Called "Hilbert" after the influential German mathematician, David Hilbert, the newly licensed software will be browser accessible and, utilizing AJAX technologies, will emulate the desktop version of the software with remarkable fidelity. "The magic of AJAX will allow OST to combine or 'mash-up' Mathematica with other web-based technologies to deliver and support high quality science and mathematics courses online such as the Calculus&Mathematica courses currently taught through NetMath at the University of Illinois and other universities," explains Scott Gray, Director of the O'Reilly School of Technology. According to Gray, development of the "Hilbert" is currently underway and courses will be available to students in the latter half of 2008.
"We're pleased to be able to support O'Reilly in this innovative endeavor. We're enthusiastic about O'Reilly's plans for this new educational paradigm," said Stephen Wolfram, CEO and Founder of Wolfram Research.
"Mathematica has always been a great tool for learning mathematics," noted Tim O'Reilly. "Combining the new interactive capabilities of Mathematica 6.0 with Ajax technologies will make the learning experience even more powerful. We're delighted to play a part in bringing this opportunity to students."
The O'Reilly School of Technology bases its courses on the premise that for people to learn any skill they must immerse themselves in the skill and practice. The school employs an online learning technique called "useractive learning" in which the student or "user" is actively engaged in building and creating projects while the instructional material is presented. There are no presentation-heavy videos and simulations to sit through. Instead, the courses feature tutorial-style content and Learning Sandboxes(r) that contain easy-to-use, real, open programming environments in which the students try examples and work on projects.
Students at the O'Reilly School of Technology can earn a Certificate for Professional Development from the University of Illinois Office of Continuing Education upon completion of a selected series of courses. Certificates are currently offered in Client-Side Web Programming, Linux/Unix System Administration, Web Programming, Open Source Programming, and .NET Programming.
Additional Resources:
Click here for an interview with Scott Gray, the director of the O'Reilly School of Technology. Scott tells us how the pairing of Mathematica and OST came about and what this new development means for OST students.
For more information about the O'Reilly School of Technology, including a current list of certificate and courses, see: http://www.oreillyschool.com
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