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How to Use WebAssign in Your Traditional Classroom

With universities slowly transitioning back to physical classrooms, you may be wondering how WebAssign  digital tools will translate to face-to-face teaching. There’s value in using technology in your class. In fact, survey results show that digital tools help students pass classes, gain confidence and stay on track in class.

Stay ahead of the curve and incorporate these ten strategies for using WebAssign  in person in your traditional classroom. Save time and boost student communication, engagement and understanding.

1. Take Attendance with WebAssign in Person

Calling roll can take an unnecessary amount of your precious in-person time, which is why you should take attendance digitally. Get started by setting up an assignment category for attendance within your WebAssign  GradeBook and scheduling individual assignments for each class meeting. ( Duplicate each assignment to save time!)

To track attendance, password protect each assignment and provide the password to students in class to mark themselves present. If you’d like added security, you can restrict the assignment by location so only those in class can access it to discourage students from sharing the password with their friends.

2. Record and Post Your Lectures for a Flipped-Classroom Approach

Are you teaching a mix of online and in-person classes? Save time in crafting content and lectures for both courses by repurposing your materials. When you host your in-person lecture, record a video of yourself teaching the material. Then, post the video in a WebAssign assignment or upload it as a resource in your online course along with any relevant resources, such as PowerPoint slides. This will enable you to teach the material once and use it for multiple courses.

3. Deliver Quizzes or Tests to Students Online

You can still take advantage of the pre-built assignments and secure test settings in WebAssign in person  by delivering tests virtually. To do this, you have a few options:

• Ask students to bring their laptops to class and have them take the exam on their own computer.
• Schedule time in the computer lab for students to take a digital exam. You should consider this option any time you ask students to use digital tools so you can promote equity . If you choose to use secure testing software like the LockDown Browser , make sure this is installed on the computers first.
• Have students take the exam from home. We recommend scheduling the exam in WebAssign to be available at the beginning of your class time. Set it to be due at the end of your class to mimic the classroom environment.

If you’re worried about academic dishonestly, explore these tips to deliver secure tests to your students.

4. Host Virtual Office Hours for Convenience

Taking time to travel to your physical office isn’t always an easy task for students (especially if they’re non-traditional). Now that many have transitioned back to the classroom, we recommend maintaining virtual office hours to give students the flexibility to connect with you, regardless of how far they are from campus.

To set up virtual office hours successfully, provide a Zoom or conference link for students. You can also remind them to utilize office hours to get help within WebAssign . For example:

• If students need help on their homework or assignments, they can use the Ask Your Teacher feature right within WebAssign to ask for your support. You’ll be able to view exactly which question the student is working on along with their previous submissions.
• Students can private message you from WebAssign if they prefer to have a written discussion instead of face-to-face.

5. Encourage Collaboration with Group Work

You can facilitate collaboration and discussion among your students by assigning group work . Within WebAssign , you can schedule group work by navigating to the Class Scheduler page and selecting “ edit restrictions” next to the desired assignment, then selecting “Group Assignment” on the next page. From there you’ll organize your students into groups by creating  your own groups  through the “Group Creation Tool,” or allowing  WebAssign  to randomly  assign groups . Once the groups are set and the assignment is scheduled, only one group member will need to submit their group’s work. Don’t forget to tell your students which group they’re in!

6. Keep Students Engaged with WebAssign Polls in Person

Do you have a hard time keeping students’ attention during your lectures (without the added expense of requiring students to purchase a handheld Personal Response System or app)? Engage them by creating polling questions in WebAssign they can respond to throughout class. You can use polling questions to gather opinions from your students or check their understanding of a topic.  

Once you’ve developed your polling questions in WebAssign , your students’ responses and scores will align with your assignment settings . The only difference is that polling questions are marked correct for any response. Your students receive no credit if they do not respond to the question. This can help you determine who’s engaged and even who attended class that day. Log in to WebAssign and use this polling question template to get started.

7.  Elevate Your Lectures with Interactive Examples

Visuals are important for an engaging lecture, but what if you took it a step further and incorporated interactive examples? In some titles in WebAssign , you can find interactive examples like Explore Its which allow you to engage with the material for better understanding.

