The Möbius Project goes public after a successful pilot

WATERLOO, CANADA: Maplesoft, a leader in software products for technical education and research, announced the next phase of The Möbius Project, a major initiative to support teaching and learning.

The Möbius Project from Maplesoft makes it easy to create rich, interactive mathematical applications, share them with anyone, and grade them to assess understanding. After a four month pilot program, The Möbius Project is now available to the public.

The goal of The Möbius Project is to provide innovative new tools to engage students with powerful visual aids, deepen their comprehension of mathematical concepts both in the classroom and during independent learning, and revolutionize assessment by providing a whole new way for instructors to measure and increase students' understanding.

During the pilot phase, hundreds of educators joined in to explore the possibilities of this modern approach to learning and assessment. Möbius Apps created during the pilot phase covered a wide variety of topics, including integration with Riemann sums, quadratic surfaces, and analysis of loaded beams.

The Möbius Project is supported by many Maplesoft technologies. Maple, the foundational mathematical software product, is used as the authoring environment for creating interactive math applications. Maple T.A. 9.5, the newest release of the online testing and assessment system, contains innovative new technology that enables it to automatically grade the students' use of the math applications as part of a test or assignment.

In addition, MapleNet provides the mathematical power to The Möbius Project web site, where these math apps can be accessed by anyone using only a web browser. Users can also run the applications directly on their own computer by using Maple or the free Maple Player.

"Many educators embraced the benefits that technology can bring to the math classroom years ago," says Dr. Laurent Bernardin, executive VP, R&D, Maplesoft. "But as technology evolves, so do the benefits we can get from it. The Möbius Project opens up exciting new possibilities, especially in terms of instant access to intuitive math tools and innovative assessment methods. For educators, it's a whole new world."

Many aspects of The Möbius Project are pushing the boundaries of technology. Maplesoft will continue its research and make the results available to customers over time. To allow customers to try out cutting-edge technology as soon as it becomes available, Möbius App questions are included in Maple T.A. as a technology preview, so customers can start getting familiar with this feature and begin developing content for students. Maplesoft offers special services and support to assist instructors in creating, testing, and deploying Math Apps.