Dana Wortman

Assistant Professor, Higher Education

Hello World! I'm Dr. Dana Wortman and I want to help students and aspiring indie game developers make innovative games!

Dana Wortman's Bio:

Dr. Dana Wortman serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs in both Game Design and Development and Computer Science, where she equips her students with the requisite skills to excel in the competitive gaming industry. Committed to pedagogical excellence, she employs evidence-based teaching methods to optimize student learning outcomes. As the CEO of Rabid Troll Studios LLC, Dr. Wortman oversees the company's game development and publishing activities. Under her leadership, the studio functions as a game incubator, offering a launchpad for recent graduates to commercialize their projects. To date, her student-led teams have successfully developed and brought to market three commercial games. In addition to her corporate and educational roles, Dr. Wortman is an accomplished consultant, serving students and alumni in capacities ranging from Executive Producer to Voice Actor. Moreover, she maintains an active research portfolio in Computer Science, with a focus on Game Development, Visualization, Artificial Intelligence, Education, and Graphics. She is a published author, has successfully secured multiple research grants, and regularly contributes her expertise as a reviewer for academic papers and grant proposals.

Dana Wortman's Experience:

  • Assistant Professor at University of Colorado Colorado Springs

    August 2023 - Present | Colorado Springs, CO

    Dr. Wortman teaches 3-4 courses per year, class sizes from 2 to 45 students, undergrad and grad. She also directs and conducts independent research in the areas of Game Development, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Graphics, and Education

  • CEO at Rabid Troll Studios LLC

    June 2017 - Present | Manitou Springs, Colorado

    Dr. Dana Wortman supervises game development teams, serves as a consultant, and develops games.

  • Senior Instructor at University of Colorado Colorado Springs

    August 2009 - August 2023 | Colorado Springs

    Dr. Dana Wortman teaches 8+ courses per year in Game Design and Development and Computer Science. She advises students, supervises independent study projects and supervises internships. She serves on department and University level committees and Masters' and PhD committees. She also develops curriculum and new courses as needed.

  • Department Chair at The Art Institute of Washington

    January 2007 - August 2009 | Arlington, Virginia

    Dr. Dana Wortman supervised faculty in Game Art and Design, Visual and Game Programming, and Web Design and Interactive Media. She advised students, reviewed student portfolios for graduation, and handled student concerns. She taught 4 courses per year, focusing on portfolio classes, ensuring students were ready for the job market. She developed software that helped incoming students clear their starting holds to allow them to register for classes. She developed curricula and courses.

  • Instructor at University of Maryland Baltimore County

    January 2005 - January 2007 | Baltimore, Maryland

    Dr. Dana Wortman taught and coordinated one course per semester, coordinated teaching assistants for labs, and advised engineering students.

  • Instructor at Frostburg State University

    August 2002 - January 2005 | Frostburg, Maryland

    Dr. Dana Wortman taught 8 courses per year, advised students, created a volunteer-led tutoring lab, and supervised independent study projects.

Dana Wortman's Education:

  • University of Maryland, Baltimore County

    2004 – 2014
    Doctorate of Philosophy
    Concentration: Computer Science
    Activities: Dissertation: Visualizing Sequential Patterns in Large Datasets Using Levels of Abstraction – developed a new visualization technique for understanding sequential patterns over time. Primary application was understanding patterns in student enrollments and grades throughout their program to improve retention. The developed techniques utilize a novel approach at visualizing and comparing sequential patterns within context using multiple visualization approaches layered in a single visualization.

  • University of Virginia

    2000 – 2002
    Masters of Computer Science
    Concentration: Computer Science
    Activities: Differentiated Instruction in Large Classes (Masters project) – research involved developing materials for use in large classes including laboratories, assignments, quizzes, that incorporated differentiated techniques to make the material more accessible to students of different abilities and interests SWEECom (Software Engineering Educator’s Community) – research involved developing and populating website with educational materials and references Monticello Project – research involved adapting a 3-D imaging program called QSplat to use scanned data to visualize Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello

  • University of Virginia

    1996 – 2000
    Bachelors of Science
    Concentration: Computer Science
    Activities: CS101 Tutorial (Undergraduate Thesis) – research involved developing web-based content that allowed students to interact with and visualize data and algorithms

Dana Wortman's Interests & Activities:

Game Development, Visualization, Artificial Intelligence, Education, Graphics, Programming Languages, Software Engineering, Music, Playing video games, Playing with my dogs, Off-roading, Road-trips, the Beach