An interactive tutorial system for Java

As part of the documentation for its library packages, the Java Task Force (JTF)developed an online tutorial system that enables teachers and students to explore the resources provided by the Task Force in a highly interactive style. The individual pages that make up the tutorial often include demonstration programs that the reader can experiment with while remaining on the same web page as the explanatory text. Although the original motivation for developing that tutorial system was to document the JTF packages themselves, the structure is general enough for teachers to design their own tutorials and interactive demonstrations. This paper describes the structure of that tutorial system and illustrates its use. In addition, the paper describes some work-in-progress that will make it possible to create interactive lecture demonstrations from PowerPoint™ slides.