisation, clarity, demonstrator support, and peer interaction. Students reported high levels of sociability and team building, as well as positive engagement with microbiology content. Ratings of enjoyment exceeded perceived educational value, although students consistently identified the activity as both fun and educational. Observations further highlighted a collaborative and interactive learning environment supported by the structured classroom setup. These findings suggest that MicrobEscape Room is a feasible and well-received revision strategy that promotes engagement, collaboration, and active learning behaviours in large undergraduate cohorts. The co-creation approach and alignment of game design with disciplinary learning objectives appear to support student\u2019s reported engagement and perceived value of the activity. While this study focuses on student perceptions, future work should incorporate objective measures of learning outcomes to evaluate the impact of escape room approaches on academic performance.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1894195","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T05:32:33Z","timestamp":1789536753000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Unlocking microbiology revision: MicrobEscape Room as a playful, team-based active learning activity for undergraduate students"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Isabel","family":"Murillo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol","place":["Bristol, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Emma","family":"Steveson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol","place":["Bristol, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laura","family":"Wright","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol","place":["Bristol, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lydia","family":"Mason","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol","place":["Bristol, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"966","DOI":"10.1126\/science.1152408","article-title":"The critical importance of retrieval for learning","volume":"319","author":"Karpicke","year":"2008","journal-title":"Science"},{"key":"ref2","volume-title":"Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom","author":"Bonwell","year":"1991"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"8410","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1319030111","article-title":"Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics","volume":"111","author":"Freeman","year":"2014","journal-title":"Proc Natl Acad Sci"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"6476","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1916903117","article-title":"Active learning narrows achievement gaps for underrepresented students in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and math","volume":"117","author":"Theobald","year":"2020","journal-title":"Proc Natl Acad Sci"},{"key":"ref5","first-page":"2425","author":"Deterding","year":"2011"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"fnab101","DOI":"10.1093\/femsle\/fnab101","article-title":"Revising while playing: development and evaluation of the new created microbial pursuit game as a pedagogical tool in higher education","volume":"368","author":"Murillo","year":"2021","journal-title":"FEMS Microbiol Lett"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.23918\/ijsses.v8i4p100","article-title":"Effects of game based learning in comparison of traditional learning to provide effective learning environment- a comparative review","volume":"8","author":"Hafeez","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int J Soc Sci Educ Stud"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"219","DOI":"10.54392\/ajir26114","article-title":"Gamification in higher education: a PRISMA-based systematic review of motivation and engagement outcomes","volume":"9","author":"Tomaylla-Quispe","year":"2026","journal-title":"Asian J Interdiscip Res"},{"key":"ref9","first-page":"1","author":"Villareale","year":"2020"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"768","DOI":"10.3390\/educsci12110768","article-title":"Room2Educ8: a framework for creating educational escape rooms based on design thinking principles","volume":"12","author":"Fotaris","year":"2022","journal-title":"Educ Sci"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2849","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.jchemed.0c00612","article-title":"Physical and digital educational escape room for teaching chemical bonding","volume":"97","author":"Ang","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Chem Educ"},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"544","DOI":"10.1186\/s12909-021-02973-5","article-title":"A collaborative escape room as gamification strategy to increase learning motivation and develop curricular skills of occupational therapy students","volume":"21","author":"Dugnol-Men\u00e9ndez","year":"2021","journal-title":"BMC Med Educ"},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e30004","DOI":"10.1097\/md.0000000000030004","article-title":"Nursing