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A MathML Based Resource to Support a Course of Pre-Teacher Training in Chemistry

A MathML Based Resource to Support a Course of Pre-Teacher Training in Chemistry. Paul Yates Keele University United Kingdom. Introduction. The Mathematics Problem Chemistry Enhancement Course Pre-teacher training Varied student backgrounds Students off campus Web based resource.

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A MathML Based Resource to Support a Course of Pre-Teacher Training in Chemistry

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  1. A MathML Based Resource to Support a Course of Pre-Teacher Training in Chemistry Paul Yates Keele University United Kingdom

  2. Introduction • The Mathematics Problem • Chemistry Enhancement Course • Pre-teacher training • Varied student backgrounds • Students off campus • Web based resource

  3. Equations as images Large file size Long download No text integration No mathematical meaning PDF Viewer to install and launch No integration with HTML Limited copy and paste MathML versus Other Methods

  4. Accessibility Issues • Equations in Braille • Aural rendering • Recent legislation • Explicit operators such as ⁢ • Pedagogic advantages

  5. Authoring Methodology • Amaya browser • Direct authoring in text editor • 2 hours per page of output

  6. Alternative representations “The variables are x and y.” • <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mtext>The variables are &ThinSpace;</mtext> <mi>x</mi><mtext>&ThinSpace; and &ThinSpace;</mtext> <mi>y</mi><mtext>.</mtext> </math> • <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mi>x</mi></math> and <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mi>y</mi></math>.

  7. Browser and Plugins • Different representation of spaces in Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer • Use Internet Explorer 6.0 with MathPlayer plugin • Additional effort needed to produce pages for multiple browsers

  8. On and Off Campus Access • Instructions provided for off campus access • Need to install Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 for Windows 98 • On campus computer laboratory PCs set up with correct configuration

  9. Student Reaction and Feedback • Training session • Informal feedback • Questionnaire

  10. Questionnaire Results • Responses from 18 students • 14 had accessed both homepage and lecture notes • 9 had accessed material off campus • 6 had found the instructions very straightforward, 6 would have welcomed more detail, 2 struggled but got there in the end and 2 had given up

  11. 14 felt that the website was a useful resource as it stands, and the same number felt it would be worth developing further • One student noted that although material was displayed correctly it didn’t print correctly

  12. Further Work • Browser compatibility • Include more chemistry

  13. Displaying Physical Quantities • k = 4.2 x 10-4 s-1 • <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mi>k</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>4.2</mn><mo>&times;</mo> <msup><mn>10</mn><mn>-4</mn></msup> <msup><mtext>s</mtext><mn>-1</mn></msup> </math> • Unit s represented as <mtext> • Significance lost

  14. Conclusions • Students found web site to be of value • Problems accessing and printing mathematical information persist in some cases • Problems may become less acute as software develops

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