The course in Scientific workplace that I
participated in during the fall
sememster of 2003 taught me many useful
skills. In particular, I was taught
the basics and some advanced concepts of
the program known as Scientific
Workplace. Scientific Workplace combines a
computer algebra system with a
typsetting capability. This combination
allows one to perform mathematical
calculations while simultaneously creating
a professional document. Some
obvious uses for this program are
mathematical papers as well as math or
physics homework. I have written several
math papers in Scientific Workplace
for various classes and my professors were
always impressed at the quality
look of the document. One thing about
Scientific Workplace that makes
writing such papers easy is the ability to
include citations and references
by keyword instead of number. Because the
numbering is actually done at
compilation time, any re-ordering of the
references caused by adding extras
in is taken care of by Scientific
Workplace.
Probably the most interesting feature of
Scientific Workplace that we made
use of in the class was a style file that
had been written by one of the
professors at my university. This style
file allowed normal typing to appear
as professional looking slides on a
computer screen. These slides had the
option of a sidebar indicating the
university or whatever one decided to
place there, a watermark that could also
be specified and the school seal.
If one so desired, the sidebar could be
removed so that the slides could be
printed out. I know from personal experience
that having backup
transparencies can come in handy in the
event of computer malfunction.
Overall, the course I took in the use of
Scientific Workplace was extremely
useful to me. The method in which I was
taught was by video of my professors
computer screen over the internet. This
not only allowed me to be able to
work on my own time, but since everything
we did had to do with computers,
the chosen media worked extremely well in
delivering this information. I
would reccomend this type of class for any
computer class.
Using Scientific Workplace has been a very
positive experience for me. The
course itself was very successful in
teaching the basics of both typesetting
in and coding in a LaTeX based
environment. Although the general setup of
SWP is very much akin to Microsoft Word or
a comparable word processing
program, there are many additional
commands that were added to facilitate
mathematical notation and MuPad functions
that are not part of a basic word
processing package. Likewise, inserting
LaTeX code, very simple one the
proper techniques are mastered, is
extremely confusing to a novice user.
Inserting code is the only way to typeset
in color, format in columns, and
perform many other typesetting comments.
Best of all, with SWP one can
produce a superior quality of written math
in less time that it takes to
write problems out by hand. It is neat,
legible, correctly formatted, and
any sort of graphs or other images can be
inserted. I plan to use SWP for
all my future math assignments.
SWP is also useful in a broader
educational sense. My Calculus II instructor
repeatedly stressed the importance of
correctly written math. SWP forces
students to use correct notation -- MuPad
cannot read an equation if there
are syntactical errors. Correct notation
is essential to communicating a
mathematical idea, especially at more
abstract levels. Learning the basic
syntax of SWP also enhances this
understanding. There is much more to a
course in SWP than typesetting.
I signed up this semester for this class
without really knowing what I was
getting myself into. I was invited by my
Calculus II professor to be a part
of a new form of teaching. I was intrigued
and thought that I would give it
a shot. His enthusiasm for the project
inspired me to venture into this
unknown territory and try it out. When I
signed up for the class and got my
first lesson via his website I was rather
taken back. Mixed feelings about
the program ran through me. On one hand,
this was a really cool way to take
a class, on the other, the program seemed
complex and that it would take a
lot of time to learn. I ventured on
though, embarking on a new journey to
experiment with this new wave of teaching.
Learning the program at first is a little
overwhelming. For someone
experienced in computer programming, I
think the LaTeX code would be second
nature to her. But for someone who has
only a little experience with coding,
more time is necessary to figure out the
system. It didn't take me long,
however, to grasp the general concepts of
the program. The more I played
with it, the more I learned about it. Who
knew that there was a program
capable of computing anything from simple
algebra to the complex integrals
of calculus? Now don't get me wrong, this
program does not do everything for
you automatically. You need to have an
understanding of the mathematical
concepts being used so that just in case
the program does make a mistake in
its calculations, you will be able to spot
it and correct it. But to have a
program that does the busy work while you
focus on the bigger concepts is
ingenious. Once a user has taken the time
to get to know the program,
there's no end to what can be done with
it.
Scientific Workplace has truly
revolutionized the way mathematics is taught.
For example, in my Calculus II class, my
professor used notes that he
created on SWP to teach us the concepts.
He then created a data base of
questions, review information and various
concepts from which he would
create quizzes and tests for his class to
take. Having SWP gave him the
ability to give us not only a numerous
amount of quizzes but also review
sheets, example exams and answers to every
problem he's tested us over. This
ability serves two purposes: the first, it
frees up the professor and gives
him more time to assist students who have
questions over the materials,
second, by providing the data base of
questions with a general format,
students will always be challenged with
new materials but in a format they
become familiar with. This gives the
students the best advantage when
testing because they can focus on how to
solve the equations rather than
focusing on the way the material is
presented.
Scientific Workplace isn't just useful for
teaching. I am a physics research
student who, until now, had to keep all of
her notes in messy notebooks and
on loose-leaf paper. This method of research
is difficult to keep track of,
and impossible to share with others
conveniently. Thanks to SWP, I now have
all of my physics notes documented in the
program and I can easily email
them to anyone in the world at any give
time. This immediately becomes a
life saver for those who work in research
and are continuously sharing their
findings. Rather than wasting money on
postage and the chunk of time waiting
for the information to be sent and
received, researchers (and anyone else in
a similar position) are able to
immediately share whatever information they
desire via the internet, no matter the
size. This frees up money and time
for both ends which can be put back into
the research, thus making it a very
profitable tool.
