Math Content Creation: How Cambridge HOTmaths Improved Math Publishing

Empowering Math Education with the Right Tools

Creating math-rich content for digital and print formats is no small feat, especially when your audience includes thousands of educators and students across Australia and New Zealand. For Cambridge HOTmaths, producing visually accurate and accessible math content was a major challenge. That changed with MathType, a powerful equation editor by Wiris that allows users to create and edit mathematical notation across digital and print platforms. It integrates seamlessly with tools like Microsoft Word and supports LaTeX, making it ideal for educators and content creators.

In this success story, you’ll learn how MathType revolutionized content creation at Cambridge HOTmaths, giving their editors full control and efficiency while enhancing accessibility and output quality.

Meeting the Challenge in Digital Math Publishing

Before using MathType, the process at Cambridge HOTmaths involved:

• Inserting individual images for each math fraction or expression
• Relying on graphic designers for any edits
• Managing inconsistent formatting and accessibility issues

“We previously used images for calculations and fractions, which had to be sent to the graphic artist for any amendments or corrections,” explains Penny Redfearn, Content Manager at Cambridge HOTmaths.

Transition to Better Math Content Creation

The adoption of MathType marked a turning point. With MathType, the content team gained full control over equation editing directly within Microsoft Word. Editors no longer had to manually insert and align each fraction image: they could type everything as if it were regular text. “The editors no longer need to insert each fraction individually as an image and centre it. We have full control of creating maths content involving calculations”, affirms Penny.

Additionally, the transition to LaTeX-based output with MathType significantly improved web accessibility. “Replacing images with LaTeX improved our website accessibility significantly.”

How MathType Fits Into Their Workflow

Cambridge HOTmaths uses MathType in two primary ways:

• Microsoft Word Worksheets: MathType is used to insert all math expressions directly into documents, which are then exported to PDF for distribution.
• Website Equations: MathType helps generate LaTeX that can be adjusted and integrated into their platform’s custom LaTeX math editor. 

While some final LaTeX tweaks are still made manually, MathType provides an efficient starting point. “We often use MathType to give us a LaTeX template and then we can fit with it”, says Penny. MathType has become an essential LaTeX math editor for the team, streamlining both print and web-based equation creation.

The Right Education Math Tools for the Right Roles

Only a small team at Cambridge HOTmaths is responsible for content creation, making usability and reliability essential. MathType’s consistency, style settings, and shortcut support proved invaluable. “We’ve got styles set up so that everything’s consistent every time we create a new equation in the document.” Among the many education math tools available, MathType stood out for its balance of functionality, consistency, and ease of use.

The team relies on shortcut keys (e.g., Ctrl+H for superscript, Ctrl+L for subscript), making equation writing quick and intuitive. “I’ve been using MathType ever since it was created… it’s been great.”

Redefining Math Content Creation in Education

For Cambridge HOTmaths, MathType is more than a math editor. It’s a productivity booster, accessibility enhancer, and creative enabler. Its integration into their publishing workflow has helped streamline content creation, reduce reliance on graphic designers, and ensure consistent math presentation across print and web formats.

With their sights set on expanding interactivity and user engagement, MathType and the wider Wiris ecosystem are well-positioned to support Cambridge HOTmaths as they continue leading math education innovation.

Want to explore how MathType or WirisQuizzes can support your institution’s math content creation and assessment needs?