What is WeBWorK?

History

In 1996, a group of professors at the University of Rochester began developing one of the first online mathematics assessment platforms. They called the project “WeBWorK” and released the source code into the wild. The WeBWorK software was built around the fundamental premise that instructors should be able to not only write their own problems, but also manipulate the platform itself in order to create innovative pedagogical content.

Over the 25 years since that time, WeBWorK usage has grown to over 1000 institutions globally. The community that has formed around WeBWorK actively participates in development of both the platform itself as well as in content creation. The community’s Open Problem Library (OPL) has grown to over 60,000 individual problems, and is now expanding into the disciplines of Physics and Engineering in addition to Mathematics.

As is the case with all open source products, WeBWorK is free to use. However, there is also the implied cost of learning to install and maintain the software, as well as the direct hardware costs associated with hosting an online service. Many of the institutions that are active in the WeBWorK community started out with a small group of instructors who had the necessary skills to install and maintain the WeBWorK software on behalf of their institution.

Ultimately, the benefits provided to students through such effort is inspiring. Considering that the typical online assessment service charges ~$50 per-student per-course, offering WeBWorK would save the average classroom about $1500. When further considering that WeBWorK supports content customization and innovative questioning techniques, the end result is that students receive an enhanced pedagogical experience without the upfront cost that too often serves as a barrier-to-entry.

Open-Source

Getting Started

The WeBWorK software is available for download from GitHub. Installation instructions are available on the WeBWorK wiki.

You will need hardware (a baremetal server, or a virtual machine), as well as someone to play the role of server administrator. If your institution does not have the support necessary for this, Rationarium provides ready-to-use WeBWorK servers.

If you only need a few courses instead of an entire server, please consider Runestone as another option for hosting courses à la carte.

While WeBWorK itself is highly customizable, it can be difficult to envision how any given feature might be used to address the needs of your campus. Other challenges you might face include: generating departmental buy-in, developing customized curricula, and leveraging WeBWorK’s ability to deliver standardized exams.

We at Rationarium have direct experience with the challenges of academic transition. Instructors rarely agree on textbooks, much less which problems ‘should’ be assigned, or the sequencing of content. We are also intimately familiar with the difficulties associated with developing content and running WeBWorK at scale for thousands of students at a time. That is why we offer a range of professional development services in conjunction with our WeBWorK hosting services. Our top priority is helping your campus experience all of the potential that WeBWorK has to offer.

Growing with WeBWorK

Community

At Rationarium, we recognize that WeBWorK is made possible by the contribution of many individuals out of their dedication to the mission of WeBWorK. We count ourselves amongst those individuals — and as such, we are committed to donating a portion of our revenue back to The WeBWorK Project in order to help sustain the model of community engagement that helped us become who we are today.