Bio


From 1990-2002, Roberts served as associate chair and director of undergraduate studies for the Computer Science Department before being appointed as Senior Associate Dean in the School of Engineering and later moving on to become Faculty Director for Interdisciplinary Science Education in the office of the VPUE.

Academic Appointments


  • Emeritus Faculty, Acad Council, Computer Science

Honors & Awards


  • Bing Fellowship, Stanford University (1993-95)
  • Perin Award for Undergraduate Engineering Education, Stanford University (1995)
  • Dinkelspiel Award, Stanford University (1998)
  • Outstanding Contributions to Computer Science Education, ACM SIGCSE (2003)
  • Hoagland Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, Stanford University (2004)
  • Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (2005)
  • Fellow, ACM (2008)
  • Taylor Booth Award, IEEE (2012)
  • Karl V. Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award, ACM (2012)

Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations


  • Past Chair, ACM Education Board (2009 - Present)

Program Affiliations


  • Science, Technology and Society
  • Symbolic Systems Program

Professional Education


  • PhD, Harvard, Applied Mathematics (1980)
  • BA, Harvard, Applied Mathematics (1973)
  • MS, Harvard, Applied Mathematics (1974)

2023-24 Courses


All Publications


  • Programming Abstractions in C++ Roberts, E. Pearson Prentice Hall. 2014
  • A portable graphics library for introductory CS Roberts, E. 2013
  • Meeting the challenges of rising enrollments ACM Inroads Roberts, E. 2011
  • Informatics education using nothing but a browser Piech, C., Roberts, E. 2011
  • Counterpoint: Eric Roberts COMMUNICATIONS OF THE ACM Roberts, E. 2008; 51 (7): 30-32
  • Point/Counterpoint: Technology education for early 21st century Communications of the ACM Roberts, E. 2008
  • The Art and Science of Java Roberts, E. Addison-Wesley. 2008
  • Sparking self-sustained learning: report on a design experiment to build technological fluency and bridge divides International Conference on Technology Education in the Asia Pacific Region (ICTE) Barron, B., Martin, C. K., Roberts, E. SPRINGER. 2007: 75–105
  • Sparking self-sustained learning: Report on a design experiment to build technological fluency and bridge divides International Journal of Technology and Design Education Barron, B., Martin, C. K., Roberts, E. 2007; 1 (17)
  • Resurrecting the applet paradigm Roberts, E. 2007
  • Resurrecting the Applet Paradigm 38th SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education Roberts, E. ASSOC COMPUTING MACHINERY. 2007: 521–525
  • Thinking Recursively with Java Roberts, E. John Wiley and Sons. 2006
  • An interactive tutorial for Java Roberts, E. 2006
  • Designing a Computer Science Curriculum for Bermuda’s Public Schools Barron, B., Martin, C. K., Roberts, E. 2005
  • What can computer science learn from a fine-arts approach to teaching? Barker, L., Garvin-Doxas, K., Roberts, E. 2005
  • The dream of a common language: The search for simplicity and stability in computer science education Roberts, E. 2004
  • Imagining possible futures: Course taking and knowledge use within trajectories of technological fluency American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting Barron, B., Martin, Caitlin, K., Roberts, E., Mercier, Emma, M., McPhee, S. 2004
  • Encouraging women in computer science Inroads Roberts, E., Kassianidou, M., Irani, L. 2002
  • Strategies for promoting academic integrity in computer science courses Roberts, E. 2002
  • Design experiments at a distance: Lessons from developing a secondary school curriculum for Bermuda public schools Barron, B., Martin, C., Roberts, E., Osipovich, A., Ross, M. 2002
  • A design experiment to build technological fluency and bridge divides Martin, C., Barron, B., Roberts, E. 2002
  • Designing and assessing ongoing professional development: Opportunities for high school computer science teachers Martin, C., Barron, B., Roberts, E. 2002
