Students who are preparing to study science and engineering need to understand equation solving but adult students returning to study can find this difficult. In this paper, the design of an online resource, Equations2go, for helping students learn to solve linear equations is investigated. Students learning to solve equations need to consider their overall strategy as well as the procedures for each step. Students were encouraged to develop strategies for solving equations with interactive software, Equations2go, which allowed students to decide on strategies while the computer carried out the procedures. The results of trials showed that the software helped students solve equations which they could not solve on their own. Some of the students were then able to successfully transfer their learning to solving linear equations with pen and paper. (Contains 8 tables and 3 figures.)