Carroll March

Carroll March is a professor in the School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of New South Wales, where he teaches and conducts research in formal methods, concurrency, cybersecurity, and differential privacy. He is recognized for his innovative pedagogical approaches, particularly in embedding formal reasoning into programming education.

His research interests center on formal methods in software development, with a strong emphasis on teaching students to use assertions, invariants, and logical reasoning to build correct and reliable programs. He has redesigned his course to address challenges in student engagement, especially during the pandemic, using structured weekly quizzes and multi-stage programming assignments to promote deep understanding.

The course, though not made mandatory, has seen increasing enrollment due to its effectiveness and student satisfaction. It targets the 'middle third' of learners—those who benefit most from guided, incremental exposure to formal techniques.

Carroll emphasizes emotional connection and pacing in teaching, fostering student confidence through carefully scaffolded learning experiences. He advocates for a shift from exam-based assessment to continuous, reasoning-focused evaluation.

He has also contributed to curriculum development discussions, aiming to integrate formal methods earlier in computer science education, and has presented his teaching methods at academic workshops, including one in 2019.