Teaching & Mentorship

Pedagogy and mentorship in creative technology, interactive media, visual and performing arts and critical theory.

Pedagogy Statement

My teaching operates at the intersection of interdisciplinary research, creative production, and experience design, integrating emerging technologies with foundations in visual art, narrative media, and human-computer interaction. As a program builder and founding faculty member of the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, I have developed curricula that bridge critical theory, technical practice, and collaborative making. I teach and mentor undergraduate and graduate students, as well as emerging professionals, cultivating an inclusive, discussion-driven classroom that emphasizes critical inquiry, constructive dialogue, and creative risk-taking, enabling students to develop both technical fluency and a distinct voice. Through a balance of research-driven methods and hands-on practice, students engage in iterative prototyping, reflection, and real-world application, positioning design as both a cultural and technological practice.

NEW INC · Mentorship

Tina Tarighian presenting at NEW INC DEMO DAY 2025

My mentorship practice extends beyond the classroom through my role as a Dedicated Mentor and Office Hours Mentor at NEW INC, the first museum-led cultural incubator at the New Museum of Contemporary Art. Working one-on-one with artists, founders, and changemakers, I support emerging practitioners across practice development, grant and fellowship applications, exhibition strategy, and writing—helping them build sustainable creative careers at the intersection of art, technology, and culture. I focus my mentorship in the Extended Reality track, and am particularly committed to supporting women, queer practitioners, and artist parents.

Selected Mentees

Tina Tarighian (Google Creative Lab) · Nat Decker (US Artists Fellowship)

Pedagogy & Curriculum Design: Selected Courses

Visiting Assistant Professor · 2025–Present

Pratt Institute

School of Information, MS Information Experience Design (IxD) · School of Art, Humanities and Media Studies

Emotional Design

This course examines how emotion operates within design. We examine how users interpret emotional cues, how feedback systems shape bodily and cognitive states, and what it means to design for lived, felt experience rather than solely behavioral outcomes. Drawing from critical theory in HCI, UX, psychology, culture, and ethics, students develop a rigorous framework for analyzing and critiquing the emotional dimensions of digital products and systems. Through lectures, discussion, hands-on activities, and iterative projects, students prototype emotionally aware design interventions and produce a portfolio-ready case study. The course strengthens intercultural awareness, communication, critical thinking, and practical problem-solving skills within emotionally complex design contexts.

Games, Simulation, Performance

In this course, students will investigate the relationships among games, performance, simulation, and worldbuilding, with a particular focus on how interactive systems and narrative shape human experience, identity, and social meaning. Through weekly lectures, discussions, hands-on workshops, and iterative prototyping, the class will explore games as performative systems, interfaces as theatrical stages, and worldbuilding as a critical design practice. The course culminates in a worldbuilding project resulting in the creation of a web-based interactive emergent narrative game.

Assistant Professor, Founding Faculty · 2020–2024

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts · Hixson-Lied College of Fine Arts

Developed and delivered new BFA program in Emerging Media Arts. Curriculum design and course approval, course teaching, degree accreditation, student advising, mentorship, curation of and collaboration with external visiting artists and lecturers, study abroad program design. I have successfully placed students in creative technology roles, graduate programs in game design and media arts, as well as mentored students through award-winning creative projects. My students have had films screened at the Paris Animation Awards and Los Angeles Film Festival, headlined and won the Emerging Designer Award at Omaha Fashion Week, been employed by Lola VFX with Hollywood movie credits, interned at Tribeca Film Festival, volunteered at Siggraph, and gotten hired by Google Creative Lab. I have traveled with students to conferences and professional opportunities, and have initiated, funded, and hosted workshops with visiting artists and industry mentors.

Innovation Studio: Co-Creating an Animated Documentary

Co-Creation Methods, Documentary Theory and Practice, Ethnography, Storyboarding, Full Body + Facial Motion capture utilizing Optitrack, Manus Gloves, Faceware. Animation, virtual production and filmmaking utilizing Unreal Engine. Course collaboration with UNL Psychology Department.

Projection Design for Live Performance

Project-based course covering theory and practice of projection and media design for theater, specifically focusing on live performance. Students work as a Projection Design Studio to collaborate on a live performance, working with the entire theatrical team to bring it to life through design, production, tech, and opening. Techniques include spatial design, projection mapping, content creation, visual storytelling and narrative analysis, script analysis, video engineering, and show control systems.

Principles of Interactivity

Introduction to how humans interpret visual, tactile, and auditory phenomena, and how these perceptions inform their actions in physical and digital worlds. Principles and foundations of game design, interface, and experience design.

Extended Theater

Theory and practice of immersive, participatory, and emerging theatrical experiences. Students create an immersive experience collectively to be presented to the public. Course may include visiting outside artists and scholars. Prev. Visiting Artists: Meow Wolf.

Projection Design

Project-based course covering theory and practice of projection and media design for theater, installation, video art, and live performance. Techniques include spatial design, projection mapping, content creation, visual storytelling and narrative analysis, video engineering, and show control systems. Full production.

Creating Virtual Worlds

Learn concept development, prototyping, design, and production of interactive VR experiences. PC VR, Mobile VR, Unreal Engine, Unity.

History of Media Arts

A critical history of communication and media from oral storytelling to modern digital media. Critical theory, digital media literacy, scholarly writing, analysis of contemporary issues in media and technology discussed alongside historical precedent and relevant historical contexts. Final project, ‘Media History Zine,’ incorporating visual design, editorial management, scholarly writing.

Visual Expression I and II

Year-Long Foundations Course. Project-based exploration of visual art, design concepts and methods, traditional and digital media, drawing, photography, cinema, AR/VR, spatial design, visual storytelling, visual literacy, art historical context. Group and individual projects incorporating analog and digital methods, culminating in final student showcase.

Cinema Production

Introduction to the tools and aesthetics of the moving image. Fundamentals of digital cinema cameras, lenses, lighting, and editing. Production of experimental and non-sync films.

Games, Play, and Performance

Experiential-based exploration of live performance, game creation and group collaboration as a model for project development and iterative practices.