Thomas W. Price

Thomas W. Price is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at North Carolina State University's College of Engineering. He directs the Help through INTelligent Support (HINTS) Lab and is affiliated with NCSU's Center for Educational Informatics. His work bridges computer science, education, and artificial intelligence to create intelligent learning environments.

Dr. Price earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science from NC State University in 2015 and 2018 respectively, and was named the College of Engineering Doctoral Scholar of the Year in 2018.

His research focuses on computing education with an emphasis on automatically generating programming hints and feedback using student data. He has evaluated innovative programming environments including block-based and frame-based systems, and designs intelligent support tools that integrate with these technologies. His work examines how students seek and use help in both classroom and online settings, with particular interest in open-ended programming projects, data-driven feedback systems, and understanding student programming behaviors.

His recent publications reveal a strong trend toward integrating AI and educational data mining techniques to support programming education. His work spans from fundamental research on student help-seeking behaviors to practical tools that provide immediate feedback, detect student struggles, and offer personalized support. A significant portion of his recent work addresses emerging challenges like student use of generative AI tools and detecting AI-generated code submissions.

• College of Engineering Doctoral Scholar of the Year (2018)
• Exemplary Paper Award from International Conference on Educational Data Mining
• Exemplary Paper Award from ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education
• Recognition by STARS Computing Corps for leadership in computing outreach

Dr. Price mentors several Ph.D. students including James Skripchuk, John Thomas Bacher, and Keith Tran. He has secured over $4 million in research funding from the National Science Foundation for projects including infrastructure for sustainable innovation in computer science education, data-driven technologies for STEM instruction, and intelligent support for creative programming projects. His research has practical applications in classroom settings and aims to create scalable solutions that don't place additional burden on instructors.

As director of the HINTS Lab, Dr. Price leads a team investigating how to re-imagine educational programming environments as adaptive, data-driven systems. The lab focuses on supporting students working in creative, open-ended contexts through automated tools for planning, hint generation, and progress monitoring. Their research emphasizes practical methods that can scale to new classrooms and contexts while providing personalized support tailored to individual student needs.