When you’re in class, you’ll find these examples in the media index of your MindTap Reader eTextbook or your instructor resources with quick links to all examples separated by chapter. As you work through a section, open one of these examples in your lecture to make the topic come to life.

8. Keep Course Topics Interesting with Video

In addition to interactive examples, you can also use video to engage students in a specific topic during your lecture. Don’t have time to create your own video? That’s okay! Many titles within WebAssign have short lecture videos available in your instructor resources for you to use. You can easily open them and show them in class, then make them available for students to reference later in the resources section of their WebAssign home screen.

9. Go Over Homework Problems Using Class Insights

Bridge the gap between students’ homework and conceptual understanding by empowering yourself with data. Before class, review your Class Insights  overview to pinpoint flagged questions  from the homework that caused trouble for a large percentage of the class. Take the first five minutes of class to review these flagged questions with your students to ensure they understand. This will allow you to quickly identify and address the most common topics students struggle with.

Tip: After going over these topics, you can even reassign them in future practice assignments or quizzes to further check student understanding.

 10.  Schedule a Virtual Study Day

Are you far enough into the semester that your students should be focused on reviewing material, but you want to make sure they actually study? Instead of hosting class one day, hold a virtual study day and assign the   Personal Study Plan  (PSP)  to your students for practice or as a grade . The PSP, available with many Cengage titles in WebAssign , helps students identify which course or chapter concepts they need to review. It also provides a customized selection of resources based on their performance. Don’t forget to restrict the time the assignment is available if you’d like to make sure students complete the work in place of your class.

Are you still teaching online? Learn how to optimize your course for online delivery.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is an online learning platform.

An online learning platform is assigned by your instructor. It includes access to your interactive eBook, assessments, homework assignments and other learning resources. Cengage online learning platforms for students include MindTap, WebAssign, SAM, CNOWv2, OWLv2 and Cengage Infuse. Prices start at $50 and your eBook is included.

Can I try before I buy?

Yes, all Cengage online learning platforms (MindTap, WebAssign, SAM, CNOWv2, OWLv2 or Cengage Infuse) allow for temporary access—a free trial period—which is determined by the length of your course. This ensures you have access to your course materials on the first day of class and know which purchase option fits your needs. Note: access to any Cengage online learning platform must first be granted by the instructor teaching your course.

How do I access my online learning platform?

To access your assigned online learning platform (MindTap, WebAssign, SAM, CNOWv2, OWLv2 or Cengage Infuse), visit Start Strong .

What if I need more than one Cengage online learning platform?

If your instructors assigned more than one Cengage eBook for class this semester, a Cengage Unlimited subscription could save you money. You’ll get at least 1 term (4 months) of access to all Cengage online learning platforms (MindTap, WebAssign, SAM, CNOWv2, OWLv2, and Cengage Infuse), plus our entire library of Cengage eBooks for a one-time, flat price.

Where do I go for help?

If you’re having an issue, contact our support team and access our 24/7 FAQ library. Our Techcheck site will also show you the current status of our sites and platforms.

How do I use Cengage online learning platforms?

Get to know your platform by exploring our series of short “how-to” videos and guides.

Textbook Technical Support

Instructors: create a course.

• Instructor Quick Start Guide
• Student Quick Start Guide
• Student Quick Start Guide for Backboard  

Not finding what you need? Try searching the  WebAssign support database

How do I access Web Assign?

WebAssign is available upon adoption of selected SAGE titles. To search for a text, use the“Textbook Search” on the WebAssign website at www.webassign.net . 

How do I set up my account?

WebAssign instructor accounts are available, free of charge, to instructors at recognized educational institutions. Instructors can go to http://www.webassign.net/signup.html to set up their account. 

How do students set up an account?

Student accounts are created in one of two ways, depending on how instructors handle enrollment.

1) If the instructor has chosen to use Self-Enrollment, he or she will provide the student with a Class Key.  Stduents may then click on "I Have A Class Key" from the webassign.net home page.

2) If the instructor has chosen to upload a roster to WebAssign, they will provide students with a username and password.

Students will need the access code packaged with the book or purchased from WebAssign.

