WeBWorK (WW) is a system used to create weekly problem sets for Math 131.  You submit your answers online. After you submit an answer, WW tells you immediately whether your answer is correct or not. You can resubmit answers to questions as often as you like, without penalty, up until the closing time for the problem set. This allows you to go return to your work, figure out what you did wrong, and, we hope, understand the question better.   

WeBWorK is a learning tool for students and ultimately it functions on the "honor system." Certainly, you may help each other with ideas or hints on the problems. But, in the end, you're supposed to solve the problems yourself and submit your own answers. Frequently WW randomizes information among individual problem sets, so someone else's numeric answer might not work for the corresponding problem in your personal homework set.

Doing a problem for somebody else, or having someone give you an answer to submit, just intereferes with learning opportunities. The points you earn in WW don't contribute all that much to the overall course grade, and any "WW payoff" you get from someone solving a problem for you is probably less than the cost (on a test) of not learning how to do the problem.  

If there are any indications coming through the WeBWorK system or otherwise that you are not submitting your own work, it may treated as an academic integrity violation.

You should go to the WebWorK page (and probably "bookmark" it on your computer for the semester).  From this page, select the link for Math 131 and logon to WeBWorK.  

First Time Logging On  Your default username and password are the same -- your 6-digit WU Student ID Number. When you log on for the first time, you should immediately:  

• Change your password
• Use the menu to update your email address, if necessary. This will let me or the WebWorK coordinator respond to any message you send us from within WebWorK. 
• What if I forget my password?  Send a message to webwork@math.wustl.edu or email your instructor who can also reset your password.  The should happen within 24 hours, but maybe much quicker.

WeBWorK is easy to use, and many of your initial questions can probably be answered on one of the following pages. Otherwise, email your instructor. 

• Introduction to WeBWorK for Students
• How to Enter Answers into WeBWorK
• FAQ for Students
• How to write mathematics using an ordinary keyboard

There is a set of "WWPractice" that will become available on Monday, August 29, for optional practice. These problems will let you review some precalculus material that we are not going to discuss in class, and they will let you practice entering answers in WW.  Generally, the syntax is very much like what you would use on a graphing calculator -- for example,  x^2  is entered to represent x² and sqrt(x) is used to represent "the square root of x." 

NOTE: the set WWPractice may say that it's "closed." That's just to keep WW from recording a score for you on this set of problems. You can still open it, print it, look at each problem, enter your answers and hit the "submit" key to see it it's correct or not.  Your can also "show correct answer" if you like. Any solutions you submit (or don't submit) for the questions in this review set will not be counted toward your WW score for the course.  

At 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, September 6 the first real WeBWorK problem set WW1 will "open" -- meaning that you can start work after that time.  Probably the best strategy is to open WW1 and print out a pdf copy for yourself to work with until you're ready to submit answers.

When you enter answers for some or all problems, WW will tell you immediately whether you're correct or incorrect. If a solution is wrong, you can try again and resubmit an answer as many times as you like up until the HW1 deadline at 11:59 p.m. on the following Monday, September 12.  At that time, WW 1 will automatically close online and WW 2 will open up a few minutes later. There will probably be about 15 problems, so don't wait until the last minute. Also, try to avoid entering information just short of the deadline: remember, your watch is probably not be quite synchronized with the computer's clock.

Sometimes WW might mark a numeric answer wrong because of roundoff errors. Therefore it's safer not to convert answers into decimals unnecessarily. Instead, you can enter expressions sqrt(2), or cos(pi/7), or 113/217 in your answers without evaluation, and WW will do it's own evaluations of these expressions behind the scenes.

If you can't figure something out and your friends can't help, send me an email.  And, FOR WW, PLEASE: the best way to email the instructor is to use the link "Send message to instructor" from the particular WW page where you're trying to submit an answer. When I get that message, WW lets me immediately open to that problem in your personalized problem set. Of course, I'm not monitoring emails 24-7, but I'll reply as soon as I can.

The typical pattern for WeBWorK assignments throughout the semester will be "Assignment opens at 12:01 a.m.Tuesday and solutions are due by 11:59 p.m. the following Monday, but there will be a few exceptions due to Fall Break and Thanksgiving holidays. These exceptions are posted in the Daily Assignments page.

At the end of the semester, your two lowest WeBWorK scores will be dropped, and the remaining WeBWorK scores will be converted to a percentage = your WEBSCORE.  WEBSCORE will be 10% of your grade in the course.