Free students software for linux

CTF project is a multi-agent capture-the-flag framework for education.
This project was started by Jason Rohrer during the fall of 2000 and was initially used to teach CS 472, Introduction to AI, at Cornell University.
A homework assignment was given that asked students to design a CTF agent for the framework.
Students in the class responded to the assignment with great enthusiasm, and many of their final agents far exceeded our expectations (one student group went so far as to design a genetic algorithm to evolve a team of agents).
CTF forces students to explore the issues surrounding agents that operate in a limited information environments.
The framework is flexible enough to allow almost any possible implementation of agent control, from the simplest reactive agents, to agents that query powerful knowledge bases, to neural network agents that are trained by back propagation or reinforcement methods.
When using this framework at Cornell, we left the assignment open-ended. However, you can use this framework in your own class to teach a specific agent control concept (by forcing every student to implement a reinforcement learning system, for example).
Main features:
- Runtime loading of agent classes-- plugging new agents into the framework is incredibly easy
- Runtime loading of obstacle maps
- Automatic round-robin tournament system
- Automatic grading-- an email-ready message is generated for each student team at the end of the tournament (a script for sending out the email messages is included); the point system can be completely configured
- Assignment handout-- click here to see an example of the instructions we handed out to students for CS 472 at Cornell
- Licensed under GPL-- if the framework doesnt work for you as is, you can improve it yourself

Units-filter is a basic standalone filter written in C, flex, and bison.
It inputs strings like "1.5e3 nN.m.s^-1" (which could be the time growth ratio of a torque) and outputs the value in standard SI units, followed by the physical dimension of this value.
units-filter can be embedded in educational test systems, in order to analyze a students answer to a problem of physics or chemistry.
Enhancements:
- The support for quantities with a particular number of significative digits was added.
- For example, the entry "1.02m#5" or "1.0200m" are equivalent and signify a distance measurement precise at the sub-millimeter scale.
- Both would yield the output "1.0200e+00 m".

Houdinix is a GNU/Linux live-cd made for young computer science students of our university, its a simple and user-friendly distribution, containing all tools needed by a beginner.
It contains more than 2 gigabytes of data (on a single 700Mb CD), and can be installed very easily on a local hard drive with our installer, Houdinstall.
Main features:
- Kernel 2.4.24houdinix.
- Compressed file system Squashfs: 2.4Gb of data.
- KDE 3.2 graphic environment.
- Compilers and interpreters for the followings languages : Basic, C, C++, Caml (ocaml), Cobol, Delphi, Fortran, Guile, Java (JDK1.4.2), Lisp (GNU clisp), Pascal, Perl (modules Gtk, Tk, Mail, ...), Prolog (gplc, gprolog), Python, Scheme (umb-scheme), Smalltalk, Tcl.
- Scientific tools : gnuplot, scilab, mupad.
- OpenOffice.org 1.1.3, Gimp 2
- Network support and tools : telnet, ssh, nmap, nslookup, etc...
- Internet tools : Firefox, Thunderbird, Kmail, Kopete, Konqueror, etc...
- File systems recognized on local disks: ext2, ext3, vfat, iso9660 (ro), squashfs (ro), jfs, minix, ufs, reiserfs, ntfs (ro).
- Installation on hard disk with Houdinstall.
- Swap detection with our software Houdiswap.

