Tech Savvy 2023 Poster 

Origins

• Who: Assistant Professors Michael Emerson, the Electronic Resources Librarian, and Laurie Muffley, a Reference & Instructional Services Librarian.
• What: Professors Emerson and Muffley hosted a digital escape room experience for 75 girls in grades 6 through 9.
• How: Professor Muffley, a former public school media specialist, suggested a STEM focused digital breakout game. To save time and reduce technical complications, one was purchased from the “Teachers Pay Teachers” website.
• Why: To encourage students to learn about STEM.

STEM

• Collaboration: Students worked together on the lesson and solve the cypher. Students who completed early helped younger students decode.
• Algebraic Thinking: While they used the vocabulary terms and ideas in the lesson to decode, many of the cyphers required both lesson comprehension and algebraic skills to complete the cypher.
• Computer Skills: The lesson introduced them to basic principles of data encryption.

Technical Requirements

The skills, technologies, and programs librarians need are as follows:

• • Internet access and a customizable web page.
  • A digital projector (To display the lesson to the students.)
  • PowerPoint (To make changes as needed to the digital escape room.)
  • How to place embedded code into a web page. (This allows the cyphers to be solved online, and can be performed after watching a quick tutorial online.)
  • Google Forms (This program hosts the cyphers.)

References

• Cerri Mirasol, J., Walker, L. (2020). Transforming tangible materials to intangible experiences: A case study of two escape rooms at Wichita State University. New Review of Academic Librarianship, 26(2–4), 322–337. https://doi.org/10.1080/13614533.2020.1777174
• Cleveland, MS Branch of the American Association of University Women. (2023). Tech Savvy. Cleveland MS Branch. https://cleveland-ms.aauw.net/welcome/tech-savvy/
• Davis, K., Lo, H., Lichliter, R., Wallin, K., Elegores, G., Jacobson, S., & Doughty, C. (2022) Twelve tips for creating an escape room activity for medical education, 44(4) 366-371. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2021.1909715
• Helbing, R. R., Lapka, S., Richdale, K., & Hatfield, C. L. (2023). In-person and online escape rooms for individual and team-based learning in Health Professions Library instruction. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 110(4), 507–512. https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2022.1463
• Lundholm, M. D., Simpson, K. P., & Ozark, L. (2021). A medical escape room to build intern workplace social capital in an Internal Medicine Residency Program. Medical Teacher, 44(5), 546–550. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159x.2021.2005243
• Ouariachi, T., & Wim, E. J. (2020). Escape rooms as tools for climate change education: An exploration of initiatives. Environmental Education Research, 26(8), 1193–1206. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2020.1753659
• Przybyl, H., & Boyle, E. (2023). Creating an escape room for continuous renal replacement therapy validation. Critical Care Nurse, 43(3), 68–71. https://doi.org/10.4037/ccn2023243
• Sarah’s STEM Stuff. (n.d.). Heat Transfer Digital Escape Room. TPT. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Heat-Transfer-Digital-Escape-Room-6069845?st=644cc733229e0be3a41296d0eba8cb2b
• Sowell, M. (2020). Incorporating curriculum content into educational escape games for middle school students. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 94(2), 47–52. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.2020.1857324
• Veldkamp, A., Rebecca Niese, J., Heuvelmans, M., Knippels, M. P., & van Joolingen, W. R. (2022). You escaped! how did you learn during gameplay? British Journal of Educational Technology, 53(5), 1430–1458. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13194