Development and implementation of an "escape room" gamification methodology as an innovative teaching tool for students of the degree in Gastronomic Sciences

Various international organisations have emphasized the importance of establishing both health-based as well as adequate sanitary food guidelines to avoid possible food contamination and potential danger due to improper handling of food. Thus, students of gastronomic sciences must be able to detect hazards (chemical and biological) in the consideration and preparation of menus. The growing interest of students in this field of study also requires a more dynamic and practical method of teaching which can be carried out in seminars. Multidisciplinary case studies oriented towards hazard detection and nutritional objectives are proposed. Due to the current Covid-19 health crisis, hosting and participication in these seminars has been adversely affected. The creation of a virtual reality learning resource in which to interact while reducing risk could be a very interesting alternative. The aim of this resource was to create a task using a gamification approach ("escape room") in a virtual laboratory, in which to pass related tests of both a nutritional and food safety background, and thus save their patient from a specific ailment. As indicated by the high percentage of correct answers in the activity this "escape room" resource was shown to positively reinforce students´ knowledge.