SWP is not only helpful in mathematics and
physics but it is also useful for
presentations and long written works.
Rather than using the common Power
Point program provided by Microsoft,
students and educators can use the
various LaTeX packages to design a
presentation package which is
interactive. There is no limit to what can
be done with this option.
Anything from animations and sounds (both
limitless in and of themselves) to
interactive quizzes and live net links can
be utilized. This program also
can be used to write chapters for a
complicated book. A few package options
enable separate files to be compiled into
one master file with a common
bibliography created from the individual
bibliographies created for each
file. This option is the tip of the
iceberg for this package. It would be
most useful for compiling research from
people all over the world on a
certain project into one concise, easy to
navigate file. This would be very
useful for research projects, master and
Ph. D thesis.
Another benefit that I gained from this
program is its indirect ability to
teach a person better mathematical
techniques. My proof writing has
increased dramatically as well as my
understanding of calculus concepts.
This is because, in the process of
achieving a complete and thorough
document, a user is taught to include all
points of the argument, which
forces her to understand what she is
trying to argue. This showed itself
towards the semester's end when I found it
evident in my other classes. This
gives personal gain by helping the user
provide a better argument for her
work.
The benefits highlighted here are the bare
minimum that this program can do.
There really is no limited use for
Scientific Workplace and nothing that
cannot be handled by this program. People
in all fields can benefit from
this revolutionary concept in both their
careers and personal lives.
This class has been a pleasure to take
this semester. The format of the
class - having lessons over the internet -
makes it convenient for us as
students to learn the lessons at a time
that best suits each student
individually. Also, having the lessons
posted on the internet allowed me to
review parts of a lesson that I may not
remember at a later time and gave me
the liberty to stop and pause each lesson
so that I\ could learn at a pace
that was conducive to my learning. I think
having each lesson posted on the
internet and not having class meetings
allowed the students more time to
focus on working with Scientific Workplace
rather than requiring the time to
come to a class.
This class has taught me a lot about the
uses of Scientific Workplace, and
has allowed me to see practical
applications of the program in other parts
of my career as a student. Scientific
Workplace provides a method to type
mathematics that is neat, convenient, and
easy to understood. Using the
program to type my homework, papers, and
other assignments in my classes has
allowed me to organize my thoughts and
proofs in a way that can be easily
understood by the reader. \ The lessons
that I learned from taking this
class are lessons that I will be able to
apply as I continue my career in
mathematics. I will be able to use
Scientific Workplace in the future for
typing my papers and homework for my
classes and perhaps one day I will use
the program as a teacher myself.
This course in Scientific Workplace has
proved to be extremely valuable. I
now use Scientific Workplace for homework
and for professional
presentations. For example, this semester
I will be presenting a poster for
a course in Linear Algebra. Scientific
Workplace has significantly lightened
my workload simply because it is so easy
to use. Scientific Workplace has
allowed me to produce beautifully typeset
documents that I previously would
have been unable to generate. I plan to
use this program throughout the
remainder of my undergraduate studies and
continue to do so in Graduate
School.
The structure of the course allowed for a
unique educational experience.
Although the relationship between
professor and student was not physically
one-on-one, I felt I could reach him at
anytime. Office hours were provided
and could always be reached via email. I
never had an unanswered question.
Scientific Workplace allows me to continue
to be more and more creative with
projects. I'd like to see other students
become involved with Scientific
Workplace. I feel they would not only
become more proficient mathematically,
but also as students.
I'd like to say "thank you" for
giving me an opportunity to take this SWP
course. It was a useful course for me; I
could make quizzes for my Prep Math
students by using SWP. SWP saved lots of
time comparing with the equation
editor. I think that SWP could be used to
teach a small group of honors
students especially the students who are
in higher level math course and are
in process of writing a research paper. I
wish I had a SWP course when I was
an undergraduate student. The only
suggestion I have for this course is that
it would be nice to have each lesson with
number labels and a short
abbreviation for that lesson in
parenthesis on the web page. Each time when
I needed to review the old material I had
to click almost every single
number to find out the ones I needed.
I feel that this course has been very
beneficial to me as a math education
major. Using Scientific Workplace as a
word processor not only for
mathematical purposes but for slide shows
and other projects can make a
presentation look exceptional because of
all the different capabilities it
offers. I have been able to use Scientific
Workplace in all of my classes.
One package that I have especially found
useful is the exam builder.
Compiling an exam can be done in many
different ways. This package in
particular can be used to create a
multiple choice test and also randomize
answers. It also grades the test after the
student completes it calculating
the correct and incorrect answers and
tabulating a score. The only downfall
with this program is that the student has
to have access to a computer with
Scientific Workplace installed in order
for the test to be graded however
this package can be used to just compile
the exam and then print it off tot
be handed out in class. One way or
another, this package makes a very nice
and professional looking test.
Using Scientific Workplace to complete
homework assignments is also very
helpful. It serves as a great source to
check work by using the different
evaluation keys. It also helps you to get
familiar with the program and all
of the capabilities that it offers.
Benefits:
1.
Only need one instructor or team teaching
instructors.
2.
Once a video of the lessons are made, only
updating is needed. A whole new lecture is not needed unless completely
restructuring the class.
3.
The convenience for the students to
complete assignments on their own time schedule. The convince for the
instructor to complete the lectures on their own time.
4.
Videos of the lessons are very helpful so
the students can play them back whenever they want.
5.
Helps the student get more and more
familiar with technology.
6.
Location isn't an issue. Students miles
away can take the same course.
7.
Better accommodating students with
disabilities.