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 The core of Socratic Tutor is the EduCAD-ST product.
This patented product is designed to introduce math concepts to students by presenting them with problems and allowing the student to see how they are resolved in a step-by-step approach if they cannot answer the problem.
The product breaks math into diagnostic areas, such as Fractions - Addition and Subtraction and covers the diagnostic area from the simplest form of fractions to the most complex form of doing fraction addition and subtraction.
This method of study differs from that used in schools. In schools fractions in normal forms are introduced in grades three or four (prior to that they are generally introduced with imagery, such as a pizza cut into thirds with 2 slices missing to represent 1/3). Generally, in fourth grade the students are introduced to fraction math and the simplest forms of fraction addition and subtraction. Then each year the students revisit the concepts of fractions addition and subtraction as they start learning additional concepts like improper fractions and borrowing using different bases (ie: mixed number fraction subtraction with a base that is not 10).
Within EduCAD-ST a student would start the Fractions - Addition and Subtraction diagnostic module with the simplest forms of addition and subtraction of fractions and as they show competence at completing those simpler forms, the application presents more complex problems within that area.
This means a student who has completed the Fractions - Addition and Subtraction diagnostic module will have been exposed to the same materials while going through the diagnostic module as a student in school would be exposed to in grades four through six.
For this reason there is no way to associate a diagnostic module in EduCAD-ST to a specific grade level.
As a student transverses a diagnostic they can either answer the problem presented or request to see the Next Step. If they select to expose the Next Step then the next step is exposed showing them the new problem and explaining how the student would transition from the prior problem that was presented to the new problem (or in the last step, to the solution). The student will then have the ability to again enter an answer to the problem, or request to have the next step presented to them. This process can continue until all the steps or transitions of the problem presented have been completed and the answer has been exposed in the step-by-step, or until the student has entered an answer.
If the student enters an incorrect answer to a problem, they are provided with the correct answer. Additionally the entire step-by-step process is exposed so that they can see the process steps and transitions to go from the initial problem to the correct answer.
Once the student successfully answers the problem presented without using the step-by-step process they are presented with a more complex problem to work with in the same diagnostic area.
In this way a student will cover a complete diagnostic area, like Fractions - Addition and Subtraction by starting with simple problems and moving on to more complex problems for that diagnostic area.
Once the student has completed a diagnostic area a flag is set on that area to show that they have completed it. At any time a student can return to a completed diagnostic area to do additional review.
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