WeBWorK

What Can I Use It For?

WeBWorK is an assessment system for delivering individualized problems primarily focused on mathematics and science courses. By providing feedback, students are encouraged to make multiple attempts until they succeed. With individualized problem sets, students can work together but must enter their own work to receive credit. In addition to traditional question types, it supports advanced math-specific question types, such as algebraic or symbolic responses.

Special Notes

Please be aware that enrollments and grades must now be synchronized manually.

To sync your class roster:
In Webwork, click “Classlist Editor” in the navigation.
Click the “LTI” tab.
Click “Take Action!” to manually sync the class roster.

To sync grades:
In Webwork, click “Hmwk Sets Editor” in the navigation
Click the “LTI” tab.
Select the homework sets you would like to sync grades for.
Click “Take Action!” to manually sync the grades.

This Academic Toolbox tool helps you...

Assess student work & provide feedback / Teach from a distance

Typical course activity format:

Asynchronous

Quercus integration

Integrated tool

Where can I get more support?

Vendor (Instructors)

Vendor (Problem Authors)

Vendor (Students)

Cost

Centrally funded

How to Get Started

WeBWorK is an open-source online homework system for math and science courses. WeBWorK is supported by the MAA (Mathematical Association of America) and the NSF (National Science Foundation) and comes with a National Problem Library (NPL) of over 20,000 homework problems. Problems in the NPL target most undergraduate math courses and some graduate courses. Suggested courses include but are not limited to: algebra, discrete mathematics, probability and statistics, single and multivariable calculus, differential equations, linear algebra and complex analysis.

For grades to sync properly between the Quercus Gradebook and Webwork, you will need to set up individual links in Quercus to each homework set, quiz, or exam you create in Webwork. Each student must click each Webwork link in Quercus to establish the connection between their Quercus Gradebook entry and their work in Webwork. Please view the grade syncing section below for further instructions.

How to Use This Tool

If this is your first time using WeBWork through Quercus, setup requires multiple steps. Create an assignment with the External Tool Submission Type and select WeBWork to open in a new tab.

Once you have created the Assignment you will need to re-launch WeBWork for the homework set to be created and the students enrolled.

Please see “How to set up WeBWorK” in the Instructions below for full details.

If you create it as an Assignment, WeBWork will be able to send an overall total back to Quercus.

Instructions

How to set up WeBWorK
Step-by-Step Instructions

WeBWorK assignments are created by selecting the option for WeBWorK when you create an assignment in your Quercus course.

1. Select Assignments from the left side menu of your Quercus course and the “+ Assignment” button at top right OR if creating this from within a module, select the the “+” button (and select Assignment> [New Assignment])

2. Within the assignments setting page, when you reach the “Submission Type” section, select “External Tool” from the dropdown menu and then select “Find” (as shown below).

3. In the alphabetical list, scroll (there are multiple scroll areas) until you see “WeBWorK” and select it, then click “Select” (as shown below).

4. The submission type window will show that you have selected WeBWorK. Select the “Load this Tool in a New Tab” option that appears at the bottom of the Submission type window (as shown below).

5. Once you have finished choosing all of the assignment settings and you have saved it, it should confirm as below:

6. Important final step for the initial setup in your course:
Once you have created the assignment for the first time, you will need to launch WeBWork for the course to be created and the students enrolled.

7. Students will be added from the Quercus course to the Webwork course upon creation. If you have enrolment/roster changes, you will need to manually resync the roster list:
- - In Webwork, click Classlist Editor in the navigation.
  - Click the LTI tab.
  - Click Take Action! to manually sync the class roster.
Set up grade syncing between Webwork and the Quercus Gradebook
For grades to sync properly between the Quercus Gradebook and Webwork, you will need to set up individual links in Quercus to each homework set, quiz, or exam you create in Webwork. Each student must click each Webwork link in Quercus to establish the connection between their Quercus Gradebook entry and their work in Webwork.

If you don’t want grades to sync from Webwork to Quercus, this setup is not required.
Log in to your Quercus course, and click Assignments in the Course Navigation.

Click the +Assignment blue button in the upper right side of the screen.

Enter the assignment name as you want students to see it.

Scroll down to “Submission Type” and select External Tool from the drop-down menu.

Even if you know the URL, click Find. (Entering the URL directly will not sync properly with Quercus.)

From the list, pick Webwork and click Select.

At the end of the Webwork URL that appears, add “?set=assignment_name” using your homework set name or quiz name in place of the italicized letters.

Click the “Load This Tool In A New Tab” checkbox. This option allows grades to properly sync with Quercus.

Save & Publish the assignment. (Students can only access published assignments.)

Click to Load the assignment in a new window to enable the grade sync. [see tips below]
Tips
- Make sure you click each Webwork assignment link in Quercus (step 10 above) at least once to enable the grade sync for that assignment.
- You will then need to manually sync the grades between Webwork and Quercus:
  
  In Webwork, click “Hmwk Sets Editor” in the navigation, and then click the “LTI” tab.
  
  Select the homework set or quiz you would like to sync grades for.
  
  Click “Take Action!” to manually sync the grades.
- Webwork will sync grades for any student attempts that score higher than 0. Student scores of 0 will remain blank in the Quercus Gradebook, which may reflect that the student has not attempted any answer or has answered incorrectly for all questions.