Abstract

The paper presents research on the increase in mathematical knowledge of students using a specially implemented, deeply immersive and highly engaging virtual escape room based on mathematical puzzles. It was built under the supervision of the authors for use in a CAVE-type installation in the Immersive 3D Visualization Lab at the Gdańsk University of Technology. The virtual escape room comprises an introductory room followed by three themed rooms with 13 puzzles total that involve mathematical thinking. To assess the educational impact of the escape room, an experiment was conducted with students starting their first year of technical studies. The experiment consisted of solving mathematical puzzles in the escape room by cooperative teams of 2-5 students, preceded and followed by satisfaction surveys and knowledge tests. Each group also participated in classroom lesson, some before visiting the escape room and others after. The greatest increase in knowledge was achieved for classroom lessons, followed by the escape room.

Recommended Citation

Żarek, D. & Lebiedź, J. (2025). Educational values of a virtual escape room in mathematicsIn I. Luković, S. Bjeladinović, B. Delibašić, D. Barać, N. Iivari, E. Insfran, M. Lang, H. Linger, & C. Schneider (Eds.), Empowering the Interdisciplinary Role of ISD in Addressing Contemporary Issues in Digital Transformation: How Data Science and Generative AI Contributes to ISD (ISD2025 Proceedings). Belgrade, Serbia: University of Gdańsk, Department of Business Informatics & University of Belgrade, Faculty of Organizational Sciences. ISBN: 978-83-972632-1-5. https://doi.org/10.62036/ISD.2025.125

Paper Type

Poster

DOI

10.62036/ISD.2025.125

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Educational values of a virtual escape room in mathematics

The paper presents research on the increase in mathematical knowledge of students using a specially implemented, deeply immersive and highly engaging virtual escape room based on mathematical puzzles. It was built under the supervision of the authors for use in a CAVE-type installation in the Immersive 3D Visualization Lab at the Gdańsk University of Technology. The virtual escape room comprises an introductory room followed by three themed rooms with 13 puzzles total that involve mathematical thinking. To assess the educational impact of the escape room, an experiment was conducted with students starting their first year of technical studies. The experiment consisted of solving mathematical puzzles in the escape room by cooperative teams of 2-5 students, preceded and followed by satisfaction surveys and knowledge tests. Each group also participated in classroom lesson, some before visiting the escape room and others after. The greatest increase in knowledge was achieved for classroom lessons, followed by the escape room.