Welcome to the GUILD, a collaborative initiative housed within the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education at the University of Oklahoma. This is not just a space; it’s a quest. The GUILD invites adventurers from every discipline to explore the power of games in shaping education, research, and practice.
Here students, faculty, and campus allies unite to unlock new levels of engagement, deepen understanding, and spark creativity. Whether you’re a strategist, storyteller, or designer, GUILD offers opportunities to level up your skills, forge alliances, and craft experiences that inspire learning and prosocial impact.
The GUILD's mission is simple
Join forces with campus allies to unlock achievements in game-based learning and interdisciplinary design. The GUILD aims to create a supportive environment where you can pursue your own quests, prototype daring designs, and connect with game-related initiatives across campus all within a community of game scholars.
Throughout the academic year, the Collab Lab transforms into our guild hall, hosting monthly gatherings filled with epic encounters:
Adventurers can consult the Quest Log to view upcoming events and special campaigns.
Begin your adventure and claim your membership by attending our next meeting. Bring your curiosity, creativity, and courage. Together, we’ll roll for innovation and critical thinking!
Before you embark on your next quest, meet the allies who will travel alongside you. Here you’ll find the adventurers who make GUILD possible. These are some of the strategists, storytellers, and designers who will bring creativity and scholarship to along your campaign.
Dr. Amy Mueller is an Assistant Professor in the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education, specializing in innovative approaches to teaching and learning. Her research explores how games can transform educational experiences, foster collaboration, and promote design thinking.
As a founding member of GUILD, Dr. Mueller champions interdisciplinary design and creative experimentation, guiding students through quests that merge scholarship with play. Her work often bridges theory and practice, empowering educators and learners to harness the power of games for engagement and deeper understanding.
Lauren Abplanalp Ozaydin is a third-year PhD student in the Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum (ILAC) program at the University of Oklahoma-Norman. Originally from Wisconsin, she is passionate about the convergence of technology, games, play, and place-based learning in education. Lauren’s research examines how educators and learners can integrate place-based pedagogies and digital tools to design authentic, community-rooted learning experiences that honor students’ local contexts.
A self-described lifelong learner and tech enthusiast, Lauren thrives on collaborating with the brilliant scholars and practitioners in the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education. Go Sooners!
The Mentor’s Map equips educators with the knowledge and tools to lead their quest in using games for teaching and mentoring youth across formal, informal, and digital environments. Inside, you’ll find practical resources and research-backed frameworks designed to help educators create lessons that foster collaboration, design thinking, problem-solving, and innovation.
The Go-Show-Flow-Glow (GSFG) Framework Curricular Guide (pdf) provides K-3 educators with a research-based approach to integrating participatory game design into content-area instruction. Grounded in constructionist learning theory (Papert, 1980) and professional game design principles, this resource includes a complete 5-day unit plan, reproducible student templates, and robust alignment to ISTE and Oklahoma Standards. The framework transforms students from game consumers to game designers, positioning them as innovative creators who design educational tabletop games teaching authentic content to peer audiences.
The Classroom Magic Player Handbook (pdf) provides educators with a pedagogically-adapted introduction to Magic: The Gathering designed to support its integration into informal and formal learning environments. This beginner-friendly guide demystifies complex game mechanics; including the battlefield zones, turn structure, card types, and the stack system, making the widely-played trading card game accessible to novice players while highlighting its rich potential for developing mathematical reasoning, strategic thinking, literacy skills, and collaborative problem-solving. Developed through GUILD research initiatives examining commercial games as learning ecologies, this resource positions Magic: The Gathering as more than entertainment.
