Edible Tales

Dr. Mila Zhu is Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction and Coordinator of the EDUC Program at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, where she also serves as Founding Director of the Center for Interconnected Curriculum and Networked Learning (ICoN Learning). Her research centers on Ludic Scholarship, integrating game-based learning, play, and narrative into educational contexts. As series editor of Ludic Scholarship: Games, Learning, and Innovative Pedagogy, she advances work that merges gamification, ludology, and pedagogy. Her book, StrataPlay Methodology: A Lorekeeper's Game Design in Postqualitative Inquiry, anchors the series by modeling multi-layered, game-inflected approaches to research. Building on this foundation, her current projects extend into health-science-informed XR learning design focused on resilience, mental fitness, and ethical decision-making. Before joining Southeastern, Dr. Zhu lived, studied, and taught in Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Shanghai, experiences that inform her global perspective on curriculum and teacher education. A grand winner of the First Asian Youth Piano Competition and an active freelance musician, she integrates musical practice into pedagogy, infusing teacher preparation and curriculum theory with interdisciplinary inquiry across the arts and multicultural education. Dr. Zhu was named to Oklahoma Magazine's 2025 "40 Under 40," recognizing her leadership in shaping the future of education. She is the recipient of Southeastern's 2024 Faculty Senate Recognition Award for Outstanding Research and Scholarly Activity and the 2023 Faculty Senate Recognition Award for Excellence in Teaching. These honors reflect her commitment to bridging rigorous scholarship and compelling storytelling and to partnering with pre-service teachers and underserved communities to advance inclusive, high-impact learning across contexts. Dr. Sarah Morrison (EdD) has been serving in education for over 18 years in public and private environments. She earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Administration from Texas A&M Commerce in December 2020. She has worked in Texas in public schools as an English Literature teacher and is currently an Assistant Professor on tenure track at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. She is a mother of three boys and understands the balance of family and work and how it applies to the profession. She has an interest in helping the community, researching best practices for teachers and administrators to assist staff in the field, and the current technology trends taking place today. Delving into Edible Tales and enhancing the reach for academics to discuss personal stories and lessons on life has been a true joy.