Abstract:

Undergraduate Pharmacy students enrolled in Physiology and Pathophysiology I at the University of Barcelona participated in a laboratory session on diffusion potential, a topic within physiology that had previously generated less interest than other practical sessions in the course. To enhance students’ engagement while preserving the core experimental component of the activity, the teaching team adapted the session into an educational escape room based on collaborative problem-solving and a brief narrative context.

The aim of this study was to compare students’ perceptions of the escape-room format with those of the conventional laboratory practice. A subgroup of 52 students which completed the escape room was compared to a subgroup of 43 students which performed the conventional practice. After the activity, students completed a survey in which they rated four statements on a 4-point scale (1 = low, 2 = sufficient, 3 = high, 4 = very high):
(1) I enjoyed participating in this laboratory practice;
(2) This practice helped me understand diffusion potential;
(3) This practice allowed me to collaborate with my classmates; and
(4) I would recommend this practice.

Because responses were collected on an ordinal scale, differences between groups were analysed using the Mann-Whitney U test.

No statistically significant differences were found for enjoyment of the activity (median 4.0 in both groups; p = 0.16). However, students who participated in the escape room reported significantly higher scores than those in the conventional format in perceived understanding of diffusion potential (median 4.0 vs 3.0; p = 0.00046), collaboration with classmates (median 4.0 vs 3.0; p = 0.00028), and willingness to recommend the practice (median 4.0 vs 3.0; p = 0.00033).

In conclusion, although both formats were positively valued, the escape room was associated with more favourable student perceptions regarding learning, teamwork, and overall recommendation. These findings support the use of educational escape rooms as a valuable strategy for improving students’ perceptions of complex physiology laboratory sessions in undergraduate Pharmacy education.

Keywords:

Educational escape rooms, Physiology education, Pharmacy students.