This CCLI Phase 3 project, "WeBWorK: Improving Student Success in Mathematics," is updating, expanding, and enhancing one of the most used, freely-distributed, open source, online, mathematics homework systems. By providing students with immediate feedback about the validity of their answers and giving them the opportunity to correct mistakes while they are still thinking about the problem, WeBWorK is helping students stay on task and is increasing the effectiveness of student homework in the learning process. Using WeBWorK, students each receive individualized versions of problems, enabling instructors to encourage students to work together. Additionally, instructors can select different levels and types of questions for the students ranging from routine questions to more advanced interactive questions.
The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) is partnering with the developers of WeBWorK to create a permanent supportive home for WeBWorK, thus providing the mathematical sciences community with dependable, long-term access to WeBWorK while at the same time strengthening the on-going maintenance and development. The MAA is providing a hosting service for WeBWorK courses so professors can gain experience with WeBWorK without first having to have it installed at their home institutions. Additionally, WeBWorK is being integrated into more course management systems.
The project assessment team is investigating the impact of WeBWorK on student learning and evaluating the efficacy of the project's dissemination efforts. Furthermore, the MAA is expanding research into effective practices for the use of WeBWorK. Training workshops are providing faculty with the tools they need to make effective use of WeBWorK. Presentations and publications are exposing faculty to results from using WeBWorK for improving student learning in college mathematics.
