LogicLearner: A Tool for the Guided Practice of Propositional Logic Proofs
This addresses the need for accessible, judgment-free practice tools in undergraduate computer science education, though it is incremental as it builds on existing educational technology concepts.
The authors tackled the problem of undergraduate students lacking on-demand tutoring for propositional logic proofs by developing LogicLearner, a web application for guided practice, which received strongly positive feedback for usability and pedagogical value in student surveys.
The study of propositional logic -- fundamental to the theory of computing -- is a cornerstone of the undergraduate computer science curriculum. Learning to solve logical proofs requires repeated guided practice, but undergraduate students often lack access to on-demand tutoring in a judgment-free environment. In this work, we highlight the need for guided practice tools in undergraduate mathematics education and outline the desiderata of an effective practice tool. We accordingly develop LogicLearner, a web application for guided logic proof practice. LogicLearner consists of an interface to attempt logic proofs step-by-step and an automated proof solver to generate solutions on the fly, allowing users to request guidance as needed. We pilot LogicLearner as a practice tool in two semesters of an undergraduate discrete mathematics course and receive strongly positive feedback for usability and pedagogical value in student surveys. To the best of our knowledge, LogicLearner is the only learning tool that provides an end-to-end practice environment for logic proofs with immediate, judgment-free feedback.