How would you describe your work in 90 seconds?

I deal with learning, a process that happens all the time at university, but also beyond - in schools, but also in daily life, at work, and many other places. I particularly focus on learning with digital resources, digital technology, and digital systems, and on designing, implementing, and evaluating these systems in real-life situations. It’s applied computer science, and with a focus on computer science didactics, I also look at how to embed computer science, which is the foundation for many technologies, as a topic in schools and in education more generally. In a nutshell, my research is about learning technologies and computer science didactics.

How did you get in touch with informatics?

It started very early on; we had a family computer in the 90s and I had access to that. I was playing games, but also doing schoolwork, like setting up documents and presentations. I remember that we had a computer class in, I think it was grade 4, where we kind of figured out how computers work; that sparked my interest, and I continued with computer science ever since. I took computer science as an elective in grades 9 to 13, so I already had a lot of contact with computer science in high school. When it came to deciding what to study, however, I was actually set on chemistry. In the end, I didn’t pursue chemistry because I went to the open house at university to see what the courses we like, and it was too many hours in the lab, with loads of experiments (which are not really about explosions, as you see in the movies). So, I turned towards something that is much more fun on the theoretical side. I also visited the open house event at the computer science department, and they convinced me with an algorithm problem that problem-solving is basically computer science - with or without actual computers. That was the start of it all because I switched from the idea of studying chemistry to computer science, and I’ve never looked back since.

Where do you see the connection between your research and everyday life?

Since I do research in applied computer science, there are a lot of connections to everyday life. When you look at learning as a daily activity, you immediately see the connections. I look at how technology can support learning and how it can help us to understand learning. So, whenever learning occurs somewhere, and technology is involved, it sparks my interest, and I’m immediately focused on that and curious about how it works and what’s behind it.

What makes you happy in your work?

I basically love everything about it, but I particularly like being able to follow up on my curiosity. Being curious is also something that motivates learning. Being an assistant professor or a researcher more generally allows you to be curious and to follow up on it. You can investigate, and you can do research in so many areas. That’s what makes it fun. Working at a university, compared to other research institutions, also includes teaching. It’s a place where learning happens because someone can teach and create a learning environment, so it is kind of a perfect playground for the study of learning.

Why do you think there are still so few women in computer science?

I think we can all agree that the gender situation is not good, but the reasons why that’s still the case are countless. One important part is setting up opportunities from very early on, like integrating computer science classes in school; that should already happen in primary school. Another aspect is designing these classes so that there is equality when it comes to access and motivation. There is not only a strong, often male-defined image of computer science, but there are also creative parts to it. There are parts that might inspire girls to follow up on computer science to go in this direction, and this should be highlighted. This can be achieved with role models, but also with the design of the classes. I think the main reason why we are not yet where we want to be is that we don’t focus enough on the details when it comes to equal opportunities.

René Röpke is Assistant Professor of Software Engineering at TU Wien Informatics, focusing on Learning Technologies and eDidactics. He is also project director of eduLAB, an outreach inititive of TU Wien Informatics to bring computer science to schools.

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