Is this compatible with my LMS?

Yes, WebAssign  integrate with Blackboard, Brighspace, Canvas and Moodle. 

Blackboard Integration Guide

Brightspace (D2L) Integration Guide

Canvas Integration Guide

Moodle  Integration Guide

How long do I have access?

Most access codes are valid for one semester. If a code is valid for a longer period of time, the duration is stated on the access code card.

Is there a Grace Period?

Yes. If students are required to purchase access to WebAssign, there is a 14-day grace period during which students can use WebAssign without completing payment.

When? The grace period begins on the class start state (set by the instructor in the WebAssign system).

What?  During the grace period, students can complete coursework and access the FlashPaper eBook. All coursework completed during the grace period will remain in the system and is available to the instructor after the grace period. 

Does WebAssign feed a gradebook?

Yes. WebAssign grades online assignments and gives students instant feedback on their performance.

With the WebAssign GradeBook, instructors can:

• Calculate final scores based on category averages or points
• Adjust the weights of individual assignments, drop assignments from the GradeBook, or count assignments as extra credit
• Automatically drop each student's lowest assignments for any assignment category
• Show or hide grade calculations and overall class statistics to your students
• Enter or upload individual assignment scores, category scores, or final scores that instructors want to calculate yourself
• Recalculate the GradeBook on demand or set a schedule for automatic recalculation

All GradeBook settings are configurable at any time during a course. Instructors choose what categories and assignments to include, how scores are calculated, and what information they want to show students.

What are the main features of WebAssign?

WebAssign contains book-specific homework for your students to complete and submit. Homework is automatically graded, saving the instructor time. 

Students will also have access to a Flashpaper eBook of the associated textbook in the WebAssign platform.

Is WebAssign Accessible?

WebAssign has worked to provide accessible representations of both notation and figures to screen readers.  Accessible content in WebAssign is tested using the following screen reader versions:

• JAWS®, version 15.0
• Window-Eyes™, version 8.2
• ZoomText®, version 10

Screen Reader Configuation Guide

MacOS/OS X Keyboad Configuation Guide

Where do I go for additional support?

Web Assign at Toll free: (800) 955-8275 

Access Instructor Support , including a Quick Start Guide & Video Tutorials.

Access Student Support , including a Quck Start Guide & Video Tutorials.

Student Support Hours:

• M-Th: 9am - 10pm EST
• Fri: 9am - 8pm EST
• Sun: 11am - 8pm EST

Systems Supported

Operating Systems  Windows Mac

Browsers  Chrome™ (19 or later) Internet Explorer® (8 or later) Firefox® (12 or later) Safari® (5.1 or later)

Mobile  ipad® (ios 8 or later).

Other Software Needs Some WebAssign content and tools require the following browser plug-ins: ●  Adobe Acrobat Reader® 8 or later  ●  Adobe Flash® Player 10 or later  ●  Adobe Shockwave® Player 11 or later ●  Java™ 6 (build 1.6.0) through 1.7.35 

Download a PDF copy of these instructions

WebAssign was developed by teachers for teachers so naturally we grade questions like you do too. Our grading engine is complex, but the end result is simple: WebAssign grades more like a real professor, and less like a computer program. The software behind the grading system is structured to understand and interact with the mathematical language instead of forcing answer statements to fit a specific and inflexible framework. WebAssign provides an intuitive experience so the student’s focus remains on learning the course material, not on learning a homework system.

Read our Answer Evaluation and Grading System report to learn more.

One of WebAssign’s most powerful features is our GradeBook. With it, you are always in complete control, and both instructors and students can access grades anytime. Setup is simple using the built-in wizard, and established settings can be transferred to other classes easily.

With the GradeBook, you can efficiently track the progress of an individual student or the entire class. Overview pages show class scores for recent assignments. Click any assignment and see a breakdown by question, letting you quickly identify areas where students are struggling. When an individual student needs help, you can access every submission that student has made for a particular assignment to provide them with customized support.

The GradeBook also calculates statistics ranging from means to standard deviations and provides printable summaries of assignments with response histograms for each question. You can download a spreadsheet of student grades and scores for further analysis at any time.

