webwork homework answers

webwork homework answers

The Importance of WebWork Homework Answers

1. The Benefits of WebWork Homework Answers

Rewards on WebWork problems encourage students to focus on the logical reasoning process and to use clear and precise language to express their answers. They discourage trial-and-error guessing and often do not even have a definite solution (in the simple sense or at all), but rather engage the student in a deeper exploration of the relevant concepts. For example, a problem might ask for the general solution of a certain differential equation. If the student finds out that no such solution exists but in doing so gains an understanding of the reasons why some differential equations have no solutions, he has certainly benefited. We often have several problems on a single topic to give the student varied practice and to prevent them from memorizing a procedure. This also gives the feedback message associated with a wrong answer more value since the student can immediately apply the lesson learned. An answer can often be checked immediately, such as in a calculus problem when the student takes the derivative of an integral. In this case, the feedback can be given as the correct answer, so the student will know he is right before moving on to the next problem. If the student is progressing through a set of problems and finds that his answer to problem 3.2.5 is incorrect, he can easily go back to question 3.2.4 for additional review. We believe that the possibility for learning from a mistake in the context of no penalty is the most valuable feature of all.

2. Strategies for Finding WebWork Homework Answers

Occasionally, you may find limitations to the resources and teaching techniques applied to your online coursework, particularly in a subject as advanced as mathematics. When learning is confined to a set of computer-generated problems and answers, some of which may possess flaws or limitations themselves, it can be difficult to interpret and truly learn from the material you are working with. Remember, the most ideal situation is to use WebWork as a tool to practice and test your problem-solving understanding. In doing this, however, you will likely encounter problems that seem impossible or for which you seek immediate guidance. In the event that your instructor is unavailable, or your concentration of similar problems is not enough to prompt an in-depth discussion, having a resource as to the correct problems and their solutions is a valuable supplement. While seeking these correct answers will occasionally lead you to other unfortunate shortcuts, this guide is aimed at steering you in a productive direction.

3. How to Utilize WebWork Homework Answers Effectively

Get started on your WebWork assignments early. Not only are you likely to learn more in the process, but the practice will still be fresh in your mind, and it will be easier to recall it when it comes time for exams. This gives the correct impression that there is an open-ended answer to the problem and that the student understands the problem-solving process. It also gives you a better chance of getting the problem right because if you get it wrong, WebWork will tell you the right answer and provide a brief description of the problem. Then, you can come back and do it again at a later time for partial credit. When you are confident that you have the correct answer, enter it into WebWork. If your answer is correct, WebWork will say so, and you can move on to the next problem. This is the most effective way to utilize WebWork because it doesn’t make sense to expend unnecessary effort if you already know you have the right answer. However, if WebWork says your answer is incorrect, don’t just click the right answer and move on. This will not serve you well when exams come around. Instead, evaluate your problem-solving process, the correctness of your numerical work, and the concepts utilized in the problem. Usually, there are small arithmetic mistakes, such as a sign error, or a misunderstanding of the problem that led to an incorrect answer. Then, reattempt the problem at a later time for partial credit. This method is efficient and beneficial to the student.

4. Common Mistakes to Avoid When Using WebWork Homework Answers

– Giving up too easily and looking at the answer too soon. When a student has made an honest try at a problem, there is much benefit to looking carefully at an answer and figuring out how it might have been obtained. But students often look at the answer at the first sign of trouble. This is really the fault of the nature of students rather than WeBWorK answers, but it seems to happen more frequently when answers are readily available. A student can never learn how to solve problems if they don’t practice solving problems. Step one of a solution is almost always the hardest part. An analogy might be learning to ride a bike. If you fall off after two seconds and never try again, how will you ever stay on the bike? And given the forum of a class where a student has to take a quiz or test and knows answers are available, it takes more discipline than ever to verify every possible resource at solving a problem before looking at an answer.

– Entering random answers to problems in an attempt to “try and match” an answer. This is an exercise in futility. Often times the answer you are trying to match has been formatted differently than the answer you have arrived at. Maybe it’s combining “like” terms, rationalizing denominators, or writing a decimal instead of a fraction. The point is there are a large variety of technical ways one can arrive at the same answer. A student has learned nothing and in particular, a student who had the right method but wrong answer has now learned that the method is wrong because they “tried to match” the answer.

Using WeBWorK homework answers may be a challenging process that has been made easier by acquiring answers in an unethical fashion. There is certainly a right and wrong way to use answers. However, each semester I notice students who do not use the answers to their benefit and commit grave errors in the process. Here are a few things to avoid when using answers.

5. The Future of WebWork Homework Answers

In the end, mathematicians or computer scientists need to determine why these programs sometimes take so long to return an answer. Many students have been bailed out of a point jam by an extension on the assignment (more often than not towards the weekend of a hard week). Others have been bailed out by a friend who already took the course, knew how to solve the problem, and gave the precise series of steps necessary to complete it. These friends were no doubt sought after due to their inherent ability to explain how to solve a problem better than the professor or the textbook. Unfortunately, the ability to enter an answer, receive feedback, erase and correct an answer, receive more feedback and then a correct answer is much like the search for the perpetual motion machine. The real hope is that the method of online homework will eventually be good enough to warrant mass usage without sacrifices in educational quality and fairness. If this is the case, those of us who end up in future math or science courses with online homework can rest assured in scribbling down our homework in pen.