An Escape Room Educational Experience: Unlocking Midwifery Knowledge.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Nursing Education
• Experiential Learning

Background:

• Traditional assessments may not fully capture clinical readiness.
• Innovative teaching methods are needed to engage students in complex subjects.
• Midwifery education requires effective methods for assessing intrapartum knowledge and skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess midwifery students' intrapartum knowledge and skills using an escape room format.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of an escape room as a summative assessment tool.
• To explore the use of constructivist and adult learning theories in a practical educational setting.

Main Methods:

• Developed an in-person, intrapartum-themed escape room as a summative assessment.
• Students collaborated to solve puzzles based on key intrapartum midwifery concepts.
• Utilized constructivist and adult learning principles for active engagement.

Main Results:

• High levels of student engagement, community building, and perceived learning value were reported.
• The escape room effectively identified individual and group strengths and learning gaps.
• The format provided a comprehensive assessment of students' knowledge base.

Conclusions:

• Intrapartum escape rooms are an effective tool for assessing midwifery students' knowledge.
• This experiential learning modality enhances engagement and reinforces learning.
• The escape room design offers a practical model for developing similar educational experiences.