18/08/2020

Exatas Platform creates interaction between students and content.

Ilustração de um exercício da Plataforma Exatas.

Accustomed to the interactive dynamics of social networks and apps, young people today may have difficulty concentrating on textbooks with few illustrations and examples. Why not make teaching more interactive? This is the goal of the Exatas Platform , launched by the startup Exatas – Interaction and Learning, with support from the Secretariat of Technological Development (SEDETEC) of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS).

The project brings together 12 interactive books licensed by UFRGS that combine the technical content of textbooks with the dynamics of applications. Aimed at undergraduate students of mathematics and engineering, the platform presents concepts of classical mathematics and implements the themes in hypercalculators with numerical, symbolic, and graphical capabilities.

“Seeing is an aspect of learning and can be a great motivator. The audacious aspect of the project is that the student can modify the image by changing the equation that describes it. It is an invitation to experimentation, so that they take a more active role in the learning process,” said Professor Luís Gustavo Mendes (UFRGS), author of the interactive books.

The platform can be accessed via mobile phone, tablet, or PC, and does not require the installation of any program or prior knowledge of programming languages. The subscription plan can be monthly, for R $ 39 per month; or semi-annual, for R$ 28 per month.

Fourier analysis, vector calculus, differential calculus, and integral calculus are some of the topics available in the project's launch. Each section presents a quiz with exercises in 2D, 3D, and even animated figures. The platform also offers tips, comments, and instantly verifies students' answers.

“The average undergraduate student feels lonely when studying from a textbook. The platform can be a space for dialogue. Furthermore, no drawing is very precise on the blackboard, and our figures have incredible precision,” says Professor Luís Gustavo, who plans to extend the content to economics and computer science courses.