students\u2019 experience using an escape room for training clinical skills and competencies on emergency care: a qualitative observational study","volume":"101","author":"G\u00f3mez-Urquiza","year":"2022","journal-title":"Medicine"},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"11229","DOI":"10.15766\/mep_2374-8265.11229","article-title":"An escape room to orient preclinical medical students to the simulated medical environment","volume":"18","author":"Martin","year":"2022","journal-title":"MedEdPORTAL"},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1506","DOI":"10.1186\/s12909-024-06512-w","article-title":"Escaping the ordinary: a review of escape rooms in medical and veterinary education","volume":"24","author":"Nowbuth","year":"2024","journal-title":"BMC Med Educ"},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"4587","DOI":"10.3390\/su13084587","article-title":"Digital escape rooms as innovative pedagogical tools in education: a systematic literature review","volume":"13","author":"Makri","year":"2021","journal-title":"Sustainability"},{"key":"ref17","article-title":"Escape rooms in education: A practical guide","author":"Morris","year":"2020"},{"key":"ref18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"212","DOI":"10.1207\/s15430421tip4104_2","article-title":"A revision of bloom\u2019s taxonomy: an overview","volume":"41","author":"Krathwohl","year":"2002","journal-title":"Theory Into Pract"},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"622860","DOI":"10.3389\/feduc.2021.622860","article-title":"Beyond the early adopters: escape rooms in science education","volume":"6","author":"Veldkamp","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front Educ"},{"key":"ref20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"308","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-030-92934-3_31","article-title":"Bloom taxonomy, serious games and lean learning: what do these topics have in common?","volume":"610","author":"Witeck","year":"2022","journal-title":"IFIP Adv Inf Commun Technol"},{"key":"ref21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1080\/20004508.2025.2476271","article-title":"Grepperud P. Educational escape games in primary and secondary education: a framework synthesis review","author":"Grepperud","year":"2025","journal-title":"Education Inquiry,"},{"key":"ref22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"169","DOI":"10.1080\/20004508.2020.1860284","article-title":"A review on use of escape rooms in education \u2013 touching the void","volume":"13","author":"Taraldsen","year":"2022","journal-title":"Educ Inq"},{"key":"ref23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"347","DOI":"10.1007\/bf00138871","article-title":"Enhancing teaching through constructive alignment","volume":"32","author":"Biggs","year":"1996","journal-title":"High Educ"},{"key":"ref24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"18","DOI":"10.1177\/1046878120953453","article-title":"Ensuring educational escape-room success: the process of designing, piloting, evaluating, redesigning, and re-evaluating educational escape rooms","volume":"52","author":"Eukel","year":"2020","journal-title":"Simul Gaming"},{"key":"ref25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100364","DOI":"10.1016\/j.edurev.2020.100364","article-title":"Escape education: a systematic review on escape rooms in education","volume":"31","author":"Veldkamp","year":"2020","journal-title":"Educ Res Rev"},{"key":"ref26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"73","DOI":"10.17083\/ijsg.v4i3.180","article-title":"EscapED: a framework for creating educational escape rooms and interactive games to for higher\/further education","volume":"4","author":"Clarke","year":"2017","journal-title":"Int J Serious Games"},{"key":"ref27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1220","DOI":"10.1111\/bjet.12935","article-title":"Escape boxes: bringing escape room experience into the classroom","volume":"51","author":"Veldkamp","year":"2020","journal-title":"Br J Educ Technol"},{"key":"ref28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"79","DOI":"10.1080\/1360144x.2015.1120735","article-title":"Breaking ground and building bridges: a critical reflection on student-faculty partnerships in academic development","volume":"21","author":"Barrineau","year":"2016","journal-title":"Int J Acad Dev"},{"key":"ref29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1080\/1360144x.2016.1124965","article-title":"Cultivating student\u2013staff partnerships through research and practice","volume":"21","author":"Bovill","year":"2016","journal-title":"Int J Acad Dev"},{"key":"ref30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"645","DOI":"10.1007\/s11528-025-01067-z","article-title":"Promoting co-design in learning design research: integrating design-based research, decision-making, and ethnographic approaches","volume":"69","author":"Stefaniak","year":"2025","journal-title":"TechTrends"},{"key":"ref31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1297","DOI":"10.1108\/ijem-08-2021-0317","article-title":"Student