Game-Based Learning
I design immersive, standards-aligned learning experiences that harness the power of play. My work includes award-winning Minecraft Education projects recognized globally for innovation and impact, as well as interactive math games and digital escape rooms that boost engagement and deepen understanding. From concept to deployment, I link learning objectives and content to game mechanics to create experiences that are both fun and pedagogically sound. Whether students are learning about mystery writing through an escape room or trying to help a group of stranded scientists on a faraway planet, my goal is to make learning memorable, measurable, and meaningful.
Minecraft Education
I led the design and strategy behind award-winning Minecraft Education worlds that bring STEM concepts to life through immersive gameplay. Atomic Rescue, which won the 2023 Horizon Prize for Education from the Royal Society of Chemistry, teaches middle school chemistry by placing students in a mission to help stranded scientists complete their research. In Habitats, students explore diverse biomes, including a reclaimed forest and a river habitat with axolotls, while learning about ecosystems and environmental stewardship and brushing up on some math too.
I also created a strategic roadmap to publish all our Minecraft Education worlds to the official lesson library, expanding our reach to a global audience. In 2024, our work was recognized with the Digital Game-Based Learning Product of the Year for Stride Meets Minecraft, which was also a finalist for Best Gamification App. You can find these worlds and more as part of K12's page in Minecraft Education's Lesson Plans (where Atomic Rescue was renamed Periodic Rescue.)
Digital Escape Room: Teaching Through Play
To deepen engagement in my mystery writing course for gifted upper-elementary students, I designed a digital escape room that challenged students to apply narrative structure, plot development, and critical thinking in a game-based format. The interactive experience not only boosted participation but also led to measurable learning gains, including a 50% reduction in content rewrites. Students navigated clues and puzzles rooted in literary concepts, reinforcing their understanding through play. This project exemplifies how gamification can enhance writing instruction while streamlining feedback and revision cycles.
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Operation Mincemeat
Find my micro-TTRPG, Operation Mincemeat, in Roll for Learning: 51 Micro Tabletop Role-Playing Games to Use in the Classroom. This edited book features a curated collection of original micro tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs). Micro TTRPGs have grown in popularity in recent years, particularly in the game jam space, and offer great potential for classroom use, as these games are intended to be easy to learn and quick to play. Further, TTRPGs are also an emerging field in scholarly texts, so there is a rich literature to draw from when introducing them to instructors.
This volume brings together scholars and instructors working on TTRPGs and game designers with an interest in education. It includes 51 game chapters, each composed of an original micro TTRPG followed by tips for implementation, ideas for assessment, best practice recommendations, and a relevant bibliography—all aligned to learning outcomes for elementary through higher education classrooms.