Statements & Philosophy

"...In summary, my goal in teaching is to enable all my students to master skills and concepts needed to succeed in furthering their education and pursuing a career in game creation. Seeing students succeed in my classes and continue to succeed academically and professionally has become one of the greatest joys of my life."

Teaching Statement

Ever since I started teaching while pursuing a bachelor's degree, teaching has become one of the most important aspects of my life. It would be a distinct pleasure to have the opportunity to continue to use my passion of teaching to mentor students at undergraduate and graduate levels.

While studying technical art at the University of Utah as an undergraduate student, I worked as a guest teacher at the Granite Technical Institute instructing high school students in 3D modeling, animation, and game development. This was an early opportunity for me to find my teaching style as I was able to tailor class activities, lectures, and assignments to help prepare students with the knowledge needed to excel in higher education for games and digital media. In the years since, I have continued honing and refining my teaching style, developed curriculum for the University of Utah's Youth and Continuing Education classes for game development and asset creation, assisted in teaching classes, and have taught undergraduate level courses in the University of Utah's Division of Games (formerly the Entertainment Arts and Engineering Program). As I worked to obtain my master's degree in technical art for video games, I was able to get academic and professional experience in game and app development, asset creation and optimization, and VR development. This experience gave me the skills I needed to effectively mentor undergraduate students in industry-standard game development workflows and asset creation pipelines, ensuring students are capable of pursuing careers in the industry. Now when I’m not teaching a class, I also work as a solo independent game developer because I have a desire and passion to continue to make games that are meaningful to me and to continue to challenge myself and learn new things concerning game design and development as well as keep my knowledge sharp and improve my teaching capabilities.

I believe it is essential for me to present information to students precisely and adequately in every class to give students the ability to overcome a variety of challenges and further develop their problem-solving skills. This requires that students are able to grasp the concepts presented. I know that in order to achieve this, it is my duty to organize and prepare each lecture ahead of time and to make sure that class content is presented clearly and enthusiastically with knowledge and mastery of each topic. In addition to standard lectures, I also incorporate student led discussions which helps keep students engaged while allowing me to steer the discussion to make sure we cover any necessary points. Classroom activities and in-class assignments also promote student engagement and can help gage comprehension of concepts in real-time. Upon completion of in-class work, students can work on out-of-class assignments and projects confidently, reinforcing the knowledge gained in class. From my experience, I believe that students will need to not only show potential employers that they are able to complete work independently but that they can also work well within an interdisciplinary group of their peers. Combining individual and group assignments to help track student and group progress, allowing peer reviews and feedback among and between groups, and conducting in-class critiques for students to give and receive feedback enables them to become motivated individuals and equips them with the work and communication skills needed to thrive within their groups.

While I was always interested in presenting class content in a variety of formats to accommodate student needs, this has recently become an even greater focus for me as class needs changed drastically just a few years ago and continues to be something I focus on as students and instructors become increasingly aware of the challenges and needs to have successful academic experiences. To promote effective learning, despite these challenges, I have committed to using online tools for communication and content presentation in addition to in-class aspects. I have recorded class activities, lectures, and created tutorials allowing for a catalog of supplemental learning materials when needed. I have also continued to update these materials to reflect changes in how courses are taught, including updates in software, and industry workflow changes, etc.

Lastly, I believe it is important to connect with students on a more personal level. Being aware of their experiences, and interests and relating class materials and discussions to them can also reinforce concepts and make sure students are actively engaged while learning.

In summary, my goal in teaching is to enable all my students to master skills and concepts needed to succeed in furthering their education and pursuing a career in game creation. Seeing students succeed in my classes and continue to succeed academically and professionally has become one of the greatest joys of my life.

Personal Experience & Commitment to Fostering Collaboration, Inclusivity, and Excellence

I will never forget the first time I felt like I could fully express myself and not feel any shame about who I am and my interests in video games, animation, and the technical aspects of how games are created. Most other children growing up were more interested in sports and other less ‘nerdy’ activities. The feeling of belonging or acceptance and support of their interests is something I aim to give each of my students in every one of my classes.

Growing up, I would often ask my parents to take me to the library where I would read and study books on art, animation, and computer programming. I played a lot of video games and I was always fascinated by how they were made. Some of my friends played video games, but lacked interest in game creation. In school, there were practically no opportunities to discuss video games academically or learn how they are made. One summer, an opportunity did come to learn 3D Modeling in a summer camp put on by the Entertainment Arts and Engineering Program and I was not going to miss out. I was one year younger than the intended age but I didn't let that stop me. Upon entering the classroom, I immediately felt a sense of belonging. I had finally found my people. While every person in the room had a different background and journey to that point, we all had a unifying force in our love for video games and a desire to learn how they are created. It truly felt like everyone was able to be themselves, everyone was included, and no one was judged or assigned a label for their interests in video games or anything else. In short, this experience was life changing. I still wear the shirt given out at the end of the summer camp as a reminder of how welcoming that classroom was and that is something I make sure to emulate in every class I teach.

One of my top priorities as a teacher is to create a learning environment where every student feels comfortable and included. Every student should be able to succeed regardless of experience or knowledge in a subject. I believe that all questions are valid and are opportunities to help students obtain the necessary tools to express themselves in the things they create. I believe that every student regardless of their background and identity should be able to express themselves and one day help shape the industry to be more inclusive and give increasingly diverse audiences something to identify with and relate to. I believe that unique talents and perspectives should be celebrated, embraced, and supported. I am committed to promoting the diversity of my students and encouraging their creative voices and perspectives regardless of race and ethnicity, culture, gender and gender identity, status, religion, and ability. I am committed to fostering an environment in which all students can participate and engage in the learning and discussion of game creation. I am committed to ensuring equal and inclusive access to in-class and out-of-class resources and services and making sure that the classroom environment is consistent with many perspectives, not just my own.

My time as a teacher has not only given me the opportunity to help promote the many voices and perspectives of my students, but has also challenged me to grow and learn from them. I truly feel that my students have made me a better instructor because I continually explore new methods to help my students succeed and express themselves in their work. Opening myself to these changes and challenges and cultivating compassion is key to understanding each student's unique situation, accommodating their needs, and creating an inclusive and welcoming learning environment.