STEM equity nonprofit Learning Undefeated is debuting a brand new escape-room style STEM learning experience, the latest game-based learning addition to their famous Drop Anywhere Labs for the 2022-2023 school year.
The new “Escape Room: Body Systems Mission” is a hands-on adventure for middle school students that uses computational thinking and science and engineering practices to crack a series of puzzles and restore lost data. To enjoy the new program in its entirety, students must enter a mysteriously abandoned Drop Anywhere Lab and solve clues and puzzles that unlock a series of mysteries. From the moment they step inside this custom-built 22-foot shipping container, students experiment with augmented reality, game-based learning, and touchscreen walls, building critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills in STEM.
“Learning Undefeated is known for fresh, innovative thinking and making challenging concepts fun,” said Jen Colvin, Chief Innovation Officer of Learning Undefeated. “The Drop Anywhere Lab turns students into investigators – modeling the things scientists do every day – and the learning is so much fun they don’t even realize they are making content connections. This first of its kind immersive experience builds teamwork skills, encourages out-of-the-box thinking, and allows students to apply their STEM knowledge to solve a problem in real-time.”
The Drop Anywhere Labs experience is being offered free of charge to local schools, thanks to support from Learning Undefeated’s longtime partner AstraZeneca. AstraZeneca volunteers will be working alongside Learning Undefeated educators at several Montgomery County middle schools, including Robert Frost Middle School (Rockville, MD, November 1-4) and Rosa Parks Middle School (Olney, MD, December 19-22).
Designed to meet Next Generation Science Standards and integrated with grade seven life sciences curriculum, students work as a team to analyze and interpret data in a cardiovascular simulation, selecting food, exercise, and insulin options to manipulate blood glucose concentration in diabetic and non-diabetic patients over time. Progressive gameplay allows students to analyze and interpret data as they learn about concentration using plasma vials, interpreting graphs, and supporting a claim with reasoning and evidence.
