Name of department: Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences
Title of the study: Do Virtual Escape Rooms promote student learning in Clinical Microbiology?
Introduction
I am Kacper Krasowski, a student at University of Strathclyde, and am doing a dissertation about how student engagement in teaching environments can be improved through the act of gamification. My project is supervised by Dr Morgan Feeney.
What is the purpose of this research?
In recent times, especially throughout online teaching conducted during the COVID pandemic, student engagement in didactic teaching (e.g. traditional lectures) has been at an all-time low. I want to find out if incorporating gamification elements can increase engagement with teaching resources, while still being educational. The Virtual Escape Room involves you identifying a pathogen causing an Epidemic, and then controlling the epidemic until it is Eradicated.
Do you have to take part?
No, participation with the study is entirely voluntary. To participate, complete and submit the provided survey. Once the survey is submitted, data is anonymized and cannot be withdrawn, but withdrawal is still possible before submitting the survey.
What will you do in the project?
You will be given a virtual escape room to play. The virtual escape room teaches you about Clinical microbiology and Epidemiology. After attempting the virtual escape room, you will be asked to complete an anonymous survey containing knowledge questions, basic demographic questions and opinions.
Why have you been invited to take part?
The resource is to be used by undergraduate microbiology students. You have been selected because you either have a baseline level of knowledge in Microbiology, or are Microbiology-adjacent.
What are the potential risks to you in taking part?
There are no risks associated with this study.
What information is being collected in the project?
What is answered in the survey, including general Microbiology and Epidemiology Knowledge, basic demographics (e.g. Age, Gender and Level of expertise in Biomolecular Sciences) and opinions about the Virtual Escape room.
Who will have access to the information?
Me and my supervisor, and anyone who reads my completed thesis, however the data is anonymous when submitted through the survey.
Where will the information be stored and how long will it be kept for?
It will be kept for as long as it is necessary, and will be stored on Onedrive.
What happens next?
Email either of the contact details below if you would like to know more about the progression of the project.
Researcher contact details:
Kacper Krasowski: kacper.krasowski.2020@uni.strath.ac.uk
Chief Investigator details:
Dr Morgan Feeney: morgan.feeney@strath.ac.uk
This research was granted ethical approval by the SIPBS Departmental Ethics Committee. If you have any questions/concerns, during or after the research, or wish to contact an independent person to whom any questions may be directed or further information may be sought from, please contact:
Email: sipbs-ethics@strath.ac.uk
Epidemiological is a epidemiology/clinical microbiology virtual escape room with the purpose of educating undergraduate microbiologists about the various biochemical tests that can be done to identify pathogens, as well as what an epidemiologist does.
1.Attempt the Virtual Escape Room - Open it in a new tab (ctrl+click)
The experience is considered completed either once you eradicate the epidemic, or once you get fired (You will receive an in-game email once this happens), and can take more than an hour.
Do not feel pressured to complete the whole virtual escape room if you do not have the time, but please still fill in the Questionnaire after attempting, regardless if you got to the end or not. Please do not fill in the survey until you have at least attempted the virtual escape room.
(The escape room does contain basic audio. Feel free to mute it as it is not compulsory to the experience, but provides basic prompts to actions that are occurring.)
The survey will take about 10 minutes, and will ask knowledge questions, as well as opinions and some basic demographic questions. Don’t worry about getting any knowledge questions wrong; attempt them to the best of your ability as they’re there to identify if the experience is effective at teaching and/or consolidating teaching. Please also answer questions as honestly as you can.
Thank you very much for your time.