Learning & Development

My approach to learning and development is grounded in high agency, practical application, and the belief that people learn best when they are active participants in the process. I use thorough research, clear learning objectives, and learner-centered design to build experiences that are engaging without sacrificing substance.

 Game-based or gameful learning (Hayward & Fishman, 2020)--speficically not gamification*--is the most prominant of the methods I use because it creates space for experimentation, collaboration, reflection, and even safe failure, but the method always serves the learning goal rather than the other way around.

I aim to create learning environments where people understand why the material matters, have room to make meaningful choices, and leave with knowledge or skills they can actually use. I also believe strong learning design should respect participants as capable, adapt to different needs and experiences, and create enough structure to support growth without taking away ownership of it.

*See this article by Calli Wright about the difference between gamification and game-based learning for a better understanding of why I choose the methods of the latter.

Narrative World Building for Games & Media Design Workshop

2024 & 2025 | The Basement Games Lab at UTA Libraries

Part two of a three-part game design workshop series focused on helping participants apply narrative design principles to create original tabletop games, including board games, card games, and tabletop role-playing systems. Through guided instruction and hands-on development, participants learned the foundations of world building for interactive storytelling, then applied those concepts to develop their own settings, systems, and game lore.

The workshop emphasized applied learning, creative problem-solving, and iterative design, giving participants the opportunity to move from foundational concepts into a tangible creative product.

Legends & Lore Summer Camp: D&D Storytelling

2023 | The Basement Games Lab at UTA Libraries

As part of UTA Libraries’ Legends & Lore Summer Camp, I helped facilitate an age-appropriate tabletop role-playing experience designed around teamwork, communication, creative problem-solving, and collaborative storytelling. Using a simplified Dungeons & Dragons framework, participants worked together to navigate challenges, make group decisions, and contribute their individual strengths toward shared goals.

The experience adapted the same TRPG-based team-building principles I use with adult and workplace groups for a younger audience, creating a playful, low-pressure environment where participants could practice collaboration, decision-making, and interpersonal skills through experiential learning.

Games Industry Night

2022 | The Basement Games Lab at UTA Libraries

Games Industry Night was a hybrid career-development event I designed and coordinated to connect participants with professionals working across game development, education, public relations, marketing, and social media. Through a facilitated panel, guided questions, open Q&A, and networking opportunities, participants explored career pathways, strategies for building relevant experience while still in school, and the range of roles available across the games industry. I managed the event from planning through delivery, including speaker coordination, learning-focused discussion prompts, hybrid technology, participant resources, and opportunities for attendees to continue building professional connections after the event.

Camp Cosmos Summer Camp: Game Building Workshop

2022 | The Basement Games Lab at UTA Libraries

As part of UTA Libraries’ Camp Cosmos summer program, I facilitated a hands-on game-building workshop that introduced young participants to the fundamentals of game development and design. Participants explored concepts such as goals, rules, mechanics, player experience, and collaborative problem-solving, then applied what they learned by designing and building their own space-themed board games. The workshop used project-based and gameful learning to turn foundational concepts into a tangible creative product, giving participants the opportunity to experiment, make decisions, work with others, and learn through the process of creating something they could play themselves.

Lunch & Learns: Games, Culture, and Identity

2022-2025 | The Basement Games Lab at UTA Libraries

Multiple facilitated discussions designed to help participants critically examine the cultural, political, and ethical ideas embedded in games. Sessions used guided discussion and media examples to explore topics such as representation of marginalized groups, portrayals of religion, political themes, identity, and the ways games both reflect and shape culture.

The series emphasized discussion-based learning, critical media literacy, and perspective-taking, giving participants space to connect their own experiences with broader social and cultural issues.

Leadership Styles and Traits Training: Dungeon/Game Masters

2021-2025 | The Basement Games Lab at UTA Libraries

I designed and facilitated an interactive leadership development workshop that used the role of the Dungeon Master as a framework for exploring Kurt Lewin’s authoritarian, democratic, and laissez-faire leadership styles. Through experiential play, roleplay, and guided reflection, participants examined how Dungeon Masters use communication, adaptability, decision-making, collaboration, and situational leadership to guide a group while balancing structure with participant agency.

The training gave participants a low-pressure environment to experiment with different leadership approaches, reflect on their own tendencies, and see how leadership skills can emerge through play. It also demonstrated how TRPG facilitation can serve as a practical model for understanding and practicing real-world leadership behaviors.

The Basement Training & Knowledge System

2021-2025 | The Basement Games Lab at UTA Libraries

Over four years, I designed, maintained, and continuously improved the training and knowledge-management system for The Basement Games Lab. Rather than relying on a single training format, I built a blended learning experience that combined self-paced Canvas modules, instructor-led workshops that I lead using custom Canva presentations, roleplay and scenario-based activities, structured on-the-job training, and a comprehensive Service Manual developed in Microsoft Word. Training covered both day-to-day responsibilities and broader skills such as customer service, communication, leadership, safety, policies, and operational procedures.

The system evolved alongside the space and its employees. I regularly revised training materials, documentation, SOPs, and learning activities as new needs emerged, procedures changed, or employees identified gaps in existing resources. My goal was not simply to document how work should be done, but to create multiple ways for employees to learn, practice, reference, and eventually apply that knowledge independently. The result was a living learning ecosystem designed to support consistent performance while giving employees the confidence and agency to make informed decisions in a dynamic environment.

Note: I am currently in the process of re-gathering materials I created and removing confidential/copyright information for this portfolio. Feel free to reach out to The Basement Games Lab through their email TheBasement@uta.edu for reference.