WELCOME HOME

Welcome to Project WELCOME site...
Launched in May, 2000, with the support of an NSF grant, Project WELCOME is a new part of the MAA SUMMA Program. WELCOME brings together elements of three MAA program themes: academic technology, professional development, and promoting involvement of historically under-represented groups.

This project is funded to create a library collection of "interactive mathematical explorations" (this web site) to support a suite of undergraduate courses in mathematics. Each exploration consists of organized sequences of simulations, "quantitative/qualitative laboratory" experiments, lessons, and/or open-ended exercises tied to the conceptual themes of the targeted course.

These explorations are created in MathwrightWeb Author and read either online within the browser (applet mode) using Mathwrightweb Activex Control or offline using Mathwright32 Player. However,

in order to view the interactive explorations, you must be running Microsoft Windows 95/98/2000/ME/XP and using Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or later.

Get started by setting up your personal computer to play the interactive explorations. The details are under the menu item "Start Here" on the left.

The Mathwright Library hosts a collection of interactive, electronic mathematics and science "WorkBooks." These WorkBooks have been developed by College and Secondary School mathematics and science teachers (and sometimes by their students) since 1991. Initially funded by the National Science Foundation and supported by the IBM Corporation, it has been in place on the web since 1995.
This Library is an experiment in computer-based pedagogy. Its aim is to invite students to come into the world of mathematics and science through structured microworlds ( WorkBooks) that will allow them to ask their own questions, to read at their own pace, and to experiment and play with those topics that interest them. Library WorkBooks are hypertext documents. They vary in size from 1 page to 40 pages. Most of them look and feel like web pages, and that fact leverages the experience that students already have with the web. But in the WorkBooks, students will be able to do very interesting and exciting things.

Visit the Mathwright Library and Cafe and explore the large collection of Mathwright workbooks covering topics ranging across the undergraduate mathematics curriculum ...

There are four active teams for the academic year 2000-2001. Each team consists of a novice developer and a mentor (experienced developer).

Mike Pepe (right)
mentor
Seattle Central C. C.

Ravinder Kumar
developer
Alcorn University

Margie Hale (left)
mentor
Stetson University

K.P. Satagopan
developer
Shaw University

Kyle Siegrist (left)
mentor
Univ. of AL, Huntsville

Mafori Moore
developer
GA Perimeter College

Jim Miller (left)
mentor
West VA University

Sam Masih
developer
Albany State University

Objectives: Involve students and their teachers in computer activities for interactive exploration of mathematical ideas; create on-line resource for students and teachers everywhere.
Funding: $300,000 NSF grant to the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).
Term: Academic years 2000-2001 and 2001-2002.
Principal Investigator (PI): James E. White.
Co-PI's: Bill Hawkins, Dan Kalman, and Samad Mortabit

James E. White
Principal Investigator

William Hawkins
MAA

Dan Kalman
American University

Samad Mortabit
Metropolitan State Univ.

Getting Set ...

MathwrightWeb ActiveX Control is the online (applet like) player. More on MathwrightWeb ...
Mathwright32 Reader is the offline player (for slow internet connections or browser problems). More on Mathwright 32 ...

(1) Download and setup the appropriate player (or both).
(2) Some of the workbooks (interactive explorations) make use of Microsoft Access databases. You DO NOT have to have Microsoft Access on your personal computer, but you do have to configure your "data source (ODBC)" to enable buit-in MS Access tools. To do so, go to the configuration page.

(3) Downloading and setting up the player and configuring the data source is a one time process. Once that is complete, you may proceed to the collection of interactive mathematical explorations.