Nova Technologies proposes to develop and deploy MathStars - a suite of three integrated tools to support the teaching-and learning of mathematics at the Middle School level. The common theme in all three tools will be to explore new ways the World Wide Web can be used to enhance the instruction of mathematics by Middle School teachers and improve students' math knowledge and general attitudes toward this subject. After deploying the tools, we will then analyze how they are used and attempt to quantify the educational benefits of using them in Middle School mathematics classrooms. The first tool is MathStars-Homework , which will help teachers in the assignment and grading of mathematics homework assignments. The second tool is MathStars-Tutor , an on-line computer-aided instruction system. The third tool in our proposed suite of web-enabled mathematics support systems is MathStars-Teamwork , which will be used to promote and support friendly competition between students at different schools across the country. Summary of Anticipated Results and Implications: Upon successful completion of this project, MathStars-Homework will support the teacher by applying advanced technology to the assignment and grading of Middle School mathematics homework problems. The MathStars-Homework system will also provide valuable feedback to the teacher on a wide range of statistical categories, identifying areas of weakness for individual students and the class as a whole. MathStars-Tutor will supplement standard mathematics texts to provide students with on-line help and detailed examples of how to solve Middle School math problems. Nova Technologies will also integrate visualizations, simulations, and streaming audio and video into the MathStars-Tutor system. The MathStars-Teamwork concept will capitalize on the competitive nature of young adolescents, motivating them to learn mathematics with a positive attitude. MathStars-Teamwork will benefit students with a wide range of mathematical capabilities and skills. After using MathStars-Homework , teachers will spend less time grading homework and more time preparing lessons and providing one-on-one instruction. Teachers will also be able to generate "AfterMath" reports to help identify concepts causing problems for the class in general, and pinpoint the concepts that individual students are having difficulty grasping. These detailed AfterMath reports will focus a teacher's attention on the material that each student most needs to see emphasized, strengthening math skills in their weakest areas. MathStars-Tutor will give students hints and detailed help when they need it, making difficult math concepts easier to understand. The advanced multimedia technologies envisioned for MathStars-Tutor will help to explain difficult mathematical topics in a format that makes them intuitive, thus improving the acquisition and retention of mathematical knowledge by Middle School math students. MathStars-Teamwork will make all students more confident in their math abilities, encourage small-team dynamics that have been shown to improve the learning and retention of many different kinds of knowledge, and bring peer pressure to bear in motivating students to do more than the minimum needed to get by in a mathematics course. Nova Technologies will deploy the Math Stars-Homework , MathStars-Tutor , and MathStars-Teamwork tools on the Internet, making them available to every Middle School in America. Some of the infrastructure supporting these tools, such as the database tracking systems, will also be useful on other commercial on-line training applications, such as on-the-job training for employees at Fortune 500 companies (e.g., security, ethics, sexual harassment, etc.).
