An O(x)Caml book that runs

a day ago

The author is creating a course titled 'Functional Programming with OCaml' for NPTEL MOOC, featuring twelve modules with recorded lectures.
The course book is an interactive website where code runs directly in the browser, requiring no installation or server backend.
It addresses installation barriers for beginners by using client-side execution, eliminating issues like toolchain setup and platform compatibility.
The interactive elements include runnable OCaml cells powered by x-ocaml, with features like Merlin for type inference and autocompletion.
For more complex tasks, a full Alpine Linux VM runs in the browser using v86 emulator, allowing real project builds and testing.
Content is generated from a single markdown source, producing webpages, slides, and executable cells, ensuring consistency across formats.
The development leveraged LLMs (like Claude Code) for drafting and refactoring, with careful human review to maintain pedagogical quality.
Quizzes and anonymous feedback mechanisms help identify learner difficulties, enabling continuous improvement of the material.
The course covers functional programming fundamentals and advanced topics like memory safety, OxCaml, and unikernels.
Future aspirations include integrating an AI tutor that adapts content dynamically based on learner interaction and feedback.

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