Bringing Engineering to Life Through Storytelling
There are days when you will find Dr. Isaiah Kellogg, associate professor of physics, on the East Central College campus dressed as a wizard, a plague doctor, Vulpes Inculta from “Fallout,” or any number of imaginative characters.
But it is never the costume alone that leaves a mark. What students remember most is the fully themed experience he builds inside his Introduction to Engineering course and the way those worlds help them excel.
Kellogg’s creativity in curriculum development earned him the 2025 Missouri Community College Association Innovation Award. He received the recognition Nov. 13 during the MCCA Annual Convention and Trade Show in St. Charles.
He reshaped the Inro to Engineering course by infusing a semester-long design project with gamification and storytelling. Each year, he selects a theme such as Star Trek, Fallout, or Lord of the Rings, and builds a narrative around the engineering challenge.
Students take on roles, solve problems through story-driven prompts, and move through the “levels” of the project as their work improves.
“These themes are not just decorative. They give students a clear purpose and narrative arc that breathes life into what can otherwise feel like routine technical work,” said Bridgette Kelch, ECC Foundation executive director. “Costumes, themed content, and storyline-based challenges draw students into the project from day one, inspiring early investment in the engineering process so they can unlock the more exciting phases of prototyping and testing.”
The results are clear. Student success rates jumped from 66.7 percent in 2019 to more than 95 percent in 2023. But those numbers only tell part of the story.
Beyond the numbers
Students now show greater ownership, imagination, and pride in their final reports, often proposing new themes for the next class. That feedback loop strengthens the course each year and reinforces the sense that students are collaborators in the learning process, not just participants.
Their final reports, assessed through a detailed rubric, also demonstrate how well the course aligns with ECC’s Institutional Student Learning Outcome on critical thinking and problem solving.
Kelch said the transformation is easy to see.
“When students feel part of something bigger, their confidence rises. Isaiah’s approach creates an environment where students want to keep pushing, keep imagining, and keep building.”
Kellogg’s model offers a blueprint for other disciplines that rely on project-based learning. By tapping into students’ sense of play and curiosity, the approach lowers barriers to engagement in complex technical subjects.
It also advances ECC’s strategic goals by strengthening student-centered learning, increasing positive visibility through Foundation events and social media, and supporting a vibrant academic community.
What begins with a costume becomes something much more. In Kellogg’s classroom, innovation and creativity fuel deeper learning, stronger outcomes, and a culture where students feel connected, capable, and excited to take on the next challenge.
