George McGuire

Some problems of mathematical CAL

This paper describes briefly some problems of mathematical CAL and suggests ways to combat them. Within the context of the CALM Project for Computer Aided Learning in Mathematics we highlight three main areas of difficulty—mathematical display, input and evaluation. These problems are illustrated using examples from software developed at the Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh and at Southampton University; the examples are taken from both calculus and algebra.

The CALM before the storm] CAL in university mathematics

Abstract A Computer Aided Learning project in Mathematics (the CALM Project) is based at the Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. It is one of the projects currently in receipt of funding from the Computer Board of the United Kingdom as part of the Computers in Teaching Initiative in British Universities. The CALM Project seeks to produce computer enhanced teaching packages which will back-up the conventional teaching of Calculus to large groups of first year engineering undergraduates at a typical Scottish University. The project has been underway for just over one year and some of the software prepared by the CALM team has been tested by one section of the class. During this testing period we have embarked on a formative evaluation of the software and of its impact on student learning practices. In this article the writers present an outline of the evaluation procedure. In addition, details are given of the software tools used to produce the CALM programs.

Integrating formative evaluation into a learner-centred revision course

This article describes a learner-centred course which ran in summer 1988. It was ostensibly a revision exercise, using computer assisted learning (CAL), but an element of formative evaluation was deliberately built into the process, making it contribute to our systematic review and development of our teaching. Our aim was to take snapshots of learning at different stages, through a short but intensive revision class in mathematics for engineering and science undergraduates at a Scottish university The CALM Project—Computer Aided Learning in Mathematics—has produced 2 5 software units to enhance the teaching of calculus to large groups of undergraduates. The CALM software was piloted by one group of students and a formative evaluation of the packages has been reported elsewhere (Beevers et al 1987, Beevers et al 1988a). This revision course enabled us to confirm many of the previous evaluation findings on the CALM software; we also discovered that a round-up session on problem-solving is an important and integral part of the learning process. The evaluation proved useful to us as teachers of mathematics, and has already influenced the future development of our CAL work.