NC Game Design Pathway

At a glance

• 1 of 3 authors of the 3D Modeling 1 and 2 standards
• The first person to hold the Pathway Lead role

The gap

In 2022, North Carolina launched new 3D modeling courses that needed standards and a way to measure student work. Game design teachers faced a different problem. The state's 59 game design teachers all use different software, with very different access to hardware and resources. There was no one whose job was to connect them.

What I built

I was one of three people who wrote the standards for the new 3D Modeling 1 and 2 courses. I also built the project-based measurement for level one, so teachers assess what students make rather than what they memorize.

In June 2026 I became North Carolina's first Game Design Pathway Lead. The role connects game design teachers with resources and with each other. I help teachers work through the standards and curriculum requirements for Game Art and Design and Advanced Game Art and Design. I support them on project development and student engagement, and I onboard teachers who are new to the program.

Teachers can count on monthly virtual office hours and three on-site training events a year. I also build training content that works offline, for teachers with limited access.

What they made

In the first months of the Pathway Lead role, I've delivered:

• a statewide needs survey of game design teachers
• professional development for new teachers
• a fully prebuilt curriculum for the first quarter of Game Art and Design
• course overviews for both game design courses

What changed

Teachers across the state now teach 3D modeling from shared standards and a project-based way to measure student work. Game design teachers now have a dedicated person to call, a regular meeting and ready-to-use materials for the first time.