Why We Explore This Topic
Developing high-quality educational software is a complex task, and typically requires a team of professionals with diverse expertise, including software engineering (SE), software development (SD), instructional design (ID), user experience design (UX), computer graphics (CG), and other specialists, based on goals and complexity of the design. While each discipline has its own preferred process model(s), in an interdisciplinary effort the processes followed by specialists must overlap, interact, or be incorporated into a larger project process. However, traditional academic programs tend to be siloed and rarely incorporate interaction with students or faculty from other programs, much less knowledge about processes, techniques, and language used in other disciplines. Learn more about the Educational Software Design course.
About This Research Project
A large part of this research is done in collaboration with students who enrolled in the course. We explore such topics as interdisciplinary learning collaboration, understanding topics from diverse disciplines, like process models, and more depending on the interests of the current student group.
Key Publications
Exter, M., Ashby, I., Yang, M., Farmer, T., McCord, B., & Sarwar, U. (2019). Developing process models for an interdisciplinary project-based class. 2019 Harvey Mudd Conference (California). Read
Exter, M. (2018). Developing Multi-Disciplinary Skills through a Course in Educational Software Design. International Journal of Designs for Learning 9(1), 49-79.
Exter, M., Alshammari, A., Fernandez, T., Randolph, A., Chartier, K., Kuo, Y., Lancette, S., & Nemelka, B. (2018) Empowered Guinea Pigs: Stories of Cross-Disciplinary Projects in an Experimental Educational Software Design Course. In: Hokanson B., Clinton G., Kaminski K. (eds) Educational Technology and Narrative. Springer, Cham
Yang. M., Ashby, I., Sarwar, U., McCord, B., Farmer, T., & Exter, M. (under review). Educational Software Design in Practice: Understanding the Power of Intersecting Disciplines on Design Process through an Autoethnographic Approach. In Hokanson, B. (Ed.) Intersections across disciplines: Interdisciplinarity and learning design. New York: Springer-Verlag. [public release anticipated November 2020]