CyberProf uses the distribution capabilities of the Web to present students with text, graphics, sound, and animations. Professors and TAs can publish lecture notes, homework problems, and quizzes on the Web, as well as communicate with students via a bulletin board. CyberProf provides a gradebook to track student scores and can randomly select problems (with randomized quantities) for students. One of CyberProf's strengths is its flexible, interactive nature when dealing with homework problems. Unlike most other asynchronous learning systems, CyberProf can utilize field-specific modules to provide customized answers and interpretations to student questions. For example, there is a module which deals with organic chemistry. Once a module is written, any problem which uses CyberProf can benefit from that module. When providing help, CyberProf takes into account the response time of the student, differences between the response and correct answer, the previous attempts at a solution, and other factors. CyberProf understands notation in several different languages, including Fortran-like syntax, Mathematica-like syntax, TeX/LaTeX-like syntax. It also understands units. If the answer to a question is "8 feet," CyberProf can accept any of these responses: 8 feet 2**3 feet 96 in \sqrt{64}*12 in This flexibility emphasizes content over superficial differences and allows students to reach the same conclusion by different methods.
Relevance to education
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CyberProf is used as a teaching tool to provide immediate and customized feedback to students. In this manner, students do not have to wait for a professor or TA to become available and can continue their work without getting stuck. The CyberProf responses are tailored to the students' own responses, which provide relevant hints without revealing the answer. The domain-specific knowledge and problem databases placed into CyberProf can also be reused in the future.
Reason that a network is needed
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CyberProf uses the World Wide Web as its interface, allowing the students to access it conveniently anywhere at school or from home. It also allows the professor to dynamically add and revise information. Moreover, the electronic gradebook needs to be secure, which generally precludes the use of CyberProf on standalone personal computers.
Identified by: Jack Tan
February 1997