Live lectures crack the code for next generation of software engineers

Dr Paul Vrbik from UQ’s School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science has developed a unique approach to teaching that has earned him a 2025 Award for Teaching Excellence.

“The first lecture of my Introduction to Computer Science course is a history lesson, where we explore the history of the computer from its inception in the 1940s to the Mac and Windows machines we use today,” he said.

“Then I tell the students: ‘The computer sitting on your lap is doing an incredible number of equations per second that is inconceivable to the human mind – and if you stick with me for the semester, I can show you how to use that power to create magic’.

“The excitement I see in their eyes is priceless.”

Each lecture begins with a coding ‘problem’ that invites the students to test their strategies, articulate their reasoning and engage in shared problem solving.

“I think what makes this format so popular among students is the way it provides a glimpse into what a career in software engineering actually looks like,” Dr Vrbik said.

It’s a common misconception that software engineers spend most of their days producing new code for the next AI program or iOS update, but that is not the reality.

“What an engineer predominantly does is a process we call debugging, where they find and fix errors in existing code,” Dr Vrbik said.

“It’s a skill that is taught best through demonstration, and I’ve found that coding in real time while narrating my decision making allows for the students to understand it.

“Watching something built in real time is much more satisfying than seeing a pre-existing solution uncovered in parts.”

Naturally, coding live can lead to errors, but Dr Vrbik said it breaks down expectations of perfectionism. 

“I think a lot of students assume someone at my level wouldn’t make mistakes, but that’s just not reality – there is no one on this planet who works error-free,” he said.

“It gives my students an opportunity to consider what they’ve already learnt and put it into practice to rectify the error.”

Building with the right tools

Dr Vrbik approaches teaching from a bottom-up perspective, where students master their skills each week before moving onto the next phase.

At the end of each semester he puts his students’ skills to the ultimate test and the class works together to build a game from scratch.

“The practice of software engineering is not just about learning the various commands and syntaxes, but about combining those things to build software,” he said.

“Last semester we built a version of UNO that we named UQ-NO and revisited all the things I had taught them that semester, from programming and syntax, to carefully organising files and developing testing apparatus.

“It’s something you can’t teach with just a PowerPoint slide.”

Inspiring the next generation

Dr Vrbik has received glowing reviews from many of his students who say the live coding demonstrations have changed the way they think about software engineering as a profession.

“If I can get them to feel excited about learning and the amazing things that are possible once they master their craft, then I know I have done my job well,” Dr Vrbik said.

“At the heart of these phenomenal technologies is a human story: we didn’t just wake up one day and have computers – they were the byproduct of some very hard-working people.

“I hope that at the end of each lecture, my students feel motivated to be part of the next chapter.”