Comparing effects of an escape room-style activity versus a traditional lecture on student learning outcomes in a graduate pre-licensure pediatric nursing course

Background and objective: Interactive learning enhances nursing education by fostering critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and teamwork. Escape room–style instruction is an innovative but  underutilized approach in nursing. Traditional lectures may not fully engage students or optimize content retention. Escape rooms offer many potential benefits; however, their effectiveness in didactic nursing education remains understudied. The aim of this study was to compare traditional lectures and escape room style instruction in a pre-licensure pediatric nursing course to determine differences in learning outcomes.  Methods: Comparative observational study compared outcomes in two sections of the same pediatric nursing course in the same quarter which covered identical content using different teaching methods. Content retention was measured through pre-/post-tests.  T-test scores and frequency tables showing changes from pre-test to post-test are reported by modality. Results: A total of 61 students participated, with 21 attending a traditional lecture class and 45 attending an escape room class. Escape room cohorts demonstrated significantly higher post-test scores, suggesting improved short-term retention.  Conclusions: Escape room style classes can help enhance students critical thinking skills and short-term content comprehension and retention versus a traditional lecture style class. Classroom-based escape rooms can also offer a  low-tech, high-impact alternative to traditional simulation labs to actively engage students in learning.  However, further research is needed to assess its long-term effects in nursing education.