Abstract:

This article presents the pilot integration of a chatbot into a project that incorporates an Escape Room or Breakout-style activity into the practical component of three courses at the Higher Technical School of Telecommunications Engineering of the University of Valladolid (Spain). The objective of this preliminary implementation is to enhance the educational project by offering students a more engaging and interactive approach to the practical content covered in these subjects.

The subjects in which the activity has been implemented have a practical component that is divided into training exercises, learning exercises, and other evaluable exercises in which practical concepts learned in the training exercises are assessed. In the initial version of the project, the Escape Room dynamic was implemented solely in the evaluable exercises delineated in the curriculum. However, following the collection of student feedback, it became evident that there was interest in expanding the activity to include training exercises, with the aim of achieving a more comprehensive and immersive experience.

In order to address this issue, the training exercises were integrated into the Escape Room via a student interaction interface – a chatbot powered by Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI). The incorporation of this chatbot, as a pilot initiative, is intended to enhance student engagement and personalise the learning experience. The incorporation of evaluable and training practices within the Escape Room serves to enhance its efficacy as a tool for reinforcing the practical aspects of the courses.

Keywords:

Higher Education, chatbot, Escape Room, interactivity.