ETH - Computer Science - Open Class - Interview with Prof. Hromkovic

Juraj Hromkovic has been full professor for Information Technology and Education at the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich since January 2004. From October 2005 until the end of January 2006 he held a series of public lectures called „Open Class, Seven Wonders of Computer Science”. This introduction to computer science was open to a broad public aged 15 or older. Katja Abrahams interviewed professor Hromkovic about "Open Class".

The "Open Class" lectures are a big success. The auditorium is full and the listeners are hanging onto your every word. What is your recipe for success?

First of all, the topics must be interesting for the listeners. People like to be surprised and want to hear about things they previously thought were impossible. That’s why the title of the lectures is "Seven Wonders of Computer Science". I try to offer something extraordinary to the audience, something everybody will remember. Another important aspect is the didactic presentation which is vital to me but unfortunately quite often neglected. Comenius, a Czech theologian and philosopher from the 17^th century described the role of didactics as follows: "The art of teaching is to divide the topic you want to talk about into tiny steps which you then gradually put together to create a coherent overall picture." Besides, it is important to take into account the existing knowledge of the audience. I start with things and situations familiar to the participants turning little by little to a new topic they have never heard about. In this way, I try to make all of the lecture accessible to them. To what extent I succeed in this remains for the audience to judge.

"Someone working in research who is not able to explain to his grandmother in simple words what he does all day long and why, is doing something wrong"

For you as a scientist it must be very difficult to put yourself into the position of a layman…

On this matter I agree with other scientists: someone working in research who is not able to explain to his grandmother in simple words what he does all day long and why, is doing something wrong. Each time I prepare a complex lecture
for my students it is a challenge to me to find the appropriate approach to convey the learning matter in a comprehensible way. Furthermore, with each lecture I learn something new myself and my understanding of a topic is deepened.

Not only didactics but science as such can be compared to art. When a good painter starts to produce a piece of art, he has an exact notion of what he wants it to look like in the end. Even when he works on a tiny detail he never loses track of the overall composition. This is also true for research and teaching. Details should always be seen as part of a larger picture. For me that is the secret of a good lecture. Fortunately, the art of good teaching can be learned to a certain extent but it takes some time.

How long did it take to prepare the "Open Class" lectures?

"Open Class" can be seen as the result of my teaching experience over the last 30 years including my years as a college student. The preparation of each class or of each "painting" to stick with my metaphor took about 20 hours. After choosing the scientific topic I wanted to present, I had to select the information I wanted to elaborate on. Then I had to come up with an idea on how to explain the topic in a simple way.

"Open Class can be seen as the result of my teaching experience over the last 30 years"

"Open Class" participants have the possibility to do homework if they want to. What is the idea behind it?

If I really want someone to understand what they learned and to not forget it the next day, I must give them the chance to - at least in part - recapitulate the "discoveries" they made during the lecture. Even when holding a good lecture which requires the active participation of the students, it should be complemented by homework. The lecture material simply does not stick quite as well as when listeners reconstruct what they learned by doing homework exercises. Quite a few "Open Class" participants use the opportunity and do the exercises even if it takes a lot of time. Those who cannot or do not want to stay for homework discussion can find the exercises and solutions for each lecture on the "Open Class" web site http://www.openclass.inf.ethz.ch.

Do you know what kind of people attend the lectures?

It is a good heterogeneous mixture consisting of committed high school students and teachers and retired scientists. However, there are also a lot of people who do not have anything to do with science!

Do you intend to hold further public lectures of this kind?

First of all, I would like to prepare a detailed, self-explanatory documentation about the "Open Class" lectures. This means a lot of work, but it is very important to me that the content of the lectures can be understood by everybody without interaction with the lecturer. In addition, I received some invitations to present parts of the "Open Class" lectures in other German speaking cities.

Is it true that you are planning a programming class for kids?

Yes, that is correct. I am currently preparing an "Open Class" programming class for the next fall, which is open to everybody, but especially designed for children of age 10 or older. The class is also a good opportunity for teachers who want to learn about possibilities of teaching the basics of programming in primary school. I have already taught this kind of class several times, even for 8-year-olds, and I must say that the kids were always very enthusiastic about it.

Do you already have plans for next year?

Yes, I do! I have a series of public lectures in mind titled "Adventure Science". A lot of people consider science to be dry, difficult to access and emotionless. In fact, the contrary is true. Science is a very exciting and dynamic matter without absolute truth. Again and again we have to review our knowledge and develop new approaches. I would like to convey a picture of science as something vivid and constantly changing. Science is as charged with emotion as art is. Dreams, imagination and enthusiasm play a substantial role in research.

Do you know whether there will be "Open Class" lectures in other departments of ETH?

I hope so but I have not heard of any projects so far. Maybe the long preparation time discourages my colleagues. Besides, every teacher has his own ideas as to what a good public lecture should look like and I do not want to impose my concept on anybody.