C&RL News February 2018 62

If you’d walked by Professor Susan De-twiler’s Writing and Critical Inquiry (WCI)
classrooms at the University at Albany-SUNY 
on September 7, you would have seen some-
thing rather unusual: two teams of students 
huddled around tables, preoccupied with 
locked boxes and an assortment of other 
materials. Engaged in animated, yet hushed, 
conversations to keep the other team from 
overhearing, the students puzzled over 
cryptic messages and secret codes, hoping to 
unlock the box and reveal what was inside. 
Some of the materials on the table provided 
clues, others turned out to be red herrings.

The students were working with Break-
outEDU,1 an immersive games platform. 
Building on the growing popularity of 
escape rooms, which challenge players to 
“break out” of their surroundings using clues 
and puzzles, this collaborative team-building 
experience can be applied in educational 
settings to meet a range of learning objec-
tives.

After attending a conference session 
about BreakoutEDU this past summer, Trudi 
Jacobson, head of information literacy, re-
turned full of ideas about how it might be 
used to facilitate student learning. The idea 
was eagerly embraced by her two colleagues 
at a planning meeting for the fall semester’s 
jointly taught class sessions: Susan Detwiler, 
member of the WCI faculty, and Kelsey 
O’Brien, information literacy librarian and 
liaison to the WCI Program.

Coteaching model
WCI is a required seminar for first-year stu-
dents, in which students learn the thinking, 
writing, and reading mindsets and strategies 
necessary for their academic careers and 
beyond. These objectives dovetail with the 
university’s general education information 
literacy requirements, and so over the last 
several years, the three of us have worked 
closely together to strengthen students’ re-
search skills and deepen their understand-
ing of how to engage in academic inquiry. 

At the center of both the WCI course and 
the information literacy program is develop-
ing students’ practice of inquiry. As outlined 
by program standards, WCI students com-
plete a sequence of three major assignments. 
First, they write to explore experiences or 
phenomena in the world. Then students 
write an analysis of a relevant issue or ques-
tion that arises from the first assignment, 
incorporating scholars’ interpretation of that 
issue or question. In the final paper, students 
write to join in the appropriate scholarly or 
broader conversation of that issue or ques-
tion. This carefully structured sequence of 

Susan Detwiler is a member of the WCI faculty, email: 
sdetwiler@albany.edu, Trudi Jacobson is head of 
information literacy, email: tjacobson@albany.edu, and 
Kelsey O’Brien is information literacy librarian and liaison 
to the WCI Program at the University at Albany-SUNY, 
email: klobrien@albany.edu 
 
© 2018 Susan Detwiler, Trudi Jacobson, and Kelsey O’Brien

Susan Detwiler, Trudi Jacobson, and Kelsey O’Brien

BreakoutEDU
Helping students break out of their comfort zones 

mailto:sdetwiler%40albany.edu?subject=
mailto:tjacobson%40albany.edu?subject=
mailto:klobrien%40albany.edu?subject=


February 2018 63 C&RL News

assignments requires that students approach 
their self-determined topic and research 
question from multiple perspectives and with 
a genuine sense of inquiry that illuminates 
the complexity of the subject.

Detwiler builds her course around four 
sessions that she coteaches with O’Brien and 
Jacobson, introducing the librarians at the 
beginning of the semester as core members of 
the educational team. The learning objectives 
for the classes that O’Brien and Jacobson lead 
are related not only to information literacy, 
but also broader concepts and ways of think-
ing that permeate the entire course. After 
brainstorming, it was clear that the learning 
during the Breakout activity embodied the 
inquiry approach necessary for successful 
completion of the WCI class.

Our coteaching experiences have of-
fered opportunities to explore the overlap-
ping goals 
of our re-
s p e c t i v e 
disciplines. 
While the 
WCI pro-
gram aims 
to support 
s t u d e n t s 
as lifelong 
l e a r n e r s 
“by connecting writing practices to the pro-
cess of critical thinking,”2 the information 
literacy department “prepares students to 
think critically about the information that 
they encounter and create.”3 The coteaching 
model is particularly successful because it 
provides students with repeated opportuni-
ties to grapple with self-determined content. 
They begin to realize that the emotional work 
and commitment necessary for writing is also 
necessary for research. 

The first cotaught session of the semester 
typically focuses on introducing the librar-
ians and preparing students for the research 
process, drawing from the four domains of 
metaliteracy4 to address not only the cogni-
tive sphere, but also students’ metacognitive 
and affective experiences with research. 

