MATLAB is approved and fully integrated for academic and research use.

What is MATLAB?

MATLAB (short for "Matrix Laboratory") is a programming and numerical computing environment developed by MathWorks. It is commonly used in engineering, computer science, mathematics, statistics, physics, chemistry, biology, health sciences, economics, finance, and other fields that involve quantitative analysis or computational modelling.

MATLAB provides tools for working with code, data, equations, models, and visual output in a single environment. MATLAB’s Live Editor allows users to create interactive computational documents that combine code, output, equations, formatted text, images, and video.

What is the purpose of MATLAB?

Educators and students can use MATLAB to:

  • analyze, model, and visualize data;
  • write and test algorithms;
  • perform numerical and symbolic calculations;
  • create simulations and computational models;
  • combine code, explanations, equations, and output in live scripts;
  • develop interactive applications;
  • work with images, signals, statistics, machine learning, control systems, and other discipline-specific applications; and
  • share reproducible computational methods and results.

Why use MATLAB?

  • Helps students connect disciplinary concepts with computational methods.
  • Supports active learning through exploration, testing, modelling, interpretation, and revision.
  • Makes computational work more transparent by keeping code, explanations, outputs, and visualizations together in Live Scripts.
  • Supports reproducible workflows that can be shared, reviewed, revised, and exported in multiple formats.
  • Is available to University of Saskatchewan instructors and students through the institutional site license as both desktop software and MATLAB Online.

Learning Technology Ecosystem (LTE) Principles

MATLAB most directly addresses these LTE goals: 

Designed for students who are remixing or creating - Learning is most effective when systems are designed to help learners find, create, and/or repurpose significant content for the value of themselves and others.

Designed for Student Control and Ownership of Learning - Learners create and control spaces for learning, understanding and retaining ownership, and purposefully choosing how and when they share.

Best Practices

DO

DON'T

 Begin with the learning outcome and use MATLAB when computation, modelling, visualization, or reproducibility materially supports it.

Do not assume students have prior programming experience.

 Break complex tasks into smaller stages and include opportunities to run, inspect, explain, and revise code.

 Do not treat successful execution as proof of understanding.

 Provide starter files, worked examples, or partially completed live scripts for students who are new to programming.

 Do not submit an unexplained collection of commands and figures as a learning activity.

 Ask students to interpret results and justify decisions rather than assessing only whether code executes.

 Do not rely on colour alone or assume every figure is accessible by default.

 Use live scripts to place instructions, equations, code, output, and reflection prompts in one document.

Do not add sensitive, personal, confidential, or research-restricted data in MATLAB.

 Provide text descriptions or accessible alternatives for plots, diagrams, colour-coded output, and interactive controls.

 

 Use meaningful variable names and comments, and teach students to document assumptions, sources, and code adapted from others.

 

 Scaffold both the disciplinary problem and the MATLAB skills needed to solve it.

 

 Ask students to explain code, choices, assumptions, and results.

 

 Use live scripts to integrate narrative, equations, code, output, and prompts.

 

  Retain editable source files and export a widely readable version when appropriate.

 

Support for MATLAB

Technical Support

(Why isn't this working?)

USask IT supported

Vendor Supported

Training Support

(How do I learn to use this tool?)

Vendor Supported

College or Department Supported
  • College or Department Supported: Department-specific tutorials and course materials provided in engineering and science disciplines.

Teaching Support

(How do I teach with this tool?)

Vendor Supported

Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning Supported
  • Email GMCTL for support, consultations on pedagogical integration and course design strategies.

Tool Evaluation

Technologies are evaluated based on their alignment with the Learning Technologies Ecosystem Principles.  Click to see explanations of each principle and a justification of the rating. You can also view a complete blank rubric to see more details or read about the assessment process.

Learning must be found easily at any time, and all learners and teachers have equitable access, regardless of culture, language, ability etc. 
More Information

Rating: Works well

  • Accessibility standards:  
    • Supports screen readers, keyboard navigation shortcuts, and custom high-contrast editor themes.
  • Cost of use for USask students:  
    • USask provides MATLAB licenses to faculty and students at no charge.
  • Platform/device:  
    • MATLAB Mobile is available for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. It connects to MATLAB in the MathWorks Cloud and provides mobile access to commands, files, figures, and supported device sensors; its functionality is more limited than desktop MATLAB.
  • Offline Access:  
    • Full desktop installations allow complete offline functionality.

Learning is a process of meaning-making, constructed through learning with others, and as a part of an intentional, deliberate system within a course and across experiences.
More Information

Rating: Moderate concerns

  • Collaboration:  
    • MATLAB supports shared projects, source-control workflows, and shared files and folders through MATLAB Drive. These features can support collaborative problem-solving and the construction of shared computational artifacts.
    • MATLAB is not primarily a synchronous communication or co-authoring environment. MathWorks cautions that when multiple people edit the same MATLAB Drive file simultaneously, the most recently saved version overwrites earlier changes
  • Sharing:  
    • Users can share editable source files and projects, invite others to view or edit MATLAB Drive content, or create view-only links. Projects and scripts can be exported easily as PDFs, HTML, or executable toolboxes.