roles and behaviors in higher education co-creation \u2013 a systematic literature review","volume":"36","author":"Zarandi","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int J Educ Manag"},{"key":"ref32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.54531\/sash7845","article-title":"An escape room workshop to facilitate peer-to-peer teaching for interprofessional learners","author":"Dickinson","year":"2026","journal-title":"J Healthc Simul"},{"key":"ref33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"128","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-031-86555-8_9","article-title":"A framework for co-design of Edu escape-room aimed at exploring cultural identity","volume":"15420","author":"Szatkowska","year":"2025","journal-title":"Lect Notes Comput Sci"},{"key":"ref34","volume-title":"Mind in Society: Development of Higher Psychological Processes","author":"Vygotsky","year":"1978"},{"key":"ref35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"81","DOI":"10.3102\/003465430298487","article-title":"The power of feedback","volume":"77","author":"Hattie","year":"2007","journal-title":"Rev Educ Res"},{"key":"ref36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"153","DOI":"10.3102\/0034654307313795","article-title":"Focus on formative feedback","volume":"78","author":"Shute","year":"2008","journal-title":"Rev Educ Res"},{"key":"ref37","first-page":"3025","article-title":"Does gamification work? A literature review of empirical studies on gamification. In Proceedings of the 47th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS\u201147)","author":"Hamari","year":"2014"},{"key":"ref38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"661736","DOI":"10.3389\/feduc.2021.661736","article-title":"Creating a supportive classroom environment through effective feedback: effects on students\u2019 school identification and behavioral engagement","volume":"6","author":"Monteiro","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front Educ"},{"key":"ref39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"47","DOI":"10.5204\/ssj.2588","article-title":"Academic-support environment impacts learner affect in higher education","volume":"14","author":"Voisin","year":"2023","journal-title":"Stud Success"},{"key":"ref40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"20","DOI":"10.1080\/13562517.2025.2532461","article-title":"Reimagining the first year experience in higher education through a focus on knowledge engagement","volume":"31","author":"Felby","year":"2026","journal-title":"Teach High Educ"},{"key":"ref41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"16","DOI":"10.63608\/ssj.3852","article-title":"Two decades of transition pedagogy: an integrative framework for conceptual consilience","volume":"16","author":"Kift","year":"2025","journal-title":"Stud Success"},{"key":"ref42","volume-title":"Building Student Engagement and Belonging in Higher Education at a time of change: final Report from the What Works? Student Retention & Success Programme","author":"Thomas","year":"2012"},{"key":"ref43","volume-title":"Building Belonging in Higher Education","author":"Blake","year":"2022"},{"key":"ref44","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"15","DOI":"10.1080\/14703297.2013.770264","article-title":"An investigation of co-created curricula within higher education in the UK, Ireland and the USA","volume":"51","author":"Bovill","year":"2014","journal-title":"Innov Educ Teach Int"},{"key":"ref45","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.15173\/ijsap.v1i1.3119","article-title":"A systematic literature review of students as partners in higher education","volume":"1","author":"Mercer-Mapstone","year":"2017","journal-title":"Int J Stud Partners"},{"key":"ref46","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"114","DOI":"10.3390\/socsci14020114","article-title":"The impact of pedagogical partnership on students\u2019 professional skills and lives","volume":"14","author":"Ourdyl","year":"2025","journal-title":"Soc Sci"},{"key":"ref47","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1242847","DOI":"10.3389\/fphys.2023.1242847","article-title":"Impact of a peer-to-peer escape room activity in the learning of human physiology of medical students from the university of M\u00e1laga","volume":"14","author":"Carrasco-Gomez","year":"2023","journal-title":"Front Physiol"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Public Health"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1894195\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T05:32:35Z","timestamp":1789536755000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1894195\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]]},"references-count":47,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1894195"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1894195","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-2565"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-2565","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]]},"article-number":"1894195"}}