getting started with webwork: a technical...

Getting Started with WeBWorK: A TechnicalIntroduction

UW-Stout REU

August 27, 2013

Getting Started with WeBWorK: A Technical Introduction August 27, 2013 1 / 24

Initial Things

URLs

Server homepage: http://webwork.uwstout.edu

WeBWorK courses: https://webwork.uwstout.edu/webwork2/

Direct Link to a Course:https://webwork.uwstout.edu/webwork2/course-name/

Ways to Find WeBWorK

UW-Stout logins page, http://www.uwstout.edu/logins.what

Add a link to webwork courses, or direct link to your webwork course ond2l page

Normally, Stout user name (lower case) and password would let you andyour students into the course


http://webwork.uwstout.edu

https://webwork.uwstout.edu/webwork2/

https://webwork.uwstout.edu/webwork2/course-name/

http://www.uwstout.edu/logins.what

Importing Classlist

Initial Import from D2L

For detailed instructions: http://webwork.uwstout.edu/home/tutorials/import-d2l-roster-into-webwork.html

Export to .csv the gradebook from your D2L course; make sure to includethe first name, last name, email address, and user name in the .csv file.There are checkboxes for all 4 pieces of information on the ’export’ pageof the ’gradebook’.

Save the file to your computer

Use file manager to upload the file to your webwork course

Use ’Classlist Editor’ to do ’D2l Import’ of the file you’ve uploaded

Several Sections in One WeBWorK Course

If you have two (or more) sections in one WeBWorK course, just repeat theprocess: download the gradebook files from all sections on D2L, and importthem into the joined WeBWorK course.


http://webwork.uwstout.edu/home/tutorials/import-d2l-roster-into-webwork.html

http://webwork.uwstout.edu/home/tutorials/import-d2l-roster-into-webwork.html

Maintaining the Classlist

Adding Students

Easy way: wait until the students are on D2L, and then repeat what youdid for initial import

Harder way: add students manually; in that case, make sure that you givethem some really random internal WeBWorK password; if you don’t dothat, their internal WeBWorK password will be exactly what you’veentered for their student id, which is not very secure


What to Do if Something Goes Wrong

Student Can’t Access the Course

Make sure that the student uses correct server,https://webwork.uwstout.edu/webwork2

There are over 150 universities using webwork, and their login pagesmight look quite similar.

Make sure that the student attempts to log in into correct course andsection

Make sure that the student is really listed in the classlist of WeBWorKcourse

Let me know – there might be some technical issue

Where to Get Help

Ask me – Alex Basyrov, [email protected], x2393, JHSW 309

Ask other WeBWorK instructors.

Note that ASK5000 might not be helpful with WeBWorK


https://webwork.uwstout.edu/webwork2

If Something Goes Wrong

What Could Happen

Stout campus could lose internet connection to the rest of the world

Jarvis Hall could lose power

Network in Jarvis Hall could misbehave

Jarvis Hall could get flooded - the electrical equipment and key networkequipment are in the basement

The fiber optic cable serving Stout could be disconnected/severed.

WeBWorK server could go down


If Something Goes Wrong

Let Me Know

If something appears to be wrong with WeBWorK server, please let me know.Something small could be the only manifestation of a larger issue.

Sporadic connection issues from off-campus in Fall 2012 – caused by anoutdated Stout network equipment facing the global internet; it gotreplaced sooner in part due to questions from us.

Sporadic connection issues while in Jarvis Hall in Fall 2011 – caused by afaulty network switch that got replaced after complaints from us.


Authentication in WeBWorK

Normal Login Process: What Happens Behind the Scenes

1 Sibboleth authentication via https://smidp.uwstout.edu

2 If Shibboleth misbehaves: internal WeBWorK password

3 If internal WeBWorK password fails: LDAP authentication vialdaps://uwstout.edu

Backup Login Process

This is what we were using before Fall 2013,

1 Internal WeBWorK password

2 If internal WeBWorK password fails: LDAP authentication vialdaps://uwstout.edu


https://smidp.uwstout.edu

ldaps://uwstout.edu

ldaps://uwstout.edu

Shibboleth Authentication

Typical Login

1 User attempts to access a WeBWorK course

2 WeBWorK checks if the user was previously authenticated; if that fails,asks Shibboleth at webwork.uwstout.edu

3 Shibboleth at webwork.uwstout.edu checks if the user was authenticated;if that fails, redirects user’s browser to https://smidp.uwstout.edu

4 Shibboleth at https://smidp.uwstout.edu checks if user wasauthenticated; if that fails, asks for the user name and password; if theuser name and password are correct, creates a session for that user; sendsinformation back to Shibboleth at webwork.uwstout.edu

5 Shibboleth at webwork.uwstout.edu sends information to WeBWorK

6 WeBWorK checks that the user is in the classlist for the course, and letsthe user in


webwork.uwstout.edu

webwork.uwstout.edu



webwork.uwstout.edu

webwork.uwstout.edu

Internal WeBWorK Authentication, andLDAP Authentication

Internal WeBWorK Authentication

1 WeBWorK asks for user name and password

2 WeBWorK checks if the user name and password are known toWeBWorK; if that fails, WeBWorK sends the user name and password toLDAP authentication

LDAP Authentication

1 User name and password are sent to ldaps://uwstout.edu

2 LDAP server confirms that user name and password are correct

3 WeBWorK checks that the user is in the classlist for the course, and letsthe user in


ldaps://uwstout.edu

Homework Assignments: From Scratch

Creating the Homework Set

Detailed instructions: http://webwork.uwstout.edu/home/tutorials/create-homework-set-from-scratch.html

