Community Through Technology: An Online ESL Instructor Toolkit

Digital Escape Rooms

Obstacles & Challenges

Students progress through a series of challenges, often collecting clues along the way that they will put together in a final challenge to "escape" the activity

Shared Objectives

Students work together in small groups with the shared objectives of solving the clues and making it out of the escape room; groups compete to be the first to reach the goal

Narrative Structure

The escape room itself can be embedded in a narrative, and the narrative continues within the escape room as the students students progressing through the challenges

Digital Escape Rooms: Overview with Example

Digital escape rooms can range from very simple Google forms focused on a simple concept to multiple Google forms embedded in a Google site with embedded instructional content in the form of video and other media.

Below is a link to an escape room you can try yourself. I made this one for a lesson on coordinating conjunctions and connecting independent clauses:

Treasure Chest Escape Room

If you prefer to see an overview, below are some screenshots and an embedded instructional video from the escape room.

The possibilities on how to incorporate digital escape rooms into your online class are endless, and I find that the more I create, the more ideas I generate for how to incorporate them. At very bottom of this section, I have provided some resources that are really helpful for getting started created digital escape rooms.

Overview of "Treasure Chest" Digital Escape Room

The students are introduced to the narrative

"Your friend calls and tells you she found a treasure map that has a message from Blackbeard the Pirate written on it.

She's not sure what it all means, but she asks if you want to help her figure it out and maybe find a treasure.

You think it sounds exciting, so you agree to meet in her where she is--in Washington, D.C., on the banks of the Potomac River near Georgetown."

They locate Washington, D.C. on the map to begin. The narrative is local, so the students feel more connected to it.

"To begin, hover over the map below to locate the meeting place. Then click to join your friend and begin solving the clues to locate your treasure.

If you get stuck on any of the challenges, call me to your breakout room, and I will give you a clue."

Once they click on Washington, D.C., they progress to the next challenge.

Students are reminded in the previous screen to call me to their Zoom breakout room if they get stuck on a clue, so I can come and provide a hint. Commercial escape rooms are designed to be very challenging, but for pedagogical purposes, escape rooms should be designed to be achievable by all students, with the instructor close by to offer guidance as needed, since being stuck on a puzzle can cause high levels of stress, which can in turn decrease motivation.

The students encounter this sign.

"Excdellent job! You have made it to the location, but your friend is not there. Instead, you see this sign."

But then receive this "text" from their friend, and must solve the cryptogram

"Sorry! Blackbeard made me solve a cryptogram and go to the next location. He said you need to solve it, too. Here it is. Good luck and see you soon!

The students continue through a series of challenges that take them to different parts of Washington, D.C., until they reach the following message, which brings them to the instrucitonal video. The clue to get to the next level is provided at the end of the instructional video.

After the instructional video, an assessment is built into the escape room. For this activity, the students must correctly punctuate a message from Blackbeard that has a series of sentences with coordinating conjunctions connecting dependent or independent clauses. The responses are collected in the Google form, so it is easy to go over the each group's response together as a class when all groups have completed the activity.

How have you or might you use digital escape rooms in your classes? I would love to hear your ideas - please feel free to share in the Connect, Share, and Collaborate section of this website.

Here are some resources I have found valuable for creating digital escape rooms:

Create a Virtual Escape Room with Google Forms Tutorial

High-quality, Rights-free Images

Discovery Puzzles - Cryptograms, Hidden Messages

Customizable QR Code Generator

Online Puzzle Maker

Crossword & Wordsearch Maker

Fake Text Message Maker

Explore Other Activities Below