David Thornton, Ph.D.
Professor of Computer Science
Dr. Thornton developed the Game Design concentration in his department in 2007, where he has supervised hundreds of student team game projects for 2D, 3D and virtual reality, including the VR game Tower Ascent (available on Steam). Dr. Thornton was awarded the George Mehaffy Excellence in Learning Technology Award for the creation of multiple web-based gamification tools for use in high school and university curricula, which are in use in over 40 schools in seven different countries. In addition, Dr. Thornton’s work developing digital games promoting cybersecurity awareness, such as Brute Force and Space Scams, has been funded by the DoD-NSA.
Selected publications
Benjamin Gross, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Political Science
Dr. Gross uses active learning exercises and simulations in his traditional and 100% online undergraduate courses. In addition to using these tools, he is a developer of simulations. Leveraging his experience within print media and his interest in political communication, Dr. Gross’ simulation on agenda-setting assists with examining the intersection of federalism, agenda-setting, and news media literacy. Currently, he is using experimental methods to investigate the effectiveness of simulations.
Game-related publications:
Gross, Benjamin Isaak. 2021. “Setting the Agenda: A Simulation of Deciding Tomorrow’s Front-Page” Journal of Political Science Education 17(sup 1): 77-92. DOI: 10.1080/15512169.2020.1729779
Tanya Sasser
Instructor of English
Ms. Sasser teaches introductory composition, American Literature, and The Graphic Novel. Ms. Sasser has presented papers at ACETA and the JSU Faculty Research Symposium and received the 2009 William J. Calvert Award. Her professional presentations have focused on game-based learning and Marvel comics.
Her publications include the articles “Alter-Egos, Avatars, and Analytical Writing: Immersive Role-Play in the Composition Classroom” in Virtual Education Journal and “Five Essential Steps for Gamifying Education” in the online magazine Gamifeye, as well as her blog Remixing College English.
Christian Dunn
Associate Professor of Graphic Design
Dunn has an active practice as a graphic designer, illustrator, and screen printer. He explored the idea of play and art in 2020 in a show titled Ambassador of Fun at the Gadsden Museum of Art. In 2019 he worked with Dr. Tray Ridlen, Assistant Professor of Art History, to develop a new special topics class in the Department of Art and Design focusing on tabletop game design and production. Students study the history and mechanics of game design, as well as aspects of storytelling and visual communication. Teams of students then design and produce their own games, which are ready to play and market at the end of the term. He has also experimented with gamification in the classroom. In the most recent game design class, students competed in challenges throughout the term to win tokens, which could be used to earn extensions on deadlines or accumulated; student with the most tokens at the completion of the course won a prize.