The MIME project at Loughborough — a first report†

This paper describes the experiences of the first months of the MIME Project (Micros In Mathematics Education) at Loughborough. The early difficulties and setbacks are mentioned as well as the initial successes.

The first part of the paper examines the educational philosophy behind the establishment of the project and details its aims, objectives and scope. Consideration is given to how these aims were put into practice and what revisions to them were necessitated by experience.

The second part traces the story of the production of a unit from the author's early ideas, through the program development, to the finished product. Emphasis is given to the way the educational objectives are achieved by careful design of the program. The testing and evaluation of a unit is outlined.

The third part reviews the practical programming difficulties that have been encountered; the strengths and weaknesses of the BBC micro are discussed and problems of the speed of display and of storage limitation are highlighted. The need for assembly language is shown and the case is put for hardware/software independence.

The fourth part looks at the different modes of use of the units. Demonstrations are given of use as a teacher aid in the classroom and as self‐paced instruction.

Finally, conclusions are drawn from the early experiences of the MIME team and the lessons they have learned, and future developments are outlined.