Dr. Thompson is Professor of Curriculum and Instruction and Founding Director of the Center for Technology in Learning and Teaching in the College of Education at Iowa State University. She received her doctorate in education from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1981.

Dr. Thompson's research centers on the use of technology to improve student learning. Her early work focused on the use of technology in creating active problem-solving environments for students. More recently, she has focused her work on developing effective uses of technology for teacher education and using technology to support systemic change in teacher education. Her research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the United States Department of Energy, the Exxon Corporation, and the United States Department of Education. Dr. Thompson has served as president of the Society for Information Technology in Teacher Education and is currently the editor of the Journal of Computing in Teacher Education. She is the author or co-author of numerous journal articles and books, including the book Educational Computing Foundations.

Dr. Thompson serves as a consultant for teacher education programs around the country on effective means for integrating technology into teacher education. She is currently co-director of the project "Technology Collaboratives for Simultaneous Renewal in Teacher Education (TechCo)," funded by a three-year grant from the United States Department of Education.