Introduction to WeBWorK for students.

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I. What is WeBWorK ?

WeBWorK is a system that allows professors to put the homework problems on the web and allows students to solve these problems over the web. Using WeBWorK, students may try to answer homework problems more than once. After each try, a message appears telling the student whether the answer is correct or not. This allows students to try to find out what they did wrong and hopefully to understand the topic of the question better. Each WeBWorK problem set is individualized (each student has a different version of each problem, for example the numerical values in the formulas may be slightly different).

II. How to use WeBWorK to do your homework

Using WeBWorK is quite simple. Below are the basic steps on how to get started.

NOTE: Most pages of WeBWorK also contain directions. Therefore, if you are ever unsure of what you should do, try reading the directions and descriptions on the page at which you are looking.

1. Find a computer with Internet access.

    

2. Log on to WeBWorK:
   • Visit the homework assignments page.
   • Click on the title of the WeBWork assignment you would like to do. This will get you to the main page of your course. This page includes necessary information about logging in. To log in, click on the 'Login' button. If your Social Security Number is 123-45-6789, then initially, your login name would be 5-6789 (please note you need the dash) and your password would be (exactly) 123-45-6789 (You should change your password immediately on your first time logging in.)
   • Enter your login name and password.
   • If your login is incorrect, you will be told so, and you can return to the login page and try again. (If your login and password doesn't work, talk to your instructor.)

    

3. Look at the problem sets
   • Assuming you made it to the Valid login page, click on 'Begin Problem Sets' button.
   • You should see the problem sets available to you. These will be labeled OPEN or CLOSED. OPEN means you can work on the set and it can count towards your grade.
   • Select a problem set by clicking on it.
   • You now have two choices: 'Do Problem Set' or 'Get Hard Copy'

    

4. Print out the Problem set
   • This step is optional, but it is recommended that you print out the problems to work on at home rather than working at the computer.
   • Select the format you are interested in (probably pdf) and click on 'Get Hard Copy.'
   • Print out this file. The file might immediately come up on your screen, or you might have to save to disk. This depends on how your computer is configured.
   • You can now take the problem set home and work on it on paper.
   • To view pdf files, you can use adobe software available here: Adobe.

    

5. Work out the homework -- On Paper!
   • After printing out the problem set, go away from the computer and work on the homework. One reason to do this is that it is very easy to make a mistake and not see it when you are sitting at the computer.
   • After doing all the homework, return to the computer.

    

6. Submit your answers
   • Click on a problem set and click 'Do Problem Set'
   • You should see the list of problems available.
   • Click on Problem 1.
   • Select a type setting mode. 'Typeset2' makes most mathematical formulas look nice. 'Formatted Text' is quicker, but might not make the formulas look as nice.
   • Click on 'Get Problem'
   • Enter your answer and 'Preview Answer'
     (see How to enter Answers in WeBWorK)
   • Click on 'Submit Answer' to submit your answer for a grade.

    

7. Look at a summary of your WeBWorK homework scores.

   This is the second section of the "Begin Problem Sets Page." If you click on the button 'Get Summary', you will see your current scores for all available problem sets.

    

8. Logout when you are done

IV. Important facts to know

• What to do if you have problems with WeBWorK:
  
  • If you have a problem logging in, contact your instructor or TA.

     

  • If you have a problem printing out a set, ask a consultant at a university computer lab. If you don't get sufficient help, contact your instructor or TA.

     

• If you are logged on to WeBWorK for longer that 30 minutes without any activity, you will be asked to log in again. This is a security measure. You can resume your work after you logged back in. All your results from the last log in will be saved.