On November 19, St. Mary’s University welcomed faculty, staff, and students to a Faculty Colloquium presentation that invited the community to reimagine what literacy learning can look like in today’s classrooms. Assistant Professor of Literacy Education Dr. Harrison Campbell led the session with his presentation, “Welcome Crawler! To Role-Playing Through Gaming & Text Analysis in the Secondary English Classroom,” offering an inventive and engaging exploration of how play can transform the experience of reading and writing.
Dr. Campbell’s research focuses on the powerful role that tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) can play in secondary English Language Arts. Rather than viewing literacy as a set of discrete tasks, he demonstrated how TTRPGs allow students to step inside a story and co-create it together. Through collaborative improvisation, character development, and shared storytelling, students practice narrative structure, dialogue, reflective writing, and critical thinking in ways that feel natural, social, and genuinely fun.
To illustrate this, Dr. Campbell walked the audience through the storytelling game Fiasco, showing how students build characters and relationships, negotiate storylines, and react in real time to changing narrative circumstances. In this process — drafting notes, debating choices, performing scenes, and composing epilogues — students engage deeply with complex literacy skills while also experiencing the joy of creative play. As he explained, these activities can spark what he calls “student wonder,” a level of engagement that elevates classroom learning and draws students into authentic literacy practices.
He also introduced attendees to the rapidly growing genre of literary role-playing games (LitRPGs), where stories incorporate game-like progressions, such as levels and statistics, that mirror the structure of video games. Using titles like Dungeon Crawler Carl as examples, Dr. Campbell showed how these texts can open new doors for readers — particularly those who may not respond as strongly to more traditional literature. The clear progression, immersive world-building, and gamified structure of LitRPGs can motivate students, build confidence, and help them develop the stamina needed for sustained reading and critical analysis.
For students in St. Mary’s Bachelor of Education program, Dr. Campbell’s work offers fresh, practical strategies they can take into their future classrooms. His approach helps aspiring teachers see how literacy instruction can be both academically rigorous and rooted in creativity, collaboration, and student interest. By framing role-playing as a low-pressure entry point into drama, writing, and reflective thinking, he provides teachers with tools that are accessible, inclusive, and grounded in meaningful learning experiences. His emphasis on multimodal and arts-integrated literacy practices also supports teachers in addressing areas they often identify as challenging, helping them feel more confident incorporating creative approaches into their teaching.
Since completing his PhD at the University of Calgary in 2024, Dr. Campbell has quickly become a dynamic and valued member of St. Mary’s Education faculty. His work has already earned significant recognition, including two Queen Elizabeth II Scholarships and a Pre-Doctoral Killam Laureate prize, underscoring the impact and innovation of his research.
The November 19 colloquium highlighted not only his scholarly contributions but also his passion for empowering students — both in university and in the K–12 classrooms they will soon lead. Through his research, teaching, and commitment to fostering curiosity and creativity, Dr. Campbell is helping shape the next generation of educators and enriching the academic life of St. Mary’s University.