This semester, our goals for the initial class 
were multifaceted. The first goal was to 
help students cultivate a growth mindset. In 
preparation for this topic, students were as-
signed the Failing Better quest, an exercise 
from the Metaliteracy Badging System,5 which 
was cocreated by librarians and faculty mem-
bers from across SUNY. Secondly, Detwiler 
wanted to address the class theme of inquiry, 
which relates both to research and to writing. 
Finally, we hoped the session would help 
build team cohesiveness, as the class follows 
a team-based learning structure.

Designing the game
BreakoutEDU consists of a kit of materi-
als, including five different kinds of locks, 
a large and a small lock box, a black light 
marker and flashlight, hint cards, and reflec-
tion cards. Once we obtained the kit, the 

librarians 
set out 
to design 
the game, 
p u z z l e s , 
and clues.6 
T h e 
B r e a k -
o u t E D U 
w e b s i t e 
p r o v i d e s 

thorough instructions about getting started, 
as well as a game library.

Our first step was to develop a storyline 
about the university’s mascot, Damien, get-
ting lost while mapping the tunnels found 
under our campus to assist new students. We 
then came up with a variety of puzzles and 
clues that led to the five answers needed to 
unlock each lock. Some answers could be 
found using the materials provided to stu-
dents, while others involved multiple steps, 
such as emailing Damien, deciphering a 
message in his auto response (see Figure 1), 
and then entering a bit.ly url, which led to 
a coded message. From the items provided 
(including library promotional materials, a 
flash drive with files, a book, several written 
documents, and a handwritten message from 

Figure 1. Decoding the automated email response revealed a bit.ly url 
that contained the next clue.

http://bit.ly


C&RL News February 2018 64

Damien), students had to work out a variety 
of types of combinations (directional, numeri-
cal, alphabetical) to unlock all five locks on 
the box within a prescribed amount of time.

Playing the game
We began the class by reading the scenario 
about Damien and providing basic instruc-
tions about the mechanics of each of the 
locks. We provided each team with a back-
pack containing the materials that would 
serve as clues. Each team also received two 
hint cards. We 
explained that 
they would 
not be penal-
ized or re-
warded for 
using them, 
but that since 
they were lim-
ited to two, 
they should 
think carefully 
before asking 
for a hint. 

Encourag-
ing teammates 
to work with 
e a c h  o t h e r, 
rather than turning to us for the answers, 
was a challenge for the instructors, but also 
a vital element of the game. While many 
students were visibly frustrated and several 
were unsatisfied with our hints (expecting 
us to give them the answer), we attempted 
to step back and let them work through 
the task together. Once they succeeded in 
opening their first locks, we witnessed a 
growing excitement and camaraderie among 
the students.

As the clock counted down, students ran 
through a gamut of emotions: determined, 
frustrated, elated, puzzled, competitive, and 
excited. In a reflective debriefing at the end 
of the game, they volunteered that it was 
fun and unexpected. Other remarks by the 
students and instructors indicated that the 
experience:

• gave students a chance to practice 
“failing better,”

• revealed the rewards of perseverance,
• clarified the connections between 

research as inquiry and writing as inquiry,
• demonstrated that it took everyone’s 

contributions to succeed, and
• provided everyone with an opportunity 

to speak out—many said they took risks in 
sharing their ideas.

Ultimately, three of six teams success-
fully opened 
all five locks 
to open their 
boxes, reveal-
ing a picture 
o f  D a m i e n , 
who they had 
s u c c e s s f u l l y 
“freed” from 
the tunnels. 
All of the suc-
cessful teams 
were down to 
the last min-
ute, and one 
team gained 
entry with just 
three seconds 

to spare. Every team unlocked at least three 
locks, and even the unsuccessful teams 
seemed to be in good spirits, though they 
were eager to know what was in the box 
once the clock ran out.

Feedback and reflection
Following the activity, students reflected 
on the connections to the course goals of 
writing as inquiry and research as inquiry. 
One student wrote, “Even if the activity was 
hands on and our goal is to write, they seem 
to have a close connection. . . . During this 
activity, you had to think outside the box, 
and that is something I rarely do, and I had 
to in order to help my team solve the activ-
ity.”

As instructors across disciplines, we 
capitalized on this exercise as a means of 

Figure 2. Students work together to attempt a solution for a lock.



February 2018 65 C&RL News

highlighting the thinking skills that students 
were putting into practice. One student com-
mented that the activity encouraged collabo-
ration, and made the connection between the 
collaborative nature of writing and research. 
“Also, the way . . . my team approached the 
problem and how they viewed [the unlock 
task] made me question myself on how I view 
things and this relates to writing because 
you must think more 
than one way to try 
and get at what you 
are writing. . . .”

