Mattox Beckman

Mattox Beckman is a Teaching Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, affiliated with the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science. He holds a PhD and BS in Computer Science and Mathematics from UIUC. His research focuses on computer science education, programming languages (especially functional programming), and competitive programming. He has received awards including the 2024 ICPC Coach’s Award and Teacher of the Year at Illinois Institute of Technology. Beckman teaches courses such as CS 421 (Programming Languages) and CS 491 CAP (Competitive Algorithmic Programming), emphasizing flipped classrooms and mastery grading. He coaches the UIUC ICPC team, which has achieved international recognition. His work includes developing teaching methodologies like Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) and Specifications Grading.

Education: PhD in Computer Science (UIUC, 2003), BS in Math and Computer Science (UIUC, 1993).

Research & Service: Beckman’s research spans educational leadership development, programming pedagogy, and competitive programming. He has authored publications on teaching frameworks like the iELITE program and Inform Track. He serves on the ICPC coaching committee and has presented at academic conferences on topics like multi-modal classroom strategies.

Awards & Recognition:

• ICPC Coach’s Award (2024)
• Teacher of the Year (Illinois Institute of Technology, 2006)
• Teaching Fellow (Illinois Institute of Technology, 2012–2015)

Labs/Teams: Beckman leads the UIUC ICPC team, which has won regional and international competitions. His pedagogical innovations include flipped classrooms and mastery grading systems.