Rate My Professor Matthew Marino

Dr. Matthew Marino is a Professor of Exceptional Student Education in the College of Community Innovation and Education at the University of Central Florida, serving as Director of the Toni Jennings Exceptional Education Institute since 2025. He earned a Ph.D. in Special Education with a cognate in Educational Leadership from the University of Connecticut in 2006, a Master of Arts in Education from Northern Vermont University in 1998, and a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from the University of Connecticut in 1994. His career includes prior roles as Associate Professor of Exceptional Student Education at UCF from 2012 to 2018, Assistant and Associate Professor of Special Education at Washington State University from 2006 to 2012, Professional Development Center Coordinator and research assistant at the University of Connecticut, and middle school teacher and special education teacher in Vermont schools. An iSTEM Fellow and affiliate faculty in UCF's Learning Sciences Cluster, Lockheed Martin Academy, and Interactive Computing Experience Research Cluster, Dr. Marino has over 25 years of experience supporting students with disabilities and their families.

Dr. Marino's research specializations encompass STEM education for individuals with disabilities, Universal Design for Learning, AI-enhanced learning environments, educational video game development, executive function interventions, and school-to-work transitions. As principal or co-principal investigator, he has secured over $75.5 million in continuous external funding since 2010 from the Institute of Education Sciences, National Science Foundation, and Office of Special Education Programs, including his role as co-principal investigator for the Center for Innovation, Design, and Digital Learning. He has produced over 80 peer-reviewed publications and delivered more than 100 invited presentations, with key works such as "Artificial intelligence interventions in mathematics education: A systematic literature review" (Holman et al., 2025), "The future of artificial intelligence (AI) in special education technology" (Marino et al., 2023), and "Effects of game-enhanced supplemental fraction curriculum on student engagement, fraction knowledge, and STEM interest" (Hunt et al., 2023). His video games from IES and NSF projects were featured as exemplars in U.S. Department of Education publications "Reimagining the Role of Technology in Education" (2017) and "Future Ready Learning" (2016). Dr. Marino has earned the 2026 Pegasus Professor Award, UCF's highest faculty honor, UCF Luminary Award (2024), Inspiring Leaders in STEM Award (2017), Research Incentive Award (2017), and National STEM Video Game Challenge Grand Prize (2011). He serves on editorial review boards for special education, science, and technology journals and as a technical reviewer for the National Science Foundation.