Abstract:

Science outreach in the field of Computer Science (CS) is essential to inspire students and raise awareness of key technological areas such as High Performance Computing (HPC). In this context, we present a new edition of our educational escape room, designed as an immersive learning experience for students in the final year of lower secondary education. This proposal builds upon previous initiatives that covered not only HPC but also quantum computing topics simultaneously. However, in this version, we decided to focus exclusively on HPC in order to deepen the conceptual understanding and facilitate learning.

The activity consists of two main phases: an introductory presentation and the subsequent game. In this edition, the duration of the initial presentation has been extended to provide more detailed explanations and practical examples illustrating the fundamentals of HPC. Additionally, we emphasized audience interaction, encouraging active participation and improving comprehension and engagement.

The escape room itself includes three sequential challenges, each designed to reinforce learning through play:
1. Word search game. Students must find words related to HPC within a word puzzle. When correctly written in the provided boxes, they produce a one-digit number that allows to find the next challenge. In this edition, the wording of the activity has been revised to ensure clearer instructions for participants, and all the words are related to HPC.
2. Words family game. In this edition, students are given 24 transparencies that they must overlap according to whether they are related to performance or energy consumption, and this serves to find the last challenge. This adaptation encourages deeper reflection on energy efficiency in modern computing.
3. Fact or fiction game. Participants are presented with ten statements and must decide which ones are true. Correctly identifying the true statements yields a three-digit number to be used in the game end. In this edition, all the statements were related to HPC.

The game ends when students open a safe and power on the "supercomputer" that is hidden inside.

To evaluate the suitability and impact of the activity, two complementary evaluation strategies were implemented. First, we developed surveys for teachers to gather their feedback, on the activity’s alignment with students’ prior knowledge, engagement levels, and perceived difficulty, providing valuable insights for continuous improvement. Second, students completed two questionnaires: one prior to the activity and another afterwards. These surveys assess both the perceived learning outcomes and the influence of the escape room experience on students’ motivation and interest in CS. We observe a positive impact in their CS knowledge, as well as to confirm that the students enjoyed the activity.

Overall, this initiative shows that gamification, supported by active participation and contextual adaptation, can effectively introduce complex topics such as HPC to younger audiences, in order to improve their perspective and interest towards CS. Focusing on a single theme and allowing more time during the session enhances engagement and learning, while also fostering greater interest in computing and related fields.

Keywords:

Secondary school, computer science, high performance computing, engagement, game.