Learning is refined and extended through prompted and supported opportunities to focus on understanding and next steps.
More Information

Rating: Moderate concerns

  • Reflection and revision:  
    • Students can run code in sections, inspect outputs, debug problems, compare files, revise solutions, and use Git or another source-control system to retain changes over time. Live scripts can also include written reflection prompts alongside code and results.

Learning is most effective when systems are designed to help learners find, create, and/or repurpose significant content for the value of themselves and others.
More Information

Rating: Works well

  • Creating:  
    • Creating and manipulating computational content is a core MATLAB function. Students can generate code, algorithms, models, datasets, visualizations, live scripts, and interactive applications, and can adapt existing code to new purposes.
  • File format:  
    • MATLAB supports widely used data, image, document, programming, and scientific formats. Live scripts can be exported to PDF, Microsoft Word, HTML, LaTeX, Markdown, Jupyter notebooks, and plain MATLAB code. Editable MATLAB source files can also be shared directly.

Learners create and control spaces for learning, understanding and retaining ownership, and purposefully choosing how and when they share.
More Information

Rating: Moderate concerns

  • Archiving, saving, and exporting data:  
    • Code and data remain locally owned or stored in user-controlled cloud locations.
  • Data privacy and ownership:  
    • Users retain their own code and files and can decide whether locally stored work is shared. MATLAB Drive provides private storage and configurable view or edit permissions.
  • Bias:
    • MATLAB can be used to inspect, test, and document data and models, but it does not automatically identify every source of bias. Bias may be introduced through datasets, assumptions, algorithms, model choices, or interpretation. Educators should require students to document data sources, examine representation, test assumptions, and discuss limitations.
  • Sign Up/Sign In:  
    • USask has institutionally licensed MATLAB. Single Sign-On (SSO) using standard USask NSID credentials.
  • Customization:  
    • Users can customize code, functions, visualizations, applications, live scripts, interface preferences, keyboard shortcuts, and project structures to suit different disciplines and learning outcomes.

Learners need to work in a system that is fluid and requires a minimum number of steps in systems that are intuitive and integrated.
More Information

Rating: Moderate concerns

  • Interface:  
    • Feature-rich environment that requires an initial learning curve, mitigated by built-in interactive tutorials.
  • Additional Downloads:  
    • MATLAB Online runs in a supported browser without installation. Users who prefer or require desktop MATLAB must download and install the software; this is expected for the desktop form of the tool and is supported through the institutional license.
  • Functionality:  
    • Desktop MATLAB provides the fullest functionality. MATLAB Online supports many core workflows without installation, while MATLAB Mobile offers a more limited feature set. Hardware connections, toolboxes, add-ons, large datasets, and computationally intensive workflows may not function identically across environments.
  • Environmental impact:
    • MATLAB can run online or through installed desktop software and does not inherently require specialized new hardware for typical coursework. Computationally intensive models, large datasets, cloud use, and hardware choices can increase energy use. MathWorks publishes sustainability information about its operations and product efficiency, but the environmental impact of a particular learning activity depends on how MATLAB is used.

Learners exist in accessible networks, and connect to the experiences, concepts, people, and ideas that they need.
More Information

Rating: Moderate concerns

  • Scale:  
    • MATLAB can be used in classes of different sizes and files or projects can be distributed to groups. However, MATLAB Drive imposes storage and sharing limits.
  • Communication flexibility:
    • Live scripts can combine text, code, mathematical notation, tables, images, video, interactive controls, numerical output, and visualizations. Users can determine how computational explanations and results are organized and accessed.
  • Representation and inclusivity:  
    • MATLAB allows educators and students to choose datasets, examples, visualizations, language, and disciplinary contexts. Inclusive representation is not automatic and depends on the content selected and created. Review datasets, examples, labels, colour choices, interaction requirements, and interpretations for alignment with USask commitments to ohpahotân | oohpaahotaan and EDI.

Learning and feedback are iterative, and assessment comes from multiple sources, including self, peers, teachers, and outside experts.
More Information

Rating: Moderate concerns

  • Feedback:  
    • MATLAB provides immediate computational output, warnings, and error messages. MATLAB Grader can automatically assess coding assignments and deliver instructor-authored, contextual feedback that students can use to revise and resubmit solutions.
  • Sources for feedback:
    • Built-in feedback is primarily automated or instructor-authored through MATLAB Grader. Peer and outside-expert feedback are not native MATLAB assessment features and require an LMS, source-control review process, or another learning activity.
  • Learning data:
    • MATLAB Grader allows instructors and authorized teaching assistants to monitor progress, review outcomes and attempt histories, and view learning analytics for assigned coding assessments. Comparable student-learning data are not automatically available from ordinary MATLAB scripts or live scripts used outside MATLAB Grader.