http://netmath.uiuc.edu

Online math courses at University of Illinois

Debra Woods		dwoods2@uiuc.edu

What NetMath is

• Mathematica based guided active discovery online courses offered through University of Illinois outreach.

• Pre-calculus, calculus 1, 2, 3, differential equations, linear algebra, advanced calculus, probability/statistics

• Basics, Tutorials, Give it a Try, Literacy

• Asynchrounous

• Flexible

• Successful!

What NetMath isn't

☹ Online lectures

Who is NetMath

• Innovative Authors of fantastic courseware - Jerry Uhl, Bill Davis, Horacio Porta, Bruce Carpenter
• An instructor - Debra Woods
• Two TA's - Milos Curcic and Roland Gau
• Two lead mentors - Amanda Heitz and Carol Youngquist
• Tech guy - Richard Hislop
• 20 to 30 undergraduate mentors
• around 300 students from all over the world
	◦ 82 High school students
	◦ 132 students in Illinois
	◦ Students in the military
	◦ Students currently from countries such as Australia, India, Greece, France, Pakistan, Hong Kong, 	Cayman Islands, etc.
	◦ A student on a nuclear submarine in the southwestern Pacific.

When does NetMath take place?

Whenever a student wants it to .... gosh.

Why Mathematica?

• Powerful user interface
• Students do all their work in one medium
• Flexibility for students to attack problems numerically, graphically or symbolically.

What do Students Have to Say About NetMath?

• In the electronic age using mathematica for distance learning really has its strengths. If I couldnt converse through email with the mathematica notebooks, Id either have to come up with a shorthand for describing my questions or Id have to learn an equation editor like what comes with Word. This could get really clumsy.

• Mathematica is great!

• I was very satisfied with my experience and I feel I the Mathematica program helps engage the students into abstract topics such as linear algebra much better than a textbook.  Graphing a function and seeing its results instantly is very gratifying.

• For anyone who is either a passionate student of mathematics or a student who has a hard time finding the purpose of their learning of mathematics, this is a great set of courses for them to take.

• Thanks, I really enjoyed my netmath experience, and with out it Id be very behind in all my classes

• It is great to see the University of Illinois leading the on-line world with this innovative approach.

• Great program, would love to see it expanded.

On how to improve NetMath:
• Mathematica needs a shortcut for highlighting...

• Add more courses:  partial differential equations, applied mathematics

On what not to change:

• use of Mathematica

• The time frame and the examples given.

• self-paced aspect is the best thing possible

• Discussion of the section AFTER we already have tried it.

• The flexibility allowed to the student.

• Netmath chat was useful.  I also liked the message board.

• Having undergraduates as tutors is a real strength of the program.
They never tire of listening to students questions. And its always
very easy to contact them.

• Keep Netmath in high schools. I really liked getting some real college test experience under my belt before college.

• I like the freedom of the student finding his/her own proctor and pacing him/herself; these can be great lessons in independence and responsibility.

• Relaxed atmosphere, great TAs

• The mentoring process, the flexibility, the interesting coursework.

• most everything is pretty cutting edge for online courses

• Flexable schedule to start whenever you want to.

• The flexible pacing is a huge advantage and your willingness to start the course at any time not necessarily on a semester basis.

• I liked homework submission and the way the course was structured. It was also really helpful to have mentors available through live chat rooms.

•  The courseware.

• The corny math/geek humor.

• the net mentor people.

• Continue to promote the conceptual learning and the good interrelationship between the use of Mathematica and the understanding of conceptual ideas.

• the use of the Mathematica software

• the variety of courses available

What does Popular Science Have to Say?

What Is It? This granddaddy of online math programs has been helping home-schoolers, university kids and professionals put two and two together since 1991. The school's offerings include algebra and trigonometry, analytic geometry, and calculus for business. Students receive credits from the University of Illinois, an accredited Big Ten university.

Why's It Cool? With a holistic learning approach that engages the whole brain (including the part that likes to have fun), NetMath takes the "I want to jump out the window" out of math class. Each course incorporates interactive software that gives students a more exciting and memorable way to learn than old-school, one-dimensional textbooks.

Can't Miss? The program uses Mathematica software to help students visualize abstract algebraic concepts.

How Does NetMath Work?