Go to Library Browser, fill in the name of the new assignment, click’create’ button

OR, Go to Homework sets editor, and create a new blank assignment

OR, select the existing assignment from the drop-down list in the LibraryBrowser

Use the Subject, Chapter and Secion pull-down lists to navigate tonarrow down the problems

Show the problems

Add the problems you like


http://webwork.uwstout.edu/home/tutorials/create-homework-set-from-scratch.html

http://webwork.uwstout.edu/home/tutorials/create-homework-set-from-scratch.html

Homework Assignments: From Scratch

Assigning The Homework Set

In the homework sets editor, click the pencil next to the homework setname

Enter the correct open date, due date, and and answer date

Check the ’visible’ checkbox

Save changes

In the homework sets editor, click the **/** link in the ’assigned users’column, then click the ’assign to all users’ button


Things To Check

A Student Can Do Homework When...

the set is visible

the set is assigned to them

it is past the open date, and before the due date


Suggestions/Best Practices

Use the ’orientation’ problem set in your courses; use the handouts

Do not assign too much

Due date: I avoid weekends. Due time: at night, or before your classmeets;

Really safe due time from server perspective: between 2am and 6am

Mix problems from different sections in the same assignment if you wantto

See statistics, and assign again the problems that students struggled with

Better to assign a lot of short problem sets instead of a few really longproblem sets


Suggestions/Best Practices

Selecting Problems

Double-check the problems: some of them are insane or broken

Be careful with...

UCSB - not randomizedUtah - might be brokenFreeman - might be of poor quality

MathObject problems are newer and likely to be better


The ’Email Instructor’ Button

encourage students to use the ’email instructor’ button

be ready for the amount of information that students might dump on you

the “WeBWorK is wrong” attitude slowly transforms into “what did I dowrong” in about a month

let students know when you will/will not respond to their emails

if I get 15 emails from the same student, I would invite them to my officehours

if I get emails from 15 students about the same problem, I would solvethat problem in class


Entering Math Expressions

DragMath

Homepage: http://www.dragmath.bham.ac.uk/

Java-based plug-in; no need to install

Enabled in WeBWorK by default

To Disable:

Follow into ’Course Configuration’Click on ’PG - Problem Display/Answer Checking’Set ’Use DragMath editor for answer entry’ to ’False’Click ’Save Changes’


http://www.dragmath.bham.ac.uk/

Entering Math Expressions

MathView

Homepage: http://www.calculus.net/mathview/ andhttp://livemath.com/download/

Needs installation on client machine; works in Internet Explorer andNetscape; does not seem to work in Firefox; I did not test in Chrome

Disabled by default

To enable:

Follow into ’Course Configuration’Click on ’PG - Problem Display/Answer Checking’Set ’Use MathView editor for answer entry’ to ’True’Click ’Save Changes’

Suggestion

It might be a good idea not to use both DragMath and MathView at the sametime


http://www.calculus.net/mathview/

http://livemath.com/download/

Library Browser

Changes To Interface

Library Browser now uses JavaScript

’More Like This’ feature

Other new buttons

Suggestions

Viewing multiple problems through Library Browser is a server-intensiveprocess

Please try not to view more than 100-200 problems at once


Stout Libraries

What is There

Math-118

Math-120

Math-121

Math-121 version 2

Math-123

Math-156

Math-158

There are Problems with Mistakes

Yes, not all problems are perfect

If you find a problem that needs fixing, please let me know via email. Letme know the path to the problem, or the course/assignment/problemnumber.


Achievements

Gamification

Gamification: the use of game design elements in non-game contexts a

aFrom game design elements to gamefulness: defining “gamification”, Deterdinget al; http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/2181037.2181040

Achievements

Achievements: goals in an achievement/reward system (different system thanthe core game) whose fulfilment is defined through activities and events inother systems (commonly in the core game). a

aFramework for designing and evaluating game achievements, Hamari andEranti, 2011


http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/2181037.2181040

Achievements

Using Achievements In Your Course

To enable achievements:

Follow into ’Course Configuration’The ’Genera’ section is selected by default; click on ’General’ if thatsection is not selectedSet ’Enable Course Achievements’ to ’True’Click ’Save Changes’

A new item ’Achievements’ will show up below ’Grades’, and’Achievement Editor’ will show up below ’Instructor Tools’.

Use the ’Achievement Editor’ to set up achievements.

For now, the achievements were set up for Calculus I courses


Other WeBWorK Tasks

Students dropping the course: use Classlist editor to set the status of thestudent to ’Drop’; deleting the student will delete all of the data studenthas in WeBWorK.

Copying Homework Sets: export the problem set, download the set***.deffile, then upload the set***.def file to another course, and import theproblem set.

Exporting Scores to .csv file or to D2L gradebook: use ’Scoring Tools’section


Editing Problems

local/*** vs. global/***

To edit a problem from the Library, you have to make a copy of theproblem by choosing ’Save As...’ in the editor

By default, WeBWorK appends ’local/’ in front of the file name to stressthat the file is saved locally in your course

If you’d like to make the new file available to your other sections, you canappend ’global/[your user name]/’ in front of the file name. That way thenew file will be saved in the globally accessible location

Be Nice :-)

Files saved in the ’global/***’ location are accessible to everyone

Everyone can edit the files in ’global/***’ location, regardless of theoriginal author. It does not mean that you should.


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