WeBWorK is a well-tested assessment system for delivering individualized problems over the web. By providing students with immediate feedback as to the correctness of their answers, students can be encouraged to make multiple attempts until they succeed. With individualized problem sets, students can work together but will have to enter their own work to receive credit.

Instructors are provided with real-time statistics, resulting in lesson plans that can be customized to better serve students.

As of June 2020 there were more than 1300 institutions using WeBWorK in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, as well as in Europe, Asia, and Africa. For some history of WeBWorK, go here.

WeBWorK problem library

Over the course of its lifespan, WeBWorK has inspired the creation of over 35,000 individual problems which are currently shared through the WeBWorK OPL. Across that same time span, the framework for creating these problems has expanded in scope and power. The OPL now includes problems from all ranges of mathematics, from pre-algebra through real analysis, as well as expanding into other STEM disciplines such as physics, chemistry and engineering. The power available to the creators of these problems has grown with the development of the MathObjects framework, which imbues the variables found in these problems with customizable parameters and messages in order to recognize and appropriately respond to a wide range of ordinarily equivalent student responses.

For decades WeBWorK has provided a reliable and customizable playground for pedagogical experimentation. WeBWorK’s strengths in the area of content creation and its existing user base are exactly what is needed for modern STEM assessment. WeBWorK also represents a vital component for mathematics departments as they support low or zero-cost options for students.