From Passive to Playful: Transforming the Classroom Through Play
In-Person
Abstract
This interactive panel invites faculty to experience and adopt playful pedagogies that energize learning across disciplines and modalities. Grounded in discussions from a spring 2026 Learning Circle on Playful Pedagogies in Higher Education, our team of instructors from World Languages & Cultures, English, Business, Theatre, and Art + Design will share concrete, classroom-tested strategies that move students from passive receivers to active learners. Each presenter will introduce a single, high-impact activity, explain assessment-aligned implementation tips, and share ready-to-use resources. Attendees will leave with practical templates, tool recommendations, and an invitation to a shared Box folder of materials to adapt for their courses. Whether you teach large lectures, seminars, hybrid, or fully online classes, this session offers adaptable ways to boost engagement, critical thinking, and student agency in the age of AI.
Presenters
Tamryn McDermott
Assistant Professor
Tamryn McDermott is an Assistant Professor and Area Coordinator of Art Education in the Art + Design department at Utah State University. Tamryn joined USU in 2025 and teaches courses in art education, book arts and professional practices for artists. Tamryn is a practicing visual artist and researcher working with pre-service art educators and students pursuing BFA and MFA degrees in studio art. Her arts-based educational research centers Universal Design for Learning and play-based strategies for engaging in multimodal learning.
Reagan Siggard
Assistant Professor
Reagan Siggard is an Assistant Professor of Data Analytics & Information Systems at Utah State University’s Huntsman School of Business. She is passionate about creating hands-on learning experiences and teaches courses in Python, databases, data warehousing, and data visualization. Her research focuses on how students learn in data and technology courses, with an emphasis on helping students build practical, lasting skills.
Amanda Dawson
Assistant Professor & Dept Head
Amanda Dawson, Ph.D. (she/her), is an Associate Professor of Theatre, Head of the BFA Theatre Education Program, and Assistant Department Head at Utah State University. Amanda teaches courses in theatre history, contemporary theatre, and theatre education. In practice, Amanda is a dramaturg and director. Her scholarship is interdisciplinary and centers on theatre education, dramaturgy, and theatre history.
Sarah O'Neill
Assistant Professor
Sarah O’Neill is an Assistant Professor of Spanish and Director of the Master of Science in Second Language Teaching at Utah State University. She teaches courses on Spanish, linguistics, and language pedagogy in both in-person and online courses. She is developing an open educational resource that invites intermediate language students to engage in collaborative storytelling games.
Emily Pifer
Lecturer
Emily Pifer joined the English department as a lecturer in 2025. She teaches across creative and academic writing, and her courses often engage digital and multimodal forms. As a teacher, she is most focused on collaborating with her students to create vigorous and compassionate learning communities where each student can harness and sharpen their unique voices, skills, and interests.
Fei Shuai
Lecturer
Fei brings a combination of academic expertise and industry insight to the School of Accountancy at Utah State University's Huntsman School of Business, where she has been a faculty member since 2022. She holds a Master's degree in Accounting and is a licensed CPA. Prior to academia, Fei worked in the Capital Markets and Accounting Advisory Services team at PricewaterhouseCoopers. She currently teaches Financial Accounting, Accounting Information Systems, and Advanced Financial Accounting.