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Ah, physics. The granddaddy of the sciences. Source
of enlightment to many. Bewildering array of
equations and laws to others. In an attempt to help
students fall into the former category, teachers
construct pendula and inclined planes, circuits and
barometers. It is all part of their quest to help
students solidify their sometimes shaky grasp of
the basics of physics. Now they have another
teaching aid: a problem-authoring tool for the Web.
An authoring tool may not sound like an improvement over, say, a textbook, but high school students in central Illinois can tell you otherwise. Through an effort at NCSA called Resource for Science Education (RSE), students in two (and soon three) advanced physics classes are discovering that physics homework can be more fun when they get to design the problems and build them for the Web.
The students are using a Web-authoring tool called
CyberProf®, a Web browser and a computer connected
to the Internet. After they compose their problems
using HTML and a few unique CyberProf extensions,
the CyberProf software, which runs on a remote
server, assembles the students' input into a Web
document, that is delivered to desktop computers.
This document is interactive -- that is, it
responds to someone's correct and incorrect input.
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