ATutor is an Open Source Web-based Learning Content Management System (LCMS) designed with accessibility and adaptability in mind.
Administrators can install or update ATutor in minutes, and develop custom templates to give ATutor a new look. Educators can quickly assemble, package, and redistribute Web-based instructional content, easily retrieve and import prepackaged content, and conduct their courses online. Students learn in an adaptive learning environment.
ATutor is the first fully inclusive LCMS, complying with the W3C WCAG 1.0 accessibility specifications at the AA+ level, allowing access to all potential learners, instructors, and administrators, including those with disabilities who may be accessing the system using assistive technologies. Conformance with W3C XHTML 1.0 specifications ensures that ATutor is presented consistently in any standards compliant technology.
ATutor has also adopted the IMS/SCORM Content Packaging specifications, allowing content developers to create reusable content that can be swapped between different e-learning systems. Content created in other IMS or SCORM comformant systems can be imported into ATutor, and visa versa. ATutor also includes a SCORM 1.2 Runtime Environment (LMS RTE3) for playing and managing SCORM based Sharable Content Objects (SCOs).
ATutors base in Open Source technology makes it a cost effective tool for both small and large organizations presenting their instructional materials on the Web, or delivering fully independent online courses. Comprehensive help is available through the ATutor HowTo documentation, through a number of support services, or through the public forums, and full language support is available through the ATutor Translation Site.
ATutor 1.5.4 Demo:
http://www.atutor.ca/atutor/demo.php
Main features:
- Forum Upgrades: Shared forums for communication across courses. Create communities around groups of course forums, or around an entire ATutor course server. Alumi participation in course forums. Subscribe to shared forums or course forums, or subscribe to specific topic threads to receive messages by email. Quickly access current forum messages through the Forum Posts menu module.
- File Manager Upgrades: Create new text and html files, move individual files or batches of files, and use the file manager while editing ATutor content pages. Use the Insert function to create links to files within course content pages and test questions.
- Enrollment Manager Overhaul: Create, import, and export course enrollment lists, and manage enrolled students or alumni. New tabbed display for managing student information, managing course lists, managing roles and privileges, as well as creating and managing groups.
- Language Overhaul: Language management has been completely re-designed. Translate, import, and export language from within an ATutor installation. Support for the UTF-8 character set. ATutor is avalable in more than 30 languages.
- Backup Manager: Administrator and Instructor Backup Manager. Create master copies of courses. Manage multiple backups per course and restore only material you specify into existing and newly created courses.
- Question Bank: Create tests by adding questions to, and retrieving questions from, a test item respository.
- Test/Survey Manager Upgrade: New ability to create image based test items, arrange multiple choice questions vertically or horizontally, assign tests to a class, to groups, or to individual students.
- Theme Manager: Easily copy, import, and export ATutor themes.
- RSS Feeds: Syndicate course announcements with RSS 1.0, or RSS 2.0 feeds, to display them on remote Web sites.
- New Feedback and Error Handling: Redesigned, modular, user feedback system. Improved logging, tracking, and presentation of system errors for debugging and troubleshooting ATutor installations.
- Embed ACollab: Embed ACollab into ATutor, or open it in a new window to participate in group activities.
- System Announcements: Administrators can send email announcements to all instructors and/or students registered on an ATutor system.
- Easy Enrollment: Students can now enroll in courses through the Browse Courses screen.

Funiter (short for function iteration) is an application developed for educational purposes as a laboratory, generating graphs of several types for iteration of real and complex functions, with comfortable switching between related types of graphs.

Funiter was originally developed in the context of courses at the University of Nijmegen (Netherlands) for highschool students with a special interest in beta-studies.

ETH Lecture Communicator is a tool to improve classroom interaction between an instructor and their students.
ETH Lecture Communicator enables the instructor to create and carry out in-class online assessments, and facilitates organized instant communication for large classes.
It is intended to improve the overall quality of a lecture by providing the instructor with continuous feedback on the students understanding of the material.
Enhancements:
- The remaining known bugs were fixed.
- The most annoying of these was the seemingly random resending of no longer existing questions.
- Some GUI ugliness was cleaned up as well, especially for Linux systems.

Solving word problems is an area where elementary students overwhelmingly display difficulties. Master Math Word Problems program can help sharpen skills through practice. Third through fifth graders learn to watch for key words and translate those into mathematical operations.

Students can learn new math skills, practice logic, get extended practice with word problems, but most of all they learn that they must read the problem. With regular practice your students may become master math word problem solvers.

Download and try out Master Math Word Problems.