D e t w i l e r  o b -
served an immediate 
and marked change 
in the willingness 
of members of one 
particularly reluctant 
class to participate in 
class discussion. As 
stated by a first-year 
student, “This exer-
cise helps to show 
us that using the 
help of your peers 
is a very valuable 
tool when it comes 
to problem solving, 
or even writing. Us-
ing ideas from others 
can help to create 
new thoughts using 
a combination of 
both minds. Sometimes the solution can’t be 
seen by one but can be seen by another.”

These comments indicate that students 
were making connections between the activ-
ity and the objective of fostering inquiry in 
both research and writing.

BreakoutEdu and writing
For first-year writers, writing is exception-
ally difficult because they need to transition 
from high school test-driven writing require-
ments to the more self-determined writing 
and thinking that is required in the aca-
demic setting. Through BreakoutEDU, we 
created a simulated experience early in the 

semester that mimicked the emotional and 
intellectual experience of writing and think-
ing necessary for success in the WCI course. 

The Breakout session also mirrored the 
inquiry necessary for research. This inquiry 
process will follow the students throughout 
their university careers. As evidenced in their 
reflections, students clearly experienced the 
emotional cycle and the inquiry mindset 

connected to the re-
search process.

Within writing 
pedagogy, a tension 
exists between teach-
ing writing with the 
intent that the skills 
will transfer and 
teaching writing as a 
way of thinking and 
being. The Breakout-
EDU session reduced 
some of this tension. 
As students approach 
challenging writing 
and thinking tasks, 
they can refer back 
to their shared expe-
riences and reflec-
tions. This will help 
them both with trans-
ferring knowledge, 
and with building 
their thinking.

Conclusion
In class the following week, students ap-
proached the assigned WCI writing revision 
task with increased commitment and ener-
gy. Using the team problem-solving solving 
developed during the BreakoutEDU activity, 
students gave each other feedback about 
the level of inquiry displayed in their written 
drafts. Because teams engaged in a physical 
representation of inquiry, they were better 
equipped to identify student inquiry in their 
essays. In future cotaught sessions, all three 
instructors envision being able to use the 
BreakoutEDU activity as an anchor point 
for approaching research and writing as in-

Figure 3. Students excitedly open the lock box to 
reveal the congratulatory message inside.



C&RL News February 2018 66

quiry. The Information Literacy Department 
plans to share information about Breakout-
EDU’s impact with others in the library, and 
to encourage other professors to consider 
its use for their information literacy-related 
s e s s i o n s . 
D e t w i l e r 
shared the 
lesson with 
other WCI 
professors. 
While writ-
ing a story 
line and as-
s e m b l i n g 
clues can 
be intensive 
work, the 
benefits are 
striking.

A s  w e 
coteach ad-
ditional re-
search ses-
sions, we anticipate referring back to the 
BreakoutEDU activity throughout the semester. 
In order to be successful in the WCI course and 
in the university as a whole, students need to 
be able to examine a topic from multiple per-
spectives, persist through a difficult topic, use 
a variety of research strategies, and take risks 
as thinkers and writers. As students experience 

each writing, research, and thinking challenge, 
our BreakoutEDU session will act as a touch-
stone to help them overcome the obstacle.

Notes
1. B r e a k -

outEDU, n.d., 
“About,” ac-
cessed Novem-
ber 5, 2017, 
https://www.
breakoutedu.
com/about.
2. Univer-

sity at Albany-
S U N Y,  n . d . , 
“The Program 
in Writing and 
Critical Inqui-
ry,” accessed 
November 5, 
2 0 1 7 ,  w w w .
a l b a n y . e d u /
wci/.

3. University at Albany-SUNY, 2015, 
“Information Literacy Department Mission 
Statement,” last modified September 3, 2015, 
http://library.albany.edu/infolit/mission.

4. See https://metaliteracy.org/.
5. See https://metaliteracybadges.org/.
6. See Helpful Tips, https://tinyurl.com 

/y9qnj6xk. 

Figure 4. A successful team shows off their opened lock box.

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978-0-8389-8908-1 978-0-8389-8933-3978-0-8389-8943-2 

min-pubsad_feb18.indd   1 1/16/2018   4:25:38 PM

https://www.breakoutedu.com/about
https://www.breakoutedu.com/about
https://www.breakoutedu.com/about
http://www.albany.edu/wci/
http://www.albany.edu/wci/
http://www.albany.edu/wci/
http://library.albany.edu/infolit/mission
https://metaliteracy.org/
https://metaliteracybadges.org/
https://tinyurl.com/y9qnj6xk
https://tinyurl.com/y9qnj6xk