Maplesoft, a provider of software products for technical education and research, has launched an initiative to support teaching and learning. The company says the Möbius Project makes it easy to create rich, interactive mathematical applications, share them with everyone, and grade them to assess understanding.
Using Maple, the mathematical software from Maplesoft, instructors can create interactive mathematical applications that help their colleagues and students solve problems, visualise solutions, and explore concepts. These applications are then shared with everyone through The Möbius Project, where they can be freely accessed for use in the classroom and for independent learning. These applications are also gradeable by Maple T.A., the testing and assessment system from Maplesoft, giving instructors a whole new way to measure and deepen students’ understanding.
'As a long-time Maple user, I am very excited about The Möbius Project,' said Douglas Meade, Department of Mathematics at the University of South Carolina. 'Now I will be able to share the work I prepare in Maple with others, and see the types of resources other Maple users will create and share through The Möbius Project.
'I hope that bringing Möbius content to the attention of my students will let them explore mathematics in ways they are extremely comfortable with – through online apps. I am also particularly excited about the possibilities of having gradeable math apps that can easily measure students’ understanding in a manner that isn’t possible now.'
The Möbius Project brings together Maplesoft technologies to support every step of the experience. Maple is used as the authoring environment for the interactive applications and Maple T.A. grades them. Users can interact with the applications using a web browser. MapleNet provides the mathematical power behind The Möbius Project website to perform the computations. Users can also run the applications directly on their own computer by using Maple or the free Maple Player.