  • Computing Curricula 2001 edited by Roberts, E., Engel, G. IEEE Computer Society Press. 2001
  • An overview of MiniJav Roberts, E. 2001
  • Strategies for encouraging individual achievement in introductory computer science courses Roberts, E. 2000
  • Computing education and the Information Technology workforce paper was prepared for the National Academy Study on Workforce Needs in Information Technology with the endorsement and support of the Education Board of the Association of Computing Machinery. Roberts, E. Reprinted in SIGCSE Bulletin. 2000: 1
  • Curricula 2001: Bringing the future to the classroom IEEE Computer Chang, Carl, K., Engel, G., King, W., Roberts, E., Shackelford, R., Sloan, Robert, H. 1999
  • Conserving the seed corn: Reflections on the academic hiring crisis SIGCSE Bulletin Roberts, E. 1999
  • Programming Abstractions in C Roberts, E. Addison-Wesley. 1998
  • Strategies for integrating technology into computer ethics courses Roberts, E. 1998
  • Designing a Java graphics library for CS1 Roberts, E., Picard, A., Fredricsson, M. 1998
  • Tools for creating portable demonstration programs Roberts, E. 1996
  • Thetis: An ANSI C programming environment designed for introductory use Freund, S., Roberts, E. 1996
  • Directions in computer science education published electronically in conjunction with the December 1996 issue of Computing Surveys as part of an invited collection of position papers. Roberts, E. 1996
  • The Art and Science of C: A Library-Based Introduction to Computer Science Roberts, E. Addison-Wesley. 1995
  • Using undergraduates as teaching assistants in introductory programming courses: an update on the Stanford experience Roberts, E., Lilly, J., Rollins, B. 1995
  • Loop exits and structured programming: Reopening the debate Roberts, E. 1995
  • A C-based graphics library for CS1 Roberts, E. 1995
  • Using C in CS1: The Stanford experience Roberts, E. 1993
  • Computers and society in Encyclopedia of Computer Science Roberts, E. edited by Ralston, A., Reilly, E. Van Nostrand Reinhold. 1992; third: 1
  • Factors working against women in computer science Tough Questions Roberts, E. 1989
  • Computing implications: Report from DIAC-88 Computers and Society, ACM SIGCAS Roberts, E., Schuler, D. 1989; 19 (1)
  • Implementing exceptions in C Research Report #40, Digital Equipment Corporation Systems Research Center Roberts, E. 1989
  • WorkCrews: An abstraction for controlling parallelism Research Report #42, Digital Equipment Corporation Systems Research Center Roberts, E., Vandevoorde, M. 1988; 17 (4)
  • Programming and the Pentagon Abacus magazine Roberts, E. 1987
  • parmake and dp: Experience with a distributed, parallel implementation of make Roberts, E., Ellis, J. 1987
  • Computers and the Strategic Defense Initiative included as Chapter 8 of Computers in Battle: Will They Work? Roberts, E., Berlin, S. edited by Bellin, D., Chapman, G. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. 1987: 1
  • Thinking Recursively Roberts, E. John Wiley and Sons. 1986
  • The Eastport Report: Unexpected support for SDI critics The CPSR Newsletter Roberts, E. 1986; 4 (3)
  • Task management in Ada: A critical evaluation for real time multiprocessors Software—Practice and Experience Roberts, E., Evans Jr., Arthur, Morgan, C., Robert, Clarke, E. 1981; 11
  • The impact of multiprocessor technology on high-level language design Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc. Evans Jr., Arthur, Morgan, C., Robert, Roberts, Eric, S., Clarke, E. 1979
  • Pluribus: An operational fault-tolerant multiprocessor Katsuki, D., Elsam, E., Mann, W., Roberts, E., Robinson, J., Skowronski, F., Stanley edited by Chu, W. 1978
  • Software fault-tolerance in the Pluribus Robinson, J., Roberts, E. 1978
  • The Intellectual Excitement of Computer Science Roberts, E. forthcoming..
  • Elements of Basic Programming: An Introduction to Algorithmic Computation Roberts, E. Department of Computer Science, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA.. 1981 , 1987