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
Thornton, D. C. (2026). Conversational Teaching Assistant Supported by Large Language Model in Immersive Virtual Reality Game. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).
Thornton, D. C. (2022). The Potential of Gaming to Ameliorate Human Factors in Information Security Compliance. In Guillermo Francia III, Jeffrey Zanzig (Ed.), Global Perspectives on Information Security Regulations: Compliance, Controls, and Assurance. Hershey, Pennsylvania: IGI Global.
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.