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Design and Development of a Platform for a Ubiquitous Calculus Teaching Assistant

Hsing-Hsia Chen
The Applied Mathematics Department of the Chung-Yuan Christian University, Taiwan

Abstract—This study developed a mobile learning system for smartphones and mobile devices to enhance calculus learning. A ubiquitous calculus teaching assistant (UCTA) app was developed for iOS and Android operating systems. App content was based on freshmen prerequisite calculus courses and managed using a Java-based server. The apps underwent testing by calculus students who were able to use the apps immediately after installation. The app enabled students to take pictures of their written work and upload the images to the server, thereby overcoming the need to input special mathematical symbols through conventional smartphone input methods. The server immediately notified instructors of student inquiries through the UCTA apps installed on their mobile devices, facilitating an immediate response or sharing of relevant information with the entire class. Using the UCTA app, the students were able to ask follow-up questions in response to the instructors’ feedback, thus achieving interactive and cooperative learning. Moreover, the app provides a function for sharing extracurricular materials or course-related questions with the class. Finally, a similar version of the UCTA program was designed for Windows operating systems to provide system access for students who do not own a smartphone.

Index Terms—ubiquitous, calculus, ubiquitous teaching assistant

Cite: Hsing-Hsia Chen, "Design and Development of a Platform for a Ubiquitous Calculus Teaching Assistant," International Journal of Learning and Teaching, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 1-4, March 2017. doi: 10.18178/ijlt.3.1.1-4