Design principles of Mathpert: software to support education in algebra and calculus

This paper lists eight design criteria that must be met if we are to provide successful computer support for education in algebra, trigonometry, and calculus. It also describes Mathpert, a piece of software that was built with these criteria in mind. The description given here is intended for designers of other software, for designers of new teaching materials and curricula utilizing mathematical software, and for professors interested in using such software. The design principles in question involve both the user interface and the internal operation of the software. For example, three important principles are cognitive fidelity, the glass box principle, and the correctness principle. After an overview of design principles, we discuss the design of Mathpert in the light of these principles, showing how the main lines of the design were determined by these principles. (The scope of this paper is strictly limited to an exposition of the design principles and their application to Mathpert. I shall not attempt to review projects other than Mathpert in the light of these design principles.)

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