MapleTA

Few notes from MapleTA March 25th presentation.

Platform is the most spectacular, way ahead then any other alternative (WebAssign, WileyPlus). In math content creation it is ahead of competitors probably by few degrees.

Platform has all the usual online homework features. Content organization, navigation, reporting is equivalent to other competitors (Blackboard integration available as well). What makes MapleTA to stand out is content creation. Platform allows to create content all the way from click and drag user friendly high level interface down to raw coding and tweaking geeky levels. A very rich usage of variables, images as variables, access to maple engine core (with spectacular 3D graphing, all the calculating power, symbolic math) are all there. Platform can interface with adobe flash, one can create visual problems (way richer then publisher compiled WebAssign can offer). In one word, it is state of art of online math assignments.

The price for platform is $200 installation + $16 pa per student (hosted by MapleTA). Interestingly this is half price of WebAssign access that we are currently asking students to pay for. Beyond the pilot further discounted pricing schemes are available (especially if hosted by the university). It has many of the same features we are seeking in TutorTracks. The practice problems will be available to OUL students, will be reusable and can be incorporated in the KB database much the same way as other sources could be. It doesn't have to be TutorTracks project, but probably worth mentioning. Athens math department is one possible partner to get engaged in this project.