Liz Lawley Headshot

Liz Lawley

Professor

School of Interactive Games and Media
Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences

Office Hours
Wed 1-4pm, or https://calendly.com/lizlawley/student-meetings for Zoom appointments
Office Location

Liz Lawley

Professor

School of Interactive Games and Media
Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences

Education

AB, MLS, University of Michigan; Ph.D., University of Alabama


Areas of Expertise

Select Scholarship

Published Conference Proceedings
Decker, Adrienne and Elizabeth L Lawley. "Life's A Game and the Game of Life." Proceedings of the 44th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education. Ed. Tracy Camp and Paul Tymann. Denver, CO: n.p., 2013. Print.
Lawley, Elizabeth L and Andrew M Phelps. "Just Press Play: Designing a Game Layer for Student Success." Proceedings of the 2013 Annual Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems. Paris, France: n.p., 2013. Web.
Lawley, Elizabeth L and Andrew M Phelps. "You Know You're Going to Fail, Right?: Learning From Design Flaws in Just Press Play at RIT." Proceedings of the Games + Learning + Society. Ed. Crystle Martin. Pittsburgh, PA: ETC Press, 2013. Web.
Shannon, Harris, et al. "The Role of Quantitative Assessment in Just Press Play: A Pervasive Game Addressing College Retention Issues and the Overall College Experience." Proceedings of the Games, Learning & Society Conference, Madison, WI, June 2012. Ed. Crystle Martin, Amanda Ochsner, and Kurt Squire. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: ETC Press, 2012. Print.
Martinez, Ryan, et al. "Just Press Play: Design Implications for Gamifying the Undergraduate Experience." Proceedings of the Games, Learning & Society Conference, Madison, WI, June 2012. Ed. Crystle Martin, Amanda Ochsner, and Kurt Squire. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: ETC Press, 2012. Print.
Lawley, Elizabeth, Andrew Phelps, and Elouise Oyzon. "Just Press Play: Using Game Design and Narrative to Reshape the Undergraduate Student Experience." Proceedings of the Games, Learning, and Society. Madison, WI. June 2011. Ed. Steinkuehler, Constance. Madison, WI: GLS, 2011. Web.
Invited Keynote/Presentation
Lawley, Elizabeth L. "Libraries & Gamification." MOOCs & Libraries Symposium. University of Toronto. Toronto, Ontario. 30 Sep. 2013. Keynote Speech.
Lawley, Elizabeth L. "Playful Pedagogy: Using Game Components to Change the Student Experience." University of Bergen. Bergen, Norway. 12 Apr. 2013. Guest Lecture.
Lawley, Elizabeth L. "Playful Pedagogy: Using Game Components to Change the Student Experience." University of Trento. Trento, Italy. 24 May 2013. Guest Lecture.
Lawley, Elizabeth, Andrew Phelps, and Ryan Martinez. "This Is Not An Orientation: Gameful Layers for the Freshman Experience." GDC Education Summit. Game Developers Conference. San Francisco, CA. 6 Mar. 2012. Conference Presentation.
Lawley, Elizabeth, Andrew Phelps, and Crystle Martin. "This Is Not An Orientation: Gameful Layers for the Freshman Experience." Digital Media & Learning Conference. Macarthur Foundation. San Francisco, CA. 2 Mar. 2012. Conference Presentation.
Lawley, Elizabeth. "Civic Games." Panel on Civic Games. MIT. MIT Media Lab, Boston, MA. 30 Nov. 2011. Lecture.
Lawley, Elizabeth. "The Great Gamification Debate." Internet Librarian. Information Today. Monterey Conference Center, Monterey, CA. 19 Oct. 2011. Keynote Speech.
Lawley, Elizabeth. "Just Press Play: A Gaming Layer for Student Success." Games in Education. First Playable. SCCC, Schenectady, NY. 23 Aug. 2011. Conference Presentation.
Lawley, Elizabeth. "Closing Remarks." Serious Gamification Symposium. The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. The Wharton School, Philadelphia, PA. 9 Aug. 2011. Conference Presentation.
Lawley, Elizabeth. "Student Achievement System." Microsoft Research Talk. Microsoft Research. Seattle, WA. 25 Feb. 2011. Guest Lecture.
Lawley, Elizabeth. "Just Press Play: A Gaming Layer for Student Success." Games, Learning & Society Brown Bag Series. GLS Group. University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. 6 Dec. 2011. Lecture.

Currently Teaching

DHSS-488
3 Credits
A critical examination/practicum in an area of digital humanities not covered in other digital humanities and social sciences courses. Counts as a program elective for the DHSS degree program, and may be taken as a general education elective if approved by the general education committee.
IGME-110
3 Credits
This course provides an overview of media in historical, current and future contexts. Incorporating lectures and discussion with hands on work involving written and interactive media assets, students examine the role of written and visual media from theoretical as well as practical perspectives. The course also provides an introduction to interactive media development techniques, including digital media components and delivery environments. Students will be required to write formal analysis and critique papers along with digital modes of writing including collaborative editing and effective presentation design.
IGME-236
3 Credits
This course examines the concepts of interface and interaction models in a media-specific context, with particular emphasis on the concept of the immersive interface. This course explores concepts such as perception, expectation, Gestalt Theory, interactivity, Semiotics, presence, and immersion in the context of media application development and deployment. In addition, underlying concepts of cognitive psychology and cognitive science will be integrated where appropriate. These theories are then integrated in the exploration of the immersive interface, and with related concepts such as user-level-interface modification, augmentation of identity, and the interface as a social catalyst.
IGME-590
3 Credits
This is intended to allow for special one-time offerings of undergraduate topics or to allow faculty to pilot new undergraduate offerings. Specific course details (such as the course topics, format, resource needs, and credit hours) will be determined by the faculty member(s) who propose a given special-topics offering.

In the News

  • December 6, 2023

    Computer generated image of a man with glasses and layers of images composed on top of his shirt in an artsy way.

    Generative AI is changing education

    Like many fields, the world of academia is wrestling with the challenges and opportunities presented by generative AI tools. While a few K-12 school districts, international universities, and businesses have attempted to ban the use of AI tools, RIT is acknowledging that it’s here to stay and can be used as a force for good.