William R. Watson
Professor; Director, Purdue Center for Serious Games and Learning in Virtual Environments; Chair, College of Education AI and Data Science Working Group; Organizer, Purdue AI in P-12 Education Conference
Learning Design and Technology,
Curriculum and Instruction
Email:
brwatson@purdue.edu
Phone:
(765) 494-9735
Address:
Steven C. Beering Hall of
Liberal Arts and Education
100 N. University Street
West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2098
BRNG 3122
Links:
LinkedInGoogle Scholar
About
With a background in computer technology, Dr. Bill Watson’s experiences teaching undergraduates fresh out of high school led him to transition to the field of education, where his initial focus on game-based learning expanded into how technology can be used to leverage the realization of a new paradigm of education – one focused on personalized mastery of learning. He has been featured in the Chronicle of Higher Education, the New York Times, Campus Technology, and U.S. News and World Report. He is the chair of the Purdue College of Education’s AI and Data Science Working Group, the organizer of the Purdue AI in P-12 Education Conference, and the Director of the Purdue Center for Serious Games and Learning in Virtual Environments. Bill is also a member of the Purdue Systems Collaboratory. He was nominated and selected as one of the Center for Digital Education’s Top 30 Technologists, Transformers, and Trailblazers for 2015, has been featured on news programs in such markets as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston and abroad. He gave a TedXPurdueU talk in 2014 describing the new paradigm. Watch it here: https://youtu.be/Z9dt5qlgO24
Education
- Ph.D. — Instructional Systems Technology, Indiana University (2007)
- M.S. — Information Science, Indiana University (2000)
- B.A. — English, Indiana University (1998)
Career Experience
- Professor of Learning Design and Technology, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Purdue University, August 2022- present
- Associate Professor of Learning Design and Technology, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Purdue University, August 2014 – August 2022
- Assistant Professor of Learning Design and Technology, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Purdue University, August 2007 to 2014
- Lecturer, Department of Computer and Information Technology, Indiana University – Purdue University at Indianapolis, 2002-2007
- Visiting Lecturer, Department of Computer and Information Technology, Indiana University – Purdue University at Indianapolis, 2000-2002
Awards & Honors
- Teaching for Tomorrow Fellowship – Junior & Senior Faculty, Purdue University (2011-2012 & 2020-2021)
- Charles M. Reigeluth, Emerging Researcher Award, the Association for Educational Communications and Technology’s (AECT) Division for Systemic Change (2011)
- Center for Digital Education’s Top 30 Technologists, Transformers, & Trailblazers (2015)
- Dean’s Fellow, Purdue University College of Education (2015)
- University Professional and Continuing Education (UPCEA) Central Region Excellence in Instructional Design Award, 2018
- University Professional and Continuing Education (UPCEA) Association Outstanding Program: Credit Award, 2019.
- Purdue Service Learning Fellow, Spring 2024, Purdue University, Office of Service Learning
Professional Affiliations/Memberships
- President, Division for Systemic Change, Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), 2012-2013
- Co-chair, Systems Thinking SIG, American Educational Research Association (AERA), 2015-2017
- Chair, Systems Thinking SIG, American Educational Research Association (AERA), 2018-2019
Research & Publications
Selected Publications
- Watson, W. R., Watson, S. L., Koehler, A. A., & Oh, K. H. (2023). Student profiles and attitudes towards case-based learning in an online graduate instructional design course. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 35, 550–572 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-022-09339-w
- Watson, W. R., Watson, S. L., Fehrman, S. E., Yu, J. H., & Janakiraman, S. (2020). Examining international students’ attitudinal learning in a higher education course on cultural and language learning. Journal of International Students, 10(3), 664-687.
- Watson, S.L., Watson, W.R. & Tay, L. (2018). The development and validation of the Attitudinal Learning Inventory (ALI): A measure of attitudinal learning and instruction. Educational Technology Research & Development. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-018-9625-7
- Watson, W. R., Watson, S. L., & Janakiraman, S. (2017). Instructional quality of massive open online courses: a review of attitudinal change MOOCs. International Journal of Learning Technology, 12(3), 219-240.
- Watson, W.R., & Watson, S.L. (2016). Personalized instruction. In C.M. Reigeluth & B. Beatty (Eds.), Instructional-Design Theories and Models (Vol. 4). New York: Taylor & Francis.
- Watson, W. R., Kim, W., & Watson, S. L. (2016). Learning outcomes of a MOOC designed for attitudinal change: A case study of an Animal Behavior and Welfare MOOC. Computers & Education, 96, 83-93. DOI:1016/j.compedu.2016.01.013
- Watson, W.R., Watson, S.L., & Reigeluth, C.M. (2015). Education 3.0: Breaking the mold with technology. Interactive Learning Environments, 23(3), 332-343. DOI: 10.1080/10494820.2013.764322
- Watson, W.R. & Watson, S.L. (2014). Redesigning higher education: Embracing a new paradigm. Educational Technology, 54(3), 47-52.
- Watson, W. R., & Watson, S. L. (2013). Exploding the ivory tower: Systemic change for higher education. TechTrends, 57(5), 42-46.
- Watson, W.R. & Fang, J. (2012). PBL as a framework for implementing video games in the classroom. International Journal of Game-Based Learning, 2(1), 77-89.
- Watson, W.R., Watson, S.L., & Reigeluth, C.M. (2012). A systemic integration of technology for new paradigm education. Educational Technology, 52(5), 25-29.
- Watson, W. R. Mong, C. J., & Harris, C. A. (2011). A case study of the in-class use of a video game for teaching high school history. Computers & Education, 56(2), 466-474.
- Watson, S.L., Watson, W.R., & Reigeluth, C.M. (2008). Systems design for change in education and training. In J.M. Spector, M.D. Merrill, J.J.G. van Merrienboer & M.P. Driscoll (Eds.), Handbook of research on educational communications and technology (3rd ed., pp. 692-701). London: Routledge.
- Watson, W.R., & Watson, S.L. (2007). An Argument for clarity: What are Learning Management Systems, what are they not, and what should they become. TechTrends, 51(2), 28-34.
Courses Typically Taught
- EDCI 55600 — Computer and Video Game Design for Education
- EDCI 58800 — Motivation and Instructional Design
- EDCI 56400 — Integration and Management of Computers in Education
- GRAD50200 – Interdisciplinary AI Fundamentals: Bridging Knowledge