This textbook offers an accessible and highly-effective approach which is characterised by the combination of the textbook with a detailed study guide on an accompanying CD. This study guide divides the whole learning task into small units which the student is very likely to master successfully. Thus he or she is asked to read and study a limited section of the textbook and then to return to the study guide. Through interactive learning with the study guide, the results are controlled, monitored and deepened by graded questions, exercises, repetitions and finally by problems and applications of the content studied. Since the degree of difficulties is slowly rising, the students gain confidence and experience their own progress in mathematical competence thus fostering motivation. Furthermore in case of learning difficulties, he or she is given supplementary explanations and, in case of individual needs, supplementary exercises and applications. So the sequence of the studies is individualized according to the individual’s performance and needs and can be regarded as a total tutorial experience.
More than that, the study guide aims to satisfy two objectives simultaneously: firstly it enables students to make effective use of the textbook and secondly it offers advice on the improvement of study skills. Empirical studies have shown that the student’s competence for using written information has improved significantly by using the combination of textbook and study guide.
