Subsidy for research into digital tools in mathematics education and handwriting recognition for mathematical formulas

F.A. Muller (Freudenthal Institute, UU, and Faculty of Philosophy, EUR), Arthur Bakker (Freudenthal Institute/ Special Education) and Jan Broersen (Theoretical Philosophy) have received an NWO Creative Industry subsidy of more than 1 million Euros for research into digital tools in mathematics education and handwriting recognition for mathematical formulas. The project, called ‘The Digital Turn in Epistemology’, is a collaborative effort by Utrecht University, the Faculty of Philosophy at Erasmus University in Rotterdam and Noordhoff Publishers.

In this multi-disciplinary project, philosophers will join mathematics education researchers to study how the nature of mathematical knowledge changes through the use of digital tools, and what consequences this has for the epistemology of mathematics. The researchers will approach the junction of mathematics, math education and digital tools from a variety of perspectives. The project is part of Utrecht University’s efforts to encourage education innovation and to improve the quality of education.

Handwriting recognition for mathematical formulas

One of the more practical components of the project is the development of handwriting recognition for mathematical formulas. This ICT tool will be developed in close cooperation with Noordhof Publishers. They will make a major investment in improving the quality of mathematics education, and will in so doing build on the successful partnership with the Freudenthal Institute in the development of the Digital Maths Environment (DWO).