As we mentioned in the introduction, the emergence of the Web and Netscape changed our plans for deploying the courseware from what we initially proposed, and it offered new technology, CoNote, for evaluating its use. We are now incorporating this software into the project, which means that we have considerably more technology and more material than we promised, and our evaluation plans have been revised.
The first piece of new technology is software for automatically posting Nuprl libraries to the Web in a form nearly identified to their appearance inside the system. We used these libraries as supplemental material in two courses to see if they were usable. The results were positive and encouraging. We first used libraries on functions and automata with advanced students. Work with it led to improvements and the current Web lessons.
Next we used a large reference library on logic in an undergraduate logic course, Applied Logic. Our only feedback came from email questions, consulting (office hours) and assignments. We established that the Web material is a useful supplement to the textbook. Students had no difficulty relating the formal material to the informal textbook. In some cases, when the text provided only an informal algorithm on an informal definition, the students found the formal material especially helpful.
The lessons we have created are available on the web (see the url on the title page). The material will be used with sophomores in the fall and evaluated as we discuss in the next section.