When Dr. Doug Stark, assistant professor of English at UTA, walks into class, his students might not open a textbook first. Instead, they might pick up a controller. 

That moment, with students gathering around a screen in The Basement at UTA Libraries, marked the beginning of the lesson. What starts as a game quickly turns into a conversation about storytelling, design, sound, and how digital systems shape people's everyday experiences. 

It's also a clear example of what happens when faculty partner with UTA Libraries to bring new ideas into the classroom.  

Your support on MavsDay, UTA’s annual day of giving, April 22, helps continue to build these vital partnerships that allow our students to achieve success.  

Stark's work focuses on film, digital media and video games. In his courses, students examine how games are built and how they communicate ideas. They study elements such as mechanics, sound, design, and narrative to understand how games create meaning and shape players' experiences. 

When Stark arrived at UTA, one of the first things that stood out to him was the Libraries' gaming and experiential learning space in The Basement. The space already had the technology, the games, and the staff support needed to bring that kind of teaching to life. 

"I was blown away," Stark said. "To see a space that was already equipped, staffed, and ready for teaching was a huge draw." 

Instead of asking students to read about games or watch clips, Stark's classes study them directly. Students meet in The Basement to examine how mechanics, rules, sound, and design shape the experience of playing. Being able to interact with the games in real time helps students see how creative choices turn into meaningful experiences for players. 

For Stark, the partnership with UTA Libraries makes that possible. 

"The Libraries allow me to focus on what I'm best at, teaching and working closely with students," Stark said. "They build the infrastructure that makes these experiences possible." 

Turning Interest into Learning 

 Stark's classes often bring together students from different disciplines. English majors might focus on storytelling and cultural interpretation, while computer science students look more closely at how games are designed and built. 

That mix leads to interesting conversations and creative projects. 

Some students create video essays that analyze how games communicate ideas. Others design their own games based on concepts they studied during the semester. At the end of the course, the class gathers to watch, play, and talk about what everyone created. 

Moments like that help students connect academic ideas with something they already care about. 

"They realize that something they care deeply about can also be something they study," Stark said. "That passion makes learning stick." 

Courses like this also help students see new possibilities for their future. The gaming industry depends on far more than programmers. It needs writers, designers, journalists, communicators and storytellers. Studying games through different academic perspectives helps students see where their own skills might fit. 

 
A Partnership Built Around Student Success 

Courses like Stark's depend on close collaboration with the Libraries' Creative Spaces and Services team, which works with faculty to bring hands-on learning into the classroom. 

For Chloé Bennett, Creative Spaces and Services Librarian, partnerships like this are central to the Libraries' mission. 

"Working with faculty like Doug is core to upholding our Libraries' mission," Bennett said. "We are always on the lookout for opportunities to support student success with experiential learning opportunities, and faculty like Doug make that possible." 

Library staff help maintain the space, support the technology used in class, and guide students as they learn the tools needed to complete their projects. 

"These partnerships allow us to support student success in a way that is data-driven and research-based, and they're something we hope to do more of going forward," Bennett said. "We find that these projects and course integrations allow students to not only better internalize the content on which professors focus but also learn the transferable skills that we support through integration of the Maker Competencies.” 

 Supporting This Work on MavsDay 
 

The work that supports partnerships like this is strengthened through MavsDay, UTA's annual day of giving. 

MavsDay is a 24-hour online campaign that invites alums, parents, faculty, staff, and friends of the University to support programs across campus. Donors can choose to give colleges, scholarships, student initiatives, and areas such as UTA Libraries. 

On April 22, gifts to the Libraries help sustain the partnerships that power courses like Stark's. Support helps maintain learning spaces, expand the technology available to students, and provide staff expertise that allows faculty to bring hands-on learning into their classes. 

In other words, support for UTA Libraries helps create moments that start with a controller in a student's hands and turn into a deeper understanding of media, culture and technology. 

On MavsDay, your support helps make more of those moments possible. 

Because sometimes the most memorable lessons at UTA don't begin with a textbook. 

Sometimes, they begin by picking up a controller.