Computer algebra-driven mastery learning platform and teacher resource management system for teaching A-level mathematics

Abstract

The high cost of tuition centers and private tutors in Singapore presents a significant barrier for students who feel the need for additional support beyond the classroom. For my Final Year Project, I designed and developed an affordable online educational platform to address this issue, providing a competitive alternative to traditional tutoring, specifically tailored to meet the demands of the Singapore A-Level H2 Mathematics syllabus.

Central to the platform is the Teacher Resource Management System, which enables teachers to create, organize, and share educational materials. Teachers can create notes, quizzes, and multimedia content directly on the platform or upload PDFs and PowerPoint presentations for students to download. To facilitate content creation within the website, I designed a custom WYSIWYG (What You See is What You Get) editor using Facebook’s Lexical framework, with a focus on replicating the look and feel of a traditional mathematics textbook. The editor supports embedding LaTeX equations, coloured boxes for definitions and theorems, multi-column layouts, and other advanced formatting capabilities typical of LaTeX documents. I utilized the editor to author a set of notes covering the entire A-Level H2 Mathematics syllabus, demonstrating its effectiveness and ensuring it met practical educational needs. Throughout my work with the Lexical framework, I made multiple open-source contributions to the Lexical project, with several commits successfully merged into the main codebase.

The platform also features a Mastery Learning System that dynamically generates question-solution pairs using computer algebra. This system promotes mastery learning by presenting students with problems of a similar type until they demonstrate proficiency. To ensure accurate assessment, I developed a mathematical expression parser that transforms user input into a structured format for evaluation by our computer algebra engine, while concurrently providing users with a real-time LaTeX preview of their input.

To deliver a secure and personalized user experience, I developed an Authentication System with role-based access control and industry-standard security protocols, safeguarding sensitive data and managing access permissions.