# How useful would this homework app be? [closed]

I am thinking of writing a homework website/app for math teachers that

• only requires the teacher to choose a subject

• poses and marks questions on the given subject

• sends reports to teachers

• offers a range of question formats.

My question is how much time could this save? I am a math student and not a teacher, so I don't know.

## closed as off-topic by Bill Dubuque, Daniel R. Collins, Xander Henderson, Amy B, vonbrandJul 4 '18 at 14:50

• This question does not appear to be about teaching mathematics, within the scope defined in the help center.
If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.

• Michael: Analysis, not attack. But the question is naive even as a question. First you have to consider what options are available now. Second you have to consider that some teachers grade homework and others don't. Thirdly, there are the implementation issues that George Allen's answer reflects. Fourthly, there are existing solutions like Kahn Academy or old school ideas like Schaum's for practice books. NOTE: not trying to shut you down...you are asking right question. But with a lack of depth as to make it hard to give anything helpful. If you persist, good luck. If you bail...grr. – guest Jun 1 '18 at 16:03
• The first question when writing any app, math-related or otherwise, should be, "What problem does this app solve?" – shoover Jun 1 '18 at 17:59
• My understanding is that a lot of math teachers spend a lot of time marking homework, which could be done automatically - especially high/secondary school teachers. Also, I have done some research into the available options, and everything I've found is far from perfect :) – Michael Jun 1 '18 at 21:06
• Have you looked at what's already available? There are many such programs already in existence. What would make yours stand out? – Loop Space Jun 3 '18 at 5:43
• Be aware that such systems have been in existence at least since PLATO in 1960: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PLATO_%28computer_system%29 – Daniel R. Collins Jul 2 '18 at 19:24

1. How are people going to enter equations into your app? Even something as simple as an exponent is going to require you to create a custom button or syntax, e.g. x^2. Even when I'm teaching online, I discourage my students from using that kind of formatting-based approach since an implicit goal of the class is being able to communicate technical ideas effectively using standard methods and notation. You're also going to run into formatting issues with things that are customarily not done from top to bottom. For example, solving the equation $x^2 + 3x + 2=0$ means solving two smaller equations, $x + 2 = 0$ and $x + 1 = 0$. If I were writing this on paper, I would put the two solutions side by side but that's going to be hard to do in a text based environment.