Collaborative Project: A Comprehensive WeBWorK Problem Library

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

WeBWorK is a free, online homework system that has been shown to be effective in helping students learn mathematics. At present, it is somewhat technical to use. The goal of this project is to make it much easier for teachers to use WeBWorK so that it can have a positive impact on student learning at a variety of types of institutions. Intellectual Merit: The principal outcome of this project is the organization of a national library of homework problems coded into WeBWorK, and the development of software tools to facilitate easy access to this electronic library. Instructors teaching a variety of mathematics courses can search the library for problems of the type they want, and use a point-and-click interface to select specific problems for assignments. The project is testing and refining the software tools by partnering with community colleges. Broader Impact: The national WeBWorK problem library and the accompanying software are helping to promote teaching and enhance the infrastructure for education in mathematics. These are being freely available over the web. Moreover, the project is fostering faculty development of mathematics teachers around the country by making a new tool accessible to them for effectively teaching mathematics. The results of the project are being disseminated through workshops for teachers and presentations at conferences. It targets several conferences with different audiences comprised of mathematics teachers from different types of schools.