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‘I want to break free’ - Reflecting on the use of Educational Escape Rooms for Entrepreneurial Education and the First Year Experience

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Bibliographic Details
Title: ‘I want to break free’ - Reflecting on the use of Educational Escape Rooms for Entrepreneurial Education and the First Year Experience
Authors: Cowman, Jennifer
Contributors: GROWTHhub
Source: Irish Journal of Academic Practice
Publisher Information: Technological University Dublin, 2025.
Publication Year: 2025
Subject Terms: Business Education, Educational Escape Rooms, Entrepreneurial Education, Frustration Tolerance
Description: This reflective case study explores the use of Educational Escape Rooms (EERs) within a first-year business module at TU Dublin, developed in response to persistent engagement and retention challenges (Shah et al., 2021; Byrne et al., 2012). Using BreakoutEDU kits and guided by best practice principles including alignment, narrative, and debriefing (Nicholson, 2016; Veldkamp et al., 2020a), sequential EERs were implemented over two academic years. The design focused on key entrepreneurial competencies such as collaboration, communication, and problem-solving (Duggins, 2019; Hartman-Caverly, 2022), with tasks embedded in module topics on environmental analysis and introduction to marketing. Observational insights suggest EERs yielded differences in the nature of learner engagement and may support the development of frustration tolerance - an emerging area of interest linked to creativity, resilience, and learner progression (Wilde, 2012; Wang & Jiang, 2022). The findings offer practical guidance for educators seeking to integrate experiential, game-based approaches in business education. This work lays the groundwork for future empirical research, particularly into the role of EERs in the development of frustration tolerance, and learner performance.
Document Type: Article
Other literature type
File Description: application/pdf
DOI: 10.21427/ncfc-rr87
Access URL: https://arrow.tudublin.ie/ijap/vol13/iss1/5
Rights: CC BY NC SA
Accession Number: edsair.doi.dedup.....d5568e593f7ceb427259f43c1b4361a9
Database: OpenAIRE
Description
Abstract:This reflective case study explores the use of Educational Escape Rooms (EERs) within a first-year business module at TU Dublin, developed in response to persistent engagement and retention challenges (Shah et al., 2021; Byrne et al., 2012). Using BreakoutEDU kits and guided by best practice principles including alignment, narrative, and debriefing (Nicholson, 2016; Veldkamp et al., 2020a), sequential EERs were implemented over two academic years. The design focused on key entrepreneurial competencies such as collaboration, communication, and problem-solving (Duggins, 2019; Hartman-Caverly, 2022), with tasks embedded in module topics on environmental analysis and introduction to marketing. Observational insights suggest EERs yielded differences in the nature of learner engagement and may support the development of frustration tolerance - an emerging area of interest linked to creativity, resilience, and learner progression (Wilde, 2012; Wang & Jiang, 2022). The findings offer practical guidance for educators seeking to integrate experiential, game-based approaches in business education. This work lays the groundwork for future empirical research, particularly into the role of EERs in the development of frustration tolerance, and learner performance.
DOI:10.21427/ncfc-rr87