Marisa ExterView profile
Associate Professor
Marisa Exter serves as Associate Professor of Learning Design and Technology within Purdue University's Department of Curriculum and Instruction since 2020, following promotion from Assistant Professor (2013-2020). With 15+ years of software design and development experience, she holds dual expertise in Computer Science (BS/MS) and Instructional Systems Technology (PhD). Her educational foundation includes: PhD in Instructional Systems Technology, Indiana University (2011) MS in Computer Science, Illinois Institute of Technology (2003) BS in Computer Science, Elmhurst College (1999) Dr. Exter's research pioneers transdisciplinary educational innovation , focusing on how design processes transform technology-creation fields like Instructional Design, Computing, and Engineering. She investigates formal and non-formal learning experiences to enhance undergraduate education through interdisciplinary programs, while simultaneously examining online graduate program structures that support adult learners' connection to faculty and peers. Her work integrates heutagogical principles for lifelong learning and rigorously documents design successes/failures through scholarly design cases. Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals accelerating focus on dispositional development in computing professions , competency-based curriculum models, and transdisciplinary experience design. Her methodological evolution includes increased use of Q methodology and collaborative autoethnography to capture diverse perspectives in educational innovation. As Purdue PI for a $3M multi-institutional computing competencies grant and co-coordinator of AECT's Summer Research Symposium, she drives national curriculum reform. Her mentorship approach cultivates the Exploring Disruptive Education research family group, which investigates interdisciplinary design processes across technology-rich learning environments. Professional service spans Computing Curriculum 2020 Task Force leadership and ACM/AERA membership. The Exploring Disruptive Education research collective she co-leads operates as an interdisciplinary incubator for educational innovation. This team examines how design thinking transforms learning experiences through technology integration, with particular emphasis on creating connections between formal education and industry practices in computing and engineering fields.