Fully Customizable

Feature flexibility is important to us because we know how important it is to you to manage your specific classroom grading needs. With WebAssign’s GradeBook customization, you can drop the lowest homework score, weight the final exam more heavily than the midterm, calculate final grades even if you didn’t use WebAssign for all assignments, and much more. You can upload scores from paper-based activities and let WebAssign calculate all grades based on your personal weighting scheme. WebAssign can even assign letter grades based on numeric ranges you define.

Learn how you can increase student engagement by using the GradeBook to take attendance.

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WebAssign is an online homework system used by the Mathematics department for several courses including Calculus.

Beginning Fall 2018 the login prcedure has changed slightly.  You still need to first log in with your identikey at https://www.webassign.net/colorado/login.html .  Then if you have not already done so, you will be asked to sign in with a Cengage account.  If you already have a Cengage account that was used for another course you can use that here, otherwise create a new account with your CU email address.  After that you should see your class(es).

If you are waitlisted , you can still have an account in WebAssign and are responsible for keeping up with class assignments.  You cannot get an extension for assignments that were missed for failure to follow these instructions!

Please browse the FAQs below for answers to common problems.  If you are still having trouble you can send an email to [email protected] . Emails should include your first and last name, Identikey user name, student ID number, what MATH course you are in, and the class section number.  Emails should be answered within 24 hours.

I cannot sign in to WebAssign or see my classes

For MATH classes please make sure you are signing in at the CU login page (as seen below): https://www.webassign.net/colorado/login.html Course material will not be available until the Sunday before classes begin.  Attempts to sign in before this date will likely fail.

Your username is usually four letters and four numbers, but will be the same ID you use to log in to the myCUinfo page.  Do not enter an email address here, it will not be recognized.

Your password is your identikey password.  Again it is the same information you enter to sign in to the myCUinfo page.  If you are uncertain what it is, you can reset your password here.

We will need to create an account for you.  Please use the email link above to request an account.

If you have transferred from an APPM class into MATH, we will need to create a new account for you in the MATH class.  Please use the email link above and include all of the requested information.

If you wish to be removed from your APPM class in WebAssign, you will need to email the instructor of the APPM class to let them know you have transferred out of their class and wish to be removed.

STOP!  You are in the wrong location, MATH classes do not use class keys and you cannot create your own account.  Please make sure you are signing in to the CU login page with your Identikey credentials to access MATH classes: https://www.webassign.net/colorado/login.html

If your user name is not recognized or you sign in and still have no classes listed, please see the FAQs above for more information.

I am having problems with my class after signing in

WebAssign is not aware when you change classes, and the initial accounts are created based on what classes you were signed up for or waitlisted in on the Friday before classes start.

To transfer to a different class in WebAssign, please use the email link above, and also let us know the course and section number WebAssign currently lists you in (so we can remove that account) and the course and section number you SHOULD be listed in (so a new account can be created, or if you are in the same course then your existing account and any completed assignments will be transferred to the correct section).

The grades from WebAssign have to be transferred by your instructor before you will see them on myCUinfo.  This may only happen around midterms and final exams, or it may happen more frequently, however if your score is registered in WebAssign then it will be transferred by the end of the semester.

Student accounts are created automatically just before classes start at the beginning of the semester, and often times students are signed up or waitlisted for mutiple sections.  When you log in to WebAssign take a look to see what section number it has you listed in.  If this information is not correct please use the email link above and include what course and section number WebAssign shows you are in, and what course and section you SHOULD be in.  Your account and completed assignments will be transferred to the correct class and become available for your instructor to transfer to myCUinfo.

If you already purchased an access code while in the APPM class, please let us know which course and section number when you send an email, and we will have your access code transferred to your new MATH class.

Some times if you close your browser window without logging out of WebAssign, cookies can be left behind that confuse the site.  Please log out of WebAssign, then delete all browser cookies for webassign.net.  Now close and restart your browser and log back in to WebAssign again.

Make sure you are signing in using the CU login page at https://www.webassign.net/colorado/login.html

If you still do not see your class, please use the email link above and include the requested information.

