In my role as an Instructional Designer I make good use of the knowledge and skills I gained from my BFA in Game Design & Development. Originally planning on entering the game design industry, I had my sights set on working at the intersection of games and education. This had been my focus because I believed then, as I do now, that there is not only a need but a wonderful opportunity to create positive changes to how we approach and deliver education. I was thrilled when, between my Jr and Sr years in my BFA program, I discovered the Instructional Design department on campus. Through a student employment opportunity, then an internship, and full employment after my graduation, I became fascinated with the field and the potential I see in it to provide real benefit to our learners. As a Designer, I enjoy applying my skills to solve real problems. My focus, is keeping the learners benefit in the forefront while still meeting the needs and expectations of our stakeholders. 

I believe that everyone deserves equitable access and opportunities to pursue the education they desire. I believe that a healthy education is augmented with minimal required content, that is thoughtfully designed to help students be healthy and successful individuals. I believe there is ample opportunity to improve the way we present information to students, and how we structure the learning environment. I certainly would have benefited from the opportunity to learn in the way that is ideal for me, earlier in my scholastic career, and I believe that we should prioritize helping students find that for themselves. 

I am passionate about finding better methods for presenting content to those with accessibility needs, as I believe it is essential that we provide equitable access to quality education to all communities, not just those with wealth and power. I believe that in doing so we will also develop better methods for students who, like myself, are neuro-divergent and may not even be aware of why they are struggling with the current status-quo. 

My design approach to these issues builds on my game design background. The creation of most content, particularly that which utilizes underlying structures to function, should be designed from the ground up with all features in mind. Strong game design works to anticipate necessary functions and features and includes them in the process as early as possible. Building a game that includes the required accessibility features for people with color-blindness from the start of the process is considerably easier than trying to add color-blind accessibility features in after you’ve programmed the entire game. Similarly, creating course content that sets accessibility standards is possible if they are built into the design. Whereas trying overhaul completed content to include accessibility standards is both exhausting and a poor use of resources.