Comics scholar Daniel Worden earns prestigious Eisenhart Award for outstanding teaching at RIT

Rochester, New York – For many educators, recognition for teaching excellence often arrives after years of steady dedication. For Daniel Worden, the moment came with an unexpected twist. The professor of art at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) recently received the Eisenhart Award for Outstanding Teaching, a prestigious honor that celebrates faculty members who leave a lasting mark on their students. Yet Worden admits the recognition caught him off guard.

He knew he had been nominated. Still, the idea of actually winning felt unlikely. Worden had spent about a decade teaching at RIT, and many recipients of the award typically have longer tenures. On top of that, his courses are largely part of the university’s general education curriculum rather than tied directly to a specific degree program.

Those factors, however, proved irrelevant. What ultimately stood out was Worden’s ability to connect deeply with students and bring life to subjects that might otherwise seem distant or academic. His teaching centers on comics art and documentary media within RIT’s College of Art and Design, where he encourages students not only to study creative work but to actively engage with it.

“We always talk about the materials that were being used, about the technology that artists used to make things,” Worden said. “I increasingly now let my students make art for their assignments and their projects, too.”

That philosophy shapes the experience in his classroom. Rather than focusing strictly on analysis, Worden pushes students to create. He believes the act of making something—whether it is a comic panel, visual concept, or creative interpretation—helps students grasp artistic ideas more deeply.

Read also: Construction work at the Vacuum Oil cleanup site will close part of the Genesee Riverway Trail in Rochester

His Art Comics course offers a good example. Instead of isolating comics as a niche medium, Worden places them in conversation with a wide range of artistic traditions. Students explore links between comics and abstract painting, sculpture, avant-garde theater, and experimental film. In doing so, they begin to see comics not simply as entertainment but as part of a broader artistic dialogue.

“You would be hard pressed 10 years ago to find many colleges teaching something like comics next to abstract painting,” Worden said. “Today, it’s more common, and I think it helps students to understand both.”

Worden’s work extends well beyond the classroom. As a scholar, he studies American art, comics, print culture, and visual storytelling. His research has contributed to the growing legitimacy of comics studies as a serious academic field. What was once considered an unconventional subject has gradually gained traction in universities across the country.

His academic journey began with a Ph.D. in English from Brandeis University, which he earned in 2006. With a background rooted in the humanities, Worden initially approached art through the lens of criticism and analysis, much like literary scholars study texts.

But his time at RIT prompted a shift.

Working with art students encouraged him to rethink traditional teaching methods. Instead of asking students only to interpret a comic or documentary film, he began designing assignments that required them to translate their insights into creative work.

“I view my role now to encourage the students to think critically and to analyze art, but it matters a lot less to me what shape or what form that analysis takes.”

This approach allows students to demonstrate understanding in ways that feel natural to them. Some respond through visual projects, others through multimedia storytelling, and some by experimenting with new formats that blur the line between critique and creation.

In Worden’s classroom, analysis and creativity exist side by side.

Of course, developing this style of teaching did not happen overnight. Worden acknowledges that refining these methods took patience and experimentation. Guiding students toward thoughtful creative expression requires structure, feedback, and carefully planned steps along the way.

“It’s more complicated and it took me awhile to figure out all the steps that are necessary to get a student to that point,” Worden said. “It’s something I’ve intentionally put into every class session. I try to have those kinds of tangible applied assignments in each class.”

Read also: County Executive Adam Bello announces major maternal health initiatives funded through the American Rescue Plan Act to support families across Monroe County

Understanding the audience has been essential to that process. Worden says teaching at RIT has broadened his perspective on how students interact with art and ideas. His experience with artists and designers has also deepened his appreciation for visual language and creative problem-solving.

Long before similar methods became popular in humanities departments, Worden had already started shifting his approach. Today, many universities are adopting similar strategies to keep students engaged and encourage hands-on learning.

Ironically, what scholars now label as an innovative educational movement is simply what Worden considers good teaching.

“They call it ‘critical making’ in the humanities classroom,” Worden said. “I just call it ‘teaching’ here because to me it’s the most effective way.”

Alongside his classroom work, Worden also serves as the Cary Fellow in Comics Studies at RIT’s Cary Graphic Arts Collection. The role connects him to a vast archive of historical printing and graphic materials, further enriching both his research and teaching.

For his students, the impact is clear. They encounter comics not just as stories on a page but as an art form that intersects with history, technology, and culture. Through that process, they learn to question, analyze, and create—all at once.

The Eisenhart Award recognizes exactly that kind of influence: teaching that reshapes how students think and engage with the world.

For Worden, the recognition may have come as a surprise. But for the students who leave his classroom seeing art—and their own creativity—in new ways, the honor feels well deserved.