Statement of Teaching Philosophy

Last Revised Jun 3, 2026

My teaching philosophy centers on the idea that design is best learned by making, analyzing, and remaking. My goal as a design educator is to maintain an environment where students are supported in this process.

For me, that means meeting students where they are: in their attention environment, their identity, and their stage of development as practitioners:

Inquiry-Based Learning: Research isn’t just preparatory, it serves as a fundamental part of design as a process. Research helps to spark new questions and ideas which brainstorming alone wouldn’t find, because it follows curiosity rather than simply combining existing ideas. I encourage exploration and curiosity in my classes, and follow where students lead within the framework of the existing curriculum.

For example, in my Intro to Game Art class students critically analyze existing game designs and break them down into formal elements, then present their findings to the group. This exercise sharpens analysis and communication skills, and demystifies design choices that might otherwise have seemed arbitrary: once students understand why a designer made a choice, they think differently about their own choices.

Similarly in my Web Studio classes, pre-class discussions invite students to bring websites that inspire them into the classroom so we can analyze what makes these sites effective and pull apart what’s working. These discussions regularly open up directions that weren’t in the initial plan for the day’s activities, and also help students to get warmed up before the session.

Problem-Based Learning: Design thinking develops best under constraint. I structure assignments around simplified real-world example problems with realistic requirements and compressed timelines. Techniques including mind mapping give students a structured way to break down problems that might otherwise feel shapeless, and build the habit of breaking complexity into smaller, more workable problems. I also develop students’ time management skills by incorporating scheduled deliverables and check-ins.

Iteration, Refinement, & Reflection: Design is an iterative practice; a designer’s first idea is never their best idea, and internalizing this before entering a professional context is one of the more important ideas I aim to instill. My course structure centers iteration, empowering students to develop resilience, perseverance, and adaptability in their work while giving them flexibility if they need more time to understand technically rigorous material.

Iteration goes hand-in-hand with reflection. I encourage and sometimes require post-mortem presentations after project completion. Students must analyze what they learned from the process, not just its outcome. I believe this is most helpful for student interns at The Agency and 400-level classes, where connecting hands-on work and novel exploration to theory is crucial to learning outcomes.

Delivery for Engagement: Teaching remotely means I am competing with the entire internet, every movie, every book, every game. My approach evolved from the specific design demands of remote and asynchronous teaching. I have adapted to meeting students where they are by evolving my lecture format in the direction of livestreams. My set has a desk-view camera for hand work and sketching, and I’ve built a custom presentation format to facilitate interactivity, help write and adjust slides more quickly, and I incorporate lecture-relevant multimedia assets such as video and sound clips to keep students engaged. The format is shaped like the media students are already primed to pay attention to, because attention is the precondition for learning.

Inclusive & Diverse Perspectives: Designing for users means designing for people, and lived experience has an enormous impact on design thinking. I exist at the intersection of multiple marginalized axes. For students who have not seen themselves represented in a position of professional authority, my presence can meaningfully impact what they believe is possible for them. By sharing my professional experiences in a direct and relatable way, I aim to inspire and support underrepresented individuals in pursuing their passions and careers.

In summary, my teaching philosophy centers on fostering a process-based learning environment that centers critical thinking, creativity, and reflection while promoting inclusivity and diversity. I aim to empower the next generation of designers to thrive in their professional endeavors and contribute meaningfully to the industry through a strong knowledge of design fundamentals and advanced understanding of the iterative process.