Video conferences

Video Conferences on WeBWorK topics, held in 2008-2010

Instructions for joining video conference

Video conference instructions

Upcoming Video Conference Topics

Planned schedule: alternate Wednesdays: 5PM EDT, 4PM CDT, 3PM MDT, 2PM PDT unless otherwise noted

Viewing video conferences

Warning :

Use firefox to view these videos to avoid any hassle. As of June 18, Safari, Chrome and IE also seem to work (at least on the lastest videos) but may not play the videos properly (YMMV). Camino works. We're not sure about IE. Have patience. We'll tweak the video player extension until it works in all browsers.

Past Video Conference Topics

• Wednesday June 16, 2010 2:30-3:30 EDT Course administration, the wiki, and gateways
  • Course administration, the wiki, and gateways (Video)
• Wednesday March 10, 2010 5pm EST Aaron Wangberg on WeBWorK modifications enabling personalized practice, tutorials, and post-tests
  • Aaron Wangberg (Video)
• Wednesday February 24, 2010 5pm EST WeBWorK in High Schools
  • WeBWorK in High Schools (Video)
• Wednesday November 4, 2009 5pm EST Simplified entry for authoring questions
  • Simplified Entry - Davide Cervone's PGML (Video)
• Wednesday October 21, 2009 5pm EDT Large Installations
  • Discussion about best practices, tools, procedures, etc, for managing large WeBWorK installations. People from a number of large institutions using WeBWorK will share their experiences, advice, and problems.
  • Large Installations (Video)
• Wednesday October 7, 2009 5pm EDT WeBWorK - Moodle interoperability
  • 1. I'll start with 15-20 minute presentation on how I use the WeBWorK- Moodle assignment bridge to run courses at U. of Rochester
    • WeBWorK/Moodle bridge(Video)
    • More detailed coverage of this material is at Moodle_Assignment and importantly at Moodle_Assignment#Limitations and Instructor_tips_for_Moodle-WW_Assignment_module
  • 2. A chance for you to introduce yourselves to each other. It is a fairly small group using both Moodle and WeBWorK and you may not all know each other
  • 3. Comments from the audience on their use of Moodle- WeBWorK particularly where it differs from my use.
  • 4. Preliminary discussion of the Moodle - WeBWorK question type and it's potential. (This probably deserves a second video conference.)
  • 5. A discussion of what remains to be done on both the Assignment and Question type WeBWorK-Moodle bridges
• Wednesday September 23, 2009 5pm EST Assessment Projects - Vicki Roth
  • Assessment Projects (Video)
• Wednesday July 29, 2009 5pm EST MathNerds.com and WeBWorK
  • MathNerds.com (Video)
• Wednesday July 1, 2009 5pm EST WeBWork Authentication
  • Not recorded
• Wednesday May 22, 2009 5pm EST Mathfest Summer Workshop Planning
  • Not Recorded
• Wednesday May 6, 2009 5pm EST Providing new problem types through Flash embedded WeBWorK problems -- Barbara Margolius and Dan Gries
  • Providing new problem types through Flash embedded WeBWorK problems (Video)
• Wednesday April 22, 2009 5pm EST Sequential Multipart Problems - Ken Appel and Davide Cervone
  • Seqential Multipart Problems (Video)
• Wednesday April 8, 2009 5pm EST Model WeBWork Courses and the WeBWork/Moodle Bridge -- Mike Gage
  • Not recorded
• Wednesday March 25, 2009 5pm EDT Gavin LaRose (University of Michigan) talked about using the Gateway testing feature of webwork
  • Not recorded
• Wednesday March 11, 2009 at 5pm EST -- Jason Aubrey & Mike Gage
  • Discussion focusing on tasks for the summer of 2009
• Wednesday February 25, 2009 at 5pm EST -- Sarah Osborne (Techsmith) and Jason Aubrey (University of Missouri)
  • Using Video in WeBWork (Video)
• Wednesday February 11, 2009 at 5pm EST -- Paul Pearson, University of Rochester "Managing WeBWork Email."
  • Using Gmail to centrally manage WeBWork email.
  • Instructions on the Wiki: How to Effectively Manage Email Sent Vida the Email Instructor Button
  • Preview of next Web-Conference on embedding Video (and other stuff) in WeBWork problems.
  • Managing Email Effectively Web Conference Recording (Video)
• Wednesday January 28, 2009 at 5pm EST -- Doug Ensley, Shippensburg University
  • Flash Applets
  • Flash Applets Web Conference Recording (Video)
  • Mike Gage's WeBWork Course for Applet Development and Demos
• Wednesday January 14, 2009 at 5pm EST -- Vicki Roth, University of Rochester
  • Assessment of WeBWork
  • For more information see, http://webwork.maa.org/moodle/course/view.php?id=13
  • Assessment Web Conference Recording (Video)
  • User-Friendly Handbook for Mixed Method Evaluations (from NSF)
• Wednesday 12/17/2008 at 5pm EST-- Robin Cruz, College of Idaho
  • Presentation of PreCalculus Problems
  • Writing has presented a different set of challenges to that of writing Calculus problems.
  • Precalculus Problems Web Conference Recording (Video)
• Wednesday 12/3/2008 at 5pm EST, Darwyn Cook, Alfred University
  • Discussion of proposed GraphObjects interface (see Graph_Object_Wishlist)
  • GraphObjects Web Conference Recording (Video)
• Wednesday 11/19/2008 at 5pm EST, Jason Aubrey and Mike Gage
  • Geogebra applet examples -- Jason
  • Discussion of AppletObject API specification -- led by Mike
  • AppletObjects Web Conference Recording (Video)
  • Mike Gage's WeBWork Course for Applet Development
  • GeoGebra.org
• Friday, 11/14/2008, Mike Gage
  • Collection of physics problems: http://hosted.webwork.rochester.edu/webwork2/physics_library/
    • Use guest login to see problems
  • Model calculus course -- under construction: http://hosted.webwork.rochester.edu/moodle/course/view.php?id=3
    • This is the first semester calculus course taught at the U. of Rochester (from Stewart's calculus book).
    • You will need to fill out the information for a "New Account" -- it's a quick process or login as guest.
    • The code for the WeBWorK questions is being converted to conform to current best practices using MathObjects. Set 1 has been converted -- you can look at question by question comparisons between the old and the new code.
  • Open discussion on topics and schedule for video conferences
• Friday, 10/24/2008, Davide Cervone
  • Overview of PGML (PG markup language) -- simplified entry for PG questions
  • Experimental PGML markup lab at: PGLabs
  • Web Conference Recording (Video)

