Seth Poulsen
Assistant Professor Of Computer Science at Utah State University
United States
Summary
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Senior🎓
Top SchoolSeth Poulsen is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Utah State University with nine years of experience blending software engineering and education research. He designs and evaluates tools that help students learn algorithms and formal reasoning—most notably Proof Blocks—and contributes to prominent open-source education platforms like PrairieLearn and Runestone, where he added DAG-based graders and partial-credit scoring. His background spans industry roles at Amazon and AI-assisted grading prototypes at Art of Problem Solving, giving him practical product experience alongside rigorous research from a PhD at UIUC. Unusually for an educator, he pairs deep theoretical interests (published work in difference sets during his earlier research) with hands-on backend and full-stack engineering that ships classroom-ready systems.
9 years of coding experience
4 years of employment as a software developer
Buchanan High SchoolDoctor of Philosophy - PhD, Computer Science, Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Computer Science at University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignBachelor’s Degree, Mathematics, 4.0, Bachelor’s Degree, Mathematics, 4.0 at Brigham Young University
Stackoverflow
253reputation
9kreached
11answers
7questions
Github Skills (17)
javascript10
python10
autograd10
test-automation10
lxml7
generics6
formal-verification6
functional-programming6
stl6
dictionary6
windows6
networkx6
visual-studio-code6
ssreflect6
react4
Programming languages (12)
Github contributions (5)
PrairieLearn/PrairieLearn
Apr 2021 - Jan 2023
Online problem-driven learning system
Role in this project:
Backend Developer
Backend DeveloperContributions:911 reviews, 257 commits, 206 PRs in 1 year 10 months
Contributions summary:Seth primarily contributed to the development of the `pl-order-blocks` element, a feature within the online learning system. They implemented a new "dag" grading method, refactored and improved existing code, and added unit tests for the element. Furthermore, the user added features such as partial credit, code formatting, and block group support. Their work significantly enhanced the functionality and robustness of the `pl-order-blocks` element.
machine-learningproblemassessmentdrivingautograders
RunestoneInteractive/RunestoneComponents
May 2022 - May 2022
Packaging of the Runestone tools for publishing educational materials using github pages
Role in this project:Full-stack Developer
Full-stack DeveloperContributions:18 commits, 1 PR, 7 comments in 4 days
Contributions summary:Seth's primary focus was enhancing the Parsons problem type, adding a new "DAG" (Directed Acyclic Graph) grader to assess the correctness of answer blocks and their dependencies. They implemented the `DAGGrader` class, integrated it with the existing `Parsons` component, and created supporting functions, including those for graph representation and vertex cover calculations. The user also added test cases to validate the new functionality. The work included modifying multiple files to implement the new grading mechanism and support the required functionalities.
educational-materialspackagingpublishing
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