Tag Archives: WeBWorK

WeBWorK on the OpenLab:  Leveraging City Tech’s open digital platform to create a community space for homework help

Venue: Mathematics Association of America (MAA)
Metro New York Section, 2019 Annual Meeting
New York City College of Technology, May 4, 2019

Presenters:  Andrew Parker, Charlie Edwards, Jonas Reitz

Abstract: WeBWorK, an open-source online homework system supported by the MAA and the NSF, provides a platform for students to practice and engage with their mathematics studies.   WeBWorK offers a number of advantages over traditional pencil-and-paper homework, including instant, customized feedback and error-recognition. But how do we help students when they get stuck? At City Tech a team of faculty and developers has worked to bridge WeBWorK and the OpenLab, our open digital platform for teaching, learning and collaboration.  Students seeking help on a WeBWorK problem are directed to an OpenLab community space where they can review answers to previous questions about their problem or ask their own. By moving the conversations around homework help into a public space we increase transparency, reducing the repetitious explanations that can occur in one-on-one support models, such as email, where many students can ask very similar questions, each requiring a near-identical response from the instructor.

Want to bring this technology to your own institution? We will discuss how you can set up your own OpenLab, free, through Commons in a Box OpenLab, and our planned release of the WeBWorK OpenLab bridge.

Join us to learn more and see the project in action.

 

Opening Gateways through WeBWorK: Expanding the power of online homework to build engagement and support student learning

Venue: Mathematics Association of America (MAA)
Metro New York Section, 2019 Annual Meeting
New York City College of Technology, May 4, 2019

Presenters:  Andrew Parker, Marianna Bonanome, Ariane Masuda, Jonas Reitz

Abstract:  WeBWorK provides a powerful platform for online homework, freely available and open source.  At City Tech, more than a decade of experience with WeBWorK has provided many opportunities to experiment with existing features, explore new functionality, and develop new tools that extend the reach and scope of the WeBWorK system.  

In addition to developing high-quality problems and problem sets aligned with the curriculum, our work makes frequent use of customized feedback and error-recognition, providing guidance without giving away too much about the expected result.  Cutting edge features such as scaffolded problems provide ongoing support to students as they progress through multi-step solutions, and Just-In-Time problem sets adapt to student behavior, providing practice at the point of greatest need. Integration of GeoGebra, another open source mathematics platform, into WeBWorK problems provides a rich visual dimension to mathematical problem-solving.  Finally, the development of our WeBWorK leaderboards project brings the motivating principles of game-based learning to the WeBWorK platform, with exciting preliminary results.

Join us in this session as we share a multitude of examples as well as lessons learned and best practices for WeBWorK development.