[seul-edu] [Fwd: WIMS, a web math educational software for Linux]

[Doug Loss <dloss@suscom.net>]

Here's a message from XIAO Gang, the author of WIMS.  This may be of
interest to a good number of us.  Please take a look at it.  And if you have
any observations about it, please mention them here and also send them
directly to the author, as he or she isn't on the seul-edu mailing list.

XIAO Gang <xiao@unice.fr> wrote:

> Sir,
>
> I am actively developping a project (WIMS, WWW Interactive Mathematics
> Server) aimed at educational uses, which has many important features:
> thourough security considerations and advanced anti-cheating features,
> web interfaces for several GPL math softwares, interactive exercises
> with random parameters and automatic scoring system, step by step
> interactive exercises with sophisticated analysis of answers, virtual
> classes allowing teachers to assign work to students and control their
> progress, message boards allowing people to insert mathematical formulas
> into their messages and get them rendered as they should be (development
> version, will be publically available very soon), online creation of
> interactive exercises, etc. More advanced features are planned for the
> future, such as a component capable of individually analyze the
> performance and shortcomings of each student and propose personalized
> works for him, etc.
>
> The home server of WIMS is accessible at http://wims.unice.fr/, with 2
> public mirrors in other countries. Despite the word 'mathematics' in its
> name, the software kernel can be used for other disciplines as well
> (only the contents need to be developped). And the source code is
> distributed under GPL.
>
> My project is probably more mature and more adapted for educational
> purposes than most of the projects listed in seul-edu page. The software
> is already fully functional and very reliable, and my server is hosting
> intense activities from many educational institutions all over the
> world, who use it in their classroom teaching.
>
> Therefore I think that it would be interesting if you list WIMS in your
> seul-edu software page.
>
> --
>
> XIAO Gang (~{P$8U~})                          xiao@unice.fr
>                http://pcmath126.unice.fr/xiao.html

--
Doug Loss                 Even if you're on the right track,
Data Network Coordinator  you'll get run over if you just
Bloomsburg University     sit there.
dloss@bloomu.edu                Will Rogers