Marisa Exter
Associate Professor
Learning Design and Technology,
Curriculum and Instruction
Email:
mexter@purdue.edu
Phone:
(765) 496-3358
Address:
Steven C. Beering Hall of
Liberal Arts and Education
100 N. University Street
West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2098
BRNG 3128
Links:
LinkedInResearchGate Research Group
About
Dr. Marisa Exter has 15 years of experience in software design, development, and project management, and BS and MS in Computer Science, along with a PhD in Instructional Systems Technology. Her research interests focus on competencies required by professionals in disciplines such as Instructional Design, Computing, and Engineering/Technology, and working with faculty in those disciplines to incorporate cross-disciplinary skills and dispositions into disciplinary courses. Her service work also focuses on competency-based education. She is currently secretary and board member of the International Board of Standards for Training, Performance, and Instruction. Marisa was a member of the Computing Curriculum 2020 Task Force and its Competencies committee, and co-coordinator of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology Summer Research Symposium.
She is currently the Purdue PI for a $3M multi-institutional grant related to developing a model for computing competencies, a follow-up partnership with Tuskegee University focused on integrating cross-disciplinary skills and dispositions into their Computer Science program, and PI for a $1M grant for integrating character education into computing, engineering, and engineering technology programs.
Marisa takes a mentorship approach to teaching and co-leads an active “research family” group with members from a wide range of backgrounds and interest areas. The history of the research family is discussed in Exter, Huang and Ashby (2023).
Education
- Ph.D. — Instructional Systems Technology, Indiana University (2011)
- M.S. — Computer Science, Illinois Institute of Technology (2003)
- B.S. — Computer Science, Elmhurst College (1999)
Career Experience
- 2020 – present
Associate Professor of Learning Design and Technology
Department of Curriculum & Instruction, Purdue University - 2013 – 2020
Assistant Professor of Learning Design and Technology
Department of Curriculum & Instruction, Purdue University - 2012 – 2013
Director of Design & Development and Lead Curriculum Designer & Instructional Specialist
STEM Education, DELVE learning - 2012 – 2013
Adjunct Professor
Indiana University, EDUC-R505: Portfolio Workshop in IST - 2010 – 2012
Director of Design, Development and Testing and Member of Research Team
Critical Web Reader Project, Indiana University - 2006
Adjunct Professor
Ivy Tech Community College, CIS-157: Web Site Development - 2006
Technical Coach and Assistant Instructor
EDUC-R541: Instructional Development & Production I - 2005 – 2010
Lead Developer (Graduate Research Assistant)
Critical Web Reader Project, Indiana University - 2005
Instructional Designer (Intern, Full Time)
DyKnow - 1999 – 2004
Software Engineer
Lucent Technologies - 1999
Website developer
Arthur Anderson - 1997 – 1999
Software Developer (Intern)
Lucent Technologies
Professional Affiliations/Memberships
- AECT
- AERA
- ACM
- ACM SIG-CSE
- ASEE
Research & Publications
Dr. Exter’s research aims to provide recommendations to improve or enhance university-level design and technology programs (such as Instructional Design, Computer Science and other Computing programs, and Engineering). Therefore, she conducts research on competencies required by professionals in these fields with techniques such as interviews, systematic literature reviews, and surveys (including work funded by NSF grant # 2111097). Her team pilots activities to incorporate the findings into courses and programs. Currently, they are focusing on integrating cross-disciplinary skills and dispositions into Tuskegee University’s Computer Science program (with support from NSF grant # 2417492) and character education into courses in Purdue University, Franciscan University Steubenville, Tuskegee University, and University of New Hampshire (with support from Wake Forest University and Lilly Endowment Inc). In addition, she studies lifelong learning, use of self-and-peer review in team activities, and inter/transdisciplinary education. She has also published on Sense of Community at the program level in online programs and faculty and graduate student support.
Selected Publications
- Tagare, D., Janakiraman, S., Exter, M., Duan, S., Sabin, M., & Tavakoli, J. (2023, August). Dispositions that Computing Professionals Value in the Workplace: Systematic Literature Review and Interviews with Professionals. In Proceedings of the ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research (ICER ’23). Association for Computing Machinery, Chicago, IL, USA. https://doi.org/10.1145/3568813.3600118
- Duan, S., Exter, M., Tagare, D., Sabin, M., & Janakiraman, S. (2023). Essential competencies for computing managers: Skills and dispositions. Education and Information Technologies, 29(2). 2539-2578. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-11869-4
- Exter, M., Huang, W., & Ashby, I. (2023). Creating a research family: Negotiating mentorship and collaboration. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching. 34(3), 141-174. https://celt.miamioh.edu/index.php/JECT/article/view/127
- Berry, F. C., Huang, W., & Exter, M. (2023). Improving Accuracy of Self-and-Peer Assessment in Engineering Technology Capstone. IEEE Transactions on Education. https://doi.org/10.1109/TE.2022.3208219
- Exter, M. E., & Ashby, I. (2021). Lifelong learning by design: Heutagogy and Learning Design and Technology professionals. TechTrends. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-021-00657-x
- Exter, M., Ashby, I. (2022). Lifelong learning of instructional design and educational technology professionals: A heutagogical approach. Techtrends. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11528-021-00657-x
- Exter, M., Gray, C., Fernandez, T. (2020). Conceptions of design by transdisciplinary educators: disciplinary background and pedagogical engagement. International Journal of Design and Technology Education. DOI: 10.1007/s10798-019-09520-w
- Exter, M. E., & Ashby, I. (2019). Using cognitive apprenticeship to enculturate new students into qualitative research. The Qualitative Report, 24(4), 873-886. Retrieved from https://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol24/iss4/16
- Ashby, I, Exter, M. (2019). Designing for interdisciplinarity in higher education: Considerations for instructional designers. Techtrends. DOI: 10.1007/s11528-018-0352-z
- Exter, M., Caskurlu, S., & Fernandez, T (2018). Comparing computing professionals’ perceptions of importance of skills and knowledge on-the-job and coverage in undergraduate experiences. Transactions on Computer Education, 18(4). 1-29. DOI: 10.1145/3218430
Current Grants & Funded Research
- Integrating Character Development in Engineering and Computing Undergraduate Courses.
- Wake Forest University Educating Character Initiative, Institutional Impact Grant. 8/2024-7/2027, PI. $988,802 ($649,985 after sub-awards).
- Collaborative Research: Integration of cross-disciplinary skills and dispositions at the program and course level as part of a continuous improvement plan.
- NSF EDU-DUE-IUSE-Engage Student Learning: Level 1. 8/2024-7/2027. Lead PI. $399.979 ($273,295 at Purdue).
- A Data-Driven Employer-Academia Partnership for Continual Computing Curricular Change.
- NSF-DUE-IUSE Institutional and Community Transformation: Level II. 8/2021-8/2024. Multi-institutional collaborative grant (8 institutions). Purdue PI. $2,919,963 for collaborative grant; $632,615 Purdue.
Courses Typically Taught
- EDCI 52800 — Human Performance Technology
- EDCI 56600 — Educational Applications of Multimedia
- EDCI 62700 — Special topics: Educational Software Design (which uses an interdisciplinary, team-based approach) – temporary course number
- EDCI 62800 — Doctoral Seminar I
- EDCI 63800 — Doctoral Seminar II
- EDCI 67000 — Learning Design and Technology Integrated Portfolio
- EDCI 67700 — Unpacking Research: Writing a Research Proposal