Download PDFOpen PDF in browserBuilding Community: The Effect of Educational Escape Rooms on Construction Management Student Engagement8 pages•Published: June 2, 2026AbstractEducational Escape Rooms (EERs) are content-specific, cooperative, team-based learning activities designed to be completed within a defined timeframe. They can be complex or simple and can be created using readily available tools such as Google Forms. EER pedagogy blends the thrill of problem solving against a clock with the complexities of teamwork and skill acquisition. Typically driven by an engaging narrative and situational relevance, EERs are well suited to delivering educational content in a coherent theme that is motivating, scalable, and equitable. This mixed-methods study was born from the researchers’ concern that post-pandemic, students were disconnected with each other, the instructor, and the content, and sought methods to integrate social engagement with academic learning. The study includes results from the implementation of EERs in construction management and liberal studies courses taught by two different instructors. Forty-six students completed a paired pre and post-survey regarding their learning experiences with this pedagogy and interviews with eight student volunteers were conducted to add depth to the survey data. Exploratory findings indicate that participating in well-designed EERs both enhances academic engagement and deepens inter-student and professor relationships and indicates that the design of EERs may be the most critical aspect of this developing pedagogy.Keyphrases: construction education, equity, game based learning, universal design for learning In: Wesley Collins, Anthony Perrenoud and John Posillico (editors). Proceedings of Associated Schools of Construction 62nd Annual International Conference, vol 7, pages 330-337.
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