The technology world has changed drastically since 2000 when Dr. Scott Rixner arrived at Rice, but he has offered computer science students at Rice and around the world a unique learning experience by constantly adapting to this ever-changing field. While he has been a forerunner in the development of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), a leader in the formation of flipped classrooms at Rice, as well as a successful computer science researcher, Rixner is most pleased with his creative teaching strategies because they allow him to interact with students more individually, “I feel that by spending more personal time with my students, teaching has been more rewarding.”
Dr. Scott Rixner along with Dr. Luay Nakhleh and Dr. Joe Warren in their introduction video to their current MOOC, Fundamentals of Computing. Click on the photo to check out this video and course!
Rixner teaches COMP 140, the introductory course for Computer Science majors. However, students in all majors and years of study want to take his course because it teaches a highly valued skill for all careers: a solid understanding of computer science. Demand for the course continues to thwart Rice’s reputation for small classes. In fact, COMP 140 increased from 140 students to 180 students in just two semesters. While the subject matter is enticing, students are also drawn to this course because of its innovative teaching methods.
In 2012, Rixner became involved with MOOCs. In six weeks, he developed CodeSkulptor (www.codeskulptor.org), an online interactive website that offers students exercises and instant feedback as they learn coding. After buying equipment, Rixner recorded and edited his video tutorials. During this process, he wanted his students to get to know him personally, so he decided to include a video of himself as he explains the concepts in the corner of his tutorials so that his virtual students would have a more personal and intimate classroom experience. His MOOC is offered on Coursera, and it has been met with an overwhelming response – 100,000 users started the course last time it was offered!
After a successful trial of his videos and CodeSkulptor with the MOOC, Rixner brought this incredible opportunity into his classroom at Rice. In 2013, Rixner realized that “the flipped classroom is an embodiment of the way technology has changed during my career. It is now much easier to deliver video and build web-based systems during and outside of class and has changed the way I teach. I augmented things by adding more technology in my classroom.” Rixner flipped his COMP 140 classroom by asking students to watch his videos and to take quizzes outside of class. When they arrive in class, they sit in three person groups and work together to do exercises on CodeSkulptor. Teaching Assistants and Rixner mingle and interact with students as they tackle the daily challenges.
Student feedback to this teaching style at Rice? Overwhelmingly positive – just like the feedback from Rixner’s MOOC. To keep students coming to class and supportive of their groups, Rixner makes class attendance part of their grade, and this group dynamic allows students to help each other learn and explore the material. This format has also given Rixner the chance to learn the names of every student in his class. Even when he taught 140 students, he knew every single student by name! And students know Rixner, too. Sometimes, freshmen walk into his class and say they took his MOOC before coming to Rice – further confirming that Rixner has positively impacted a broad audience both within and beyond the Rice hedges.
Outside of teaching, Rixner is currently pursuing two main research projects. One of his projects deals with building better software systems for small-embedded systems such as microcontrollers that are inside devices such as thermostats or watches. More recently, he began working on runtime issues in tablets and mobile devices.
Even though Rixner works with technology in his research and in his classroom, his favorite technology application is helping his students. He believes that technology is a vehicle for classroom enhancement and that the best aspect of using a flipped his classroom is that it “gives me many ways to spend more personal time with my students, and I think that is what makes technology in the classroom valuable.”