John Cole

John Cole is a Teaching Professor in the Computer Science Department at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD). He has been a full-time faculty member since Fall 2012, having previously taught part-time at Collin County Community College and the Illinois Institute of Technology. His professional background includes over 40 years of software development, specializing in compilers, embedded systems, and mobile applications. He currently serves as Executive Director of the Executive Master's in Software Engineering (EMSE) program and as Associate Director of the Center for Computer Science Outreach, working with Dr. Jey Veerasamy. He is also a faculty advisor for ACM at UTD and Nebula Labs, a student programming group.

Education: Earned degrees in Computer Science from the Illinois Institute of Technology in the mid-1970s. His teaching focuses on programming discipline, software development best practices, and technical writing. Courses taught include Professional Responsibility in CS and SE, Computer Architecture, Human-Computer Interaction, and Senior Design projects.

Research interests emphasize pedagogical strategies, embedded systems, and mobile application development. Notable projects include an attendance tracking app and Scantron grading tool. He advocates for deep work practices in programming and opposes the misuse of public code repositories.

Leadership roles include managing the EMSE program for working professionals and overseeing outreach initiatives. Past involvement includes organizing workshops on technical writing and embedded systems in India. His personal projects explore Raspberry Pi, Arduino, and Android app development.