Suggested Web Conference Topics

potential video conference topics

(x indicates that it has been discussed at least once so far -- later we'll try to replace this with dates and links)

• Assessment -x
  • What has been done so far
  • Assessment issues
  • Assessment tools and protocols. What is available, what is needed?

• Authoring issues:
  • MathObjects - x
  • AppletObjects API - xx
  • GraphObjects API - x
  • how to draw pictures using GD
  • tableObject
  • Interface for Sequential Problems (MultiPart) Robin Cruz, Ken Apell,
  • Merge the original Matrix definitions into the MathObjects matrices
    • The main effect would allow more operations with matrix valued objects.
    • Do matrices take complex MathObjects at the moment?
  • Simplified entry
    • PGML--hardcopy is working now -x
    • Daniel Graham xml version
    • Molzon U. of Kentucky

• Organization
  • time for WeBWorK conferences - x
  • topics to discuss -- ongoing
  • other organization principles
  • recruit community organizers using conferences?

• Course and site management
  • Handling large volumes of email -- gmail approach --Paul Pearson x
  • Creating Gateway tests -- Gavin LaRose x

• Bridges -- interoperate with other software
  • Administering WeBWorK at large schools -- writing scripts, other issues x
  • Moodle integration -- bridge 1 M. Leventi & M. Gage xx
    • I could demo the Linear algebra course --Mike
    • Also discusses workshop and webwork integration --Mike and Vicki Roth
  • Moodle integration -- bridge 2 M. Leventi
  • Blackboard integration M. Gage

• Using webwork in computer science --- Christelle Scharff

• National Problem Library --- management issues
  • Designing a procedure for submitting questions to the library
  • Tagging problems
  • Cleaning, creating and organizing tag names.
  • Discussion of how best to upload problems to the National Problem Library
    • Reference link to NPL: http://webwork.maa.org/wiki/National_Problem_Library#Contributing_to_the_NPL
    • Issues -- replace vs. add new problems
    • How to insure that new problems are a clear upgrade from old

• Creating collections of questions
  • Project -- getting UCSB stewart problems tagged
  • QA of model Calculus problems -- on hosted2
    • a model calculus course
  • Physics problems on hosted.
    • Entry Project: Edit the "set0" for each set to describe the subject matter of the problems in the set.

• WeBWorK software fundamental overhaul/maintenance
  • ease of use topics -- Arnie Pizer
  • Basic PG code overhaul
  • Basic User interface overhaul
  • Basic Database overhaul
  • Redesign database -- (make it look more like moodle) (M Leventi and S. Hathaway)

• Documentation
  • Rework the standard CSS so that it is more regular and a better model
    • Make more examples of CSS variants
    • Create HowTo customize the CSS -- perhaps this is a screen cast -- not a video conference
  • Making screencasts -- list of desired topics
    • prospective
      • using the "instructor tools" link
      • Creating gateway quiz sets
    • completed
      • Creating and configuring a webwork course
      • Adding many students to your course
      • Adding Homework Sets.