I am getting errors with Flash player

Most browsers block Flash content by default, but you can tell it to allow Flash for webassign.

- For Safari -- https://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/enabling-flash-player-safari.html - For Chrome browser -- https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/6258784 - For Internet Explorer -- https://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/flash-player-issues-windows-10-i...

If you are using another browser or have trouble with the directions, please send an email (see the link at the top of the page).

Other questions about WebAssign

If you are waitlisted for a class at the beginning of the semester you can still obtain a WebAssign account and are responsible for keeping up with assignments.  You cannot get an extension for missed assignments if you have failed to follow these instructions.

Extensions may be given for medical or other emergencies, but check with your class instructor for approval.  If approval is given, ask your instructor to email [email protected] and let us know what course and section number, which assignments to provide the extension for, and what date to extend them to.

WebAssign only shows assignments from the previous two weeks by default, however it is possible to see all of the assignments from your class.  At the top of your assignment list will be a bar (as below) showing the number of past and current assignments.  If you click where it says "All" then you will be shown a list of all assignments beginning at the start of the semester.

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Using the WebAssign Web-Based Homework System

WebAssign will allow you to access your homework assignment, submit answers, and get feedback from any computer with a connection to the Internet, and a Web browser. You can access the WebAssign login page at:   http://webassign.net/student

Login instructions

Username => (All Caps) the first three letters of your first name and up to the 1 st five letters of your last name

– John Smit => JOHSMIT

– John Smithsonian => JOHSMITH

Institution => (lower case) ucf

Password => last 5 numbers of your Student ID # ( If this password does not work, contact your instructor )

Then click Submit

This will bring up your assignments’ page.

·         You may change your password by clicking on the link Change Password and then following the directions on screen.

·         Next, register your WebAssign license (AKA WebAssign access code) by clicking on the HERE link, under announcements, and then entering your license number in the box that comes up with the registration page. You must enter your license number by the end of the third week of classes, September 7 th , 2001.

·         Note: you need to purchase a WebAssign license ($6.75) at the campus bookstore, from the cashiers nearest to the textbook section. If you have any trouble, contact Chris Lee in the textbook department of the campus bookstore.

·         Now you are ready to start your first assignment.

The first assignment is typically Intro to WebAssign for Physics Student s.

• Clicking on Guide will bring up an online manual to using WebAssign
• Read the Guide before starting the Intro assignment
• Complete each problem by selecting or filling in the correct response.
• When you have finished entering your responses, click on Submit and WebAssign will immediately grade your assignment. It will then tell you which problems you got right and which you got wrong. You can rework the problems and then resubmit to improve your score. The number of submissions is set by the instructor.

Tips On Using WebAssign

Before you start working with WebAssign, please note the following tips:

·         Most standard Web connections should work with WebAssign. We recommend that you use Netscape version 4.5 or later, with a 28.8 Kbps modem or better. AOL 4.0 does not work with WebAssign, but AOL 5.0 does.

·         Bookmark only http://webassign.net/student

·         If you skip the login page, WebAssign will not know who is taking the assignment!

·         Turn on or enable "cookies." WebAssign must check who you are every time you make a request; it does this by passing a cookie to your computer.

·         Before starting WebAssign, quit any browsers and open a new copy . If you simply close the browser window or open a new window, login information contained in the cookie may not be yours. Likewise, to prevent losing credit for the work you have done, you must close the browser when you are finished.

·         When working on an assignment, use the navigational buttons provided by WebAssign. Pressing the browser's Back button or Reload button can cause you to submit an incomplete assignment inadvertently.

·         Make sure that your browser has both JavaScript and Java enabled. Some versions of Internet Explorer do not work with the Java applets; for this reason, please use version 4 or later. Not all questions use Java applets, but if you get a question with an applet, make sure you wait until the applet is fully loaded before clicking Start Animatio n.

·         Unless otherwise specified, WebAssign is looking for an answer with 3 significant figures within 1% of the correct answer. Only the last submission answers count towards your grade.

·         The best way to use WebAssign is to first look up the assignment and print it out. Log-out and work the problems out on paper. Then come back to WebAssign and enter your answers. Keep your written problems solutions in case of difficulties with the system.