Why educators love marimo

Teaching STEM subjects often involves abstract concepts that can be difficult for students to grasp. marimo offers educators a different approach to creating interactive learning materials by giving you, and your students, an interactive notebook that really invites everyone to play with the material.

Interactive elements

Unlike traditional notebooks where cells execute independently, marimo automatically updates outputs when inputs change, creating a more connected experience for students working through problems. This approach also makes it easier for students to catch bugs.

Reactive execution means that when students change a variable or parameter, dependent cells update automatically. This is useful for teaching concepts like linear algebra, where students can adjust matrix values and immediately see how it affects visualizations or calculations. The notebook integrates widgets, plots, and code outputs naturally, so students can focus on understanding the concepts rather than managing technical details. This immediate feedback helps students see connections between different parts of their analysis.

Easy to share

marimo notebooks can run as web applications, which simplifies distribution to students. Educators can host notebooks online or run them locally, and students access them through a web browser without needing to install specific software packages. This reduces the setup friction that often occurs at the beginning of coding courses. Students can also share their work with instructors or collaborate more easily, since the notebooks are designed to work consistently across different environments.

Great adoption at places like Stanford

Universities like Stanford have started using marimo in computer science and data science courses. Instructors find that the reactive nature of the notebooks works well for courses involving machine learning, data visualization, and mathematical modeling, where students benefit from being able to adjust parameters and see immediate results. The tool has proven particularly effective in situations where students need to explore how changes in one part of their analysis affect the overall outcome.