Design and development of a Web-based CAI program using Mathematica
Youngcook Y. Jun
ycjun@sunchon.sunchon.ac.kr
Department of Computer Education
Sunchon National University
Sunchon city, Korea
Abstract
Mathematica helps students understand mathematical concepts and experiment numerical computations as a microscope. With Mathematica, students are able to explore mathematical concepts by playing an active role of learners. Graphic manipulations of Mathematica also encourages students to visually understand mathematical objects by drawing various types of graphs. All of these computational capabilities are excellent tools for students who need machinery with which they can see mathematical patterns and dynamical representations of symbolic notations while problems are being solved.
On the other hand, WWW promotes communications among the students and provides information with which the students face in their learning processes associated with real-world applications. According to NCTM standards, students in math class are encouraged to deal with mathematical applications so that they can solve varieties of real-world phenomena ahead of their graduations. In this way, students are guided to find solutions of ill- or less-defined problems with group discussions and communications with teachers and experts in other locations. By discussing mathematical ideas, students can get in deep levels of mathematical understandings otherwise they seem to shallow levels of fragmented knowledge acquisition.
This paper describes a CAI program which adopts Mathematica back-engine and WWW front-end interface so that the program can be equipped with graphical representations and multimedia capabilities via common gateway interface(CGI). This program solves a system of two linear equations with two unknown variables in each step with relevant explanations. Besides, it provides different modules for various levels of students on the Web as a learning aid. The paper also suggests future tasks to enhance the program that is still under development according to NCTM standards.
© Asian Technology Conference in Mathematics, 1998. |
