Open Education: Homework Software
WeBWorK Introductory Workshop for VT Faculty and GTAs
Virginia Tech Faculty and Graduate Teaching Assistants are invited to:
Introduction to WeBWorK for Faculty and GTAs | Register here | Download event flyer
Monday, May 13th, 2024 8:45 am- 4:30 pm
Goodall Room (MPR) - 1st Floor Newman Library
WebWorK is a Canvas-integrated open-source online system for delivering and grading custom homework assignments in STEM courses. It has similar features to commercial products like WebAssign, MyLab, and MasteringPhysics, but has no cost for students.
This is a one-day workshop for Virginia Tech faculty, instructors, and GTAs who want to learn more about how to get started using WebWork in their classes. The morning session covers class management (rosters, checking grades, granting extensions, etc.) in WeBWork, while the afternoon session builds on the morning and covers problem authoring and editing problems from the Open Problem Library (OPL). The OPL is a bank of over 30,000 community-contributed problems. Problems may be authored using Perl but programming expertise is not a requirement to edit problems.
About the WeBWorK pilot project at VT: Our goals are to provide an alternative assessment environment for faculty, remove homework access code fees for students, and to reduce the overall cost of textbooks and other course materials by enabling students to use older editions of textbooks and enabling faculty to adopt open educational resources or open textbooks.
The three-year pilot is funded by the University Libraries’ Open Education Initiative (OEI) and the Undergraduate Academic Affairs. Math and Statistics faculty have been involved so far. In this second pilot year we are broadening the pilot to include additional disciplines.
Faculty and GTAs CLICK HERE TO REGISTER by Monday, May 6th
Breakfast refreshments and lunch are provided
PDN credit is available
Please bring a laptop
Click here to view the WeBWorK interface and sample questions (press "guest login")
If you are a person with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact arwalz@vt.edu at least 10 days prior to the event.
Questions? Heath Hart heathdav@vt.edu Anita Walz arwalz@vt.edu
About Open Homework Systems
Please note: This is an extremely incomplete list of homework solutions.
Homework software options which do not require authentication (e.g. are anonymous) are more freely available than those that pass student data back or integrate with an online gradebook. These options tend to focus on practice problems or self-testing rather than collection of data regarding individual students' performance.
Recorded presentations
- Archived webinar: Open Math Platforms by OpenOregon Educational Resources (May 2018)Math instructors have unique needs, and there are two good open platforms available to meet those needs. WeBWorK and MyOpenMath enable instructors to automate practice problems that are accessible to a wide variety of learners. In this session, Alex Jordan, Portland Community College, will discuss the features of WeBWorK (example: https://webwork.pcc.edu/webwork2/orcca-demonstration/) and Carrie Kyser, Clackamas Community College, will discuss MyOpenMath (example: https://www.myopenmath.com/, username “guest,” no password).
This session is for faculty who are ready to split up with their expensive copyrighted product but don’t want to lose functionality.
Open Math Platforms Handout: https://tinyurl.com/mathplatforms
Selected open homework systems
- MyOpenMathMyOpenMath is a free, open source, online course management system for mathematics and other quantitative fields. MyOpenMath's primary emphasis is to facilitate the creation and implementation of online homework and assessment, although it also supports content delivery on a limited basis. MyOpenMath runs on the open source IMathAS platform, providing free hosted use of this platform in support of free, open textbooks like the ones listed on OpenTextBookStore.com. The intent is to provide classroom use of the platform, without any required cost to students, for schools wanting a managed install of the IMathAS platform, and to provide students self-study opportunities. MyOpenMath.com is operated by the non-profit organization MyOpenMath.
- WebWorkWeBWorK is an open-source online homework system for math and sciences courses. WeBWorK was previously supported by the MAA and the NSF and comes with a Open Problem Library (OPL) [see below] of over 20,000 homework problems. Problems in the NPL target most lower division undergraduate math courses and some advanced courses. Supported courses include college algebra, discrete mathematics, probability and statistics, single and multivariable calculus, differential equations, linear algebra and complex analysis.Virginia Tech currently hosts a WeBWorK through a paid agreement with Reclaim Hosting.
- WeBWorK Open Problem Library (OPL)The WeBWorK Open Problem Library (OPL) contains problems contributed by faculty from many institutions that have used WeBWorK. Currently, there are approximately 35,000 problems in the OPL, and new problems are added regularly. The OPL was initially formed from several of the original File Based Problem Libraries, and includes all of the problems from the Arizona State, Rochester, California State-Long Beach, and the University of Virginia libraries. It also contains most, if not all, of the problems from Union College, the College of New Jersey, Dartmouth, Ohio State, Northern Arizona University, and Indiana University. Once known as the National Problem Library (NPL), the Open Problem Library (OPL) naming convention was adopted in the summer of 2012 to accommodate the increasing internationalization of WeBWorK and the possible inclusion of problem libraries from textbook publishers.
- Sample problem environment on WeBWorKUse the Guest Login to see example problems for financial mathematics, general chemistry, linear algebra, multivariable calculus, physics, single variable calculus, and statics.The WeBWorK Pilot is a project of the University Libraries, Departments of Math and Statistics, and as of 5/2024 Virginia Tech's Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
- ADAPT: The Libretexts Adaptive Learning Assessment SystemADAPT is a free and open homework system that integrates with LibreTexts, a platform for creating and sharing OER. Further information: https://researchguides.mvc.edu/libretexts/adapt [NOTES: This system is not yet VT-approved software and not yet available at VT. WeBWorK integration does not have all functionality as a full instance.] If you are a VT faculty member interested in exploring a pilot using this system, please contact arwalz [at] vt.edu
Assessment Integrations and PlugIns
- H5PH5P is a plugin for existing publishing systems that enables the system to create interactive content like Interactive Videos, Presentations, Games, Quizzes and more. H5P makes it easy to create interactive content by providing a range of content types for various needs. You can create interactive content by ($$) adding the H5P plugin to your WordPress, Pressbooks, Moodle or Drupal site, or integrate it via LTI with Canvas, Brightspace, Blackboard and many other LMS/VLEs that support LTI integration. More info on H5P integration: https://h5p.org/node/287135
[NOTE: Secure Pressbooks/H5P/Canvas gradebook integration is coming soon at Virginia Tech. Contact arwalz@vt.edu for details.]