** Using WeBWorK **

First you should connect to our server (http://webwork.math.rochester.edu) and play around (as a practice user) in some actual or past WeBWorK courses. Most courses allow you to login as 'practice1' with password 'practice1'.

There is also a lot on line documentation which you can peruse.

Assuming you like what you see (or have already done this), read on.

The basic requirements for setting up WeBWorK is a unix system running the apache webserver, perl, and LaTeX. Probably your system already has all these installed. In addition for the readable display of mathematical expressions you will need tth, latex2html, and dvipng. You can make do with a subset of these, but we recommend you install all of them. You will need a system administrator to do some of the set up and it would be a good idea for him or her to be involved from the beginning. Our system admin is Hoss Firooznia (hfir@math.rochester.edu) and he would certainly be willing to answer questions. Similarly, Mike Gage (gage@math.rochester.edu) or Arnie Pizer (apizer@math.rochester.edu) are willing to help.

Here is some information on installing WeBWorK. If you have any questions or problems, please email us.

Have fun,

Mike Gage and Arnie Pizer

1. Download the following files using a web browser (ftp access is not allowed). Connect to http://webhost.math.rochester.edu/webworkdocs/ and then click on Download WeBWorK and follow the instructions. You will have to register to download files. If you have difficulty registering, contact Gage (gage@math.rochester.edu) or Pizer (gage@math.rochester.edu).

webwork_VERSION_SUBVERSION-MONTH-DAY-YEAR.tar.gz templates_VERSION_SUBVERSION-MONTH-DAY-YEAR.tar.gz

and also:

readme.first readme.install readme.upgrade overview.html linux.html (really instructions for setting up WeBWorK on any unix system) linux-redhat-9.0.html (instructions for setting up RedHat 9.0 as a WeBWorK server)

These six files are contained in webwork_X.X_XX-MONTH-XX-XXXX.tar.gz but you should look at overview.html and readme.install for information on where to install the files.

2. If you are setting WeBWorK up for the first time, read the readme.install file. If you have already installed a previous version of WeBWorK, read both the readme.install and readme.upgrade files. Even if you are not using RedHat, we recommend that you read linux-redhat-9.0.html as this contained useful information.

3. Version 1.9 of WeBWorK contains several enhancements and bug fixes. Many enhancements are internal and will not be apparent to students. The professor page has a new look and several functions there have more veratility and safeguards. There are new answer macros for handling linear algebra problems. The dvipng display mode ("typeset2") has been improved and is now well tested. We recommend that it be set as the default mode. LaTeX2HTML display mode("typeset") is still available but can easily be removed if one desires. Many of the enhancements have been suggested and/or contributed by Davide Cervone, Zig Fiedorowicz, John Jones, and Bill Ziemer. We certainly appreciate their contributions.

Courses running under WeBWorK 1.5 or later should run without change under WeBWorK 1.9.

4. The templates_X.X_XX-MONTH-XX-XXXX.tar.gz file contains a library approximately 3900 WeBWorK problems (up from 2500 last year) covering pre- calculus, first year calculus, vector calculus, differential equations, linear algebra, probability, and statistics. Note that some problems form older distributions have been renamed and/or moved to other locations in the library. Jun Wang reorganized the collection of Algebra problems and added many algebra problems from various libraries. A group at Rochester wrote over 300 new linear algebra problems together with new linear algebra answer evaluators.

The current version of all problems (and WeBWorK system files if you want to live on the bleeding edge) can be obtained by connecting to http://webhost.math.rochester.edu/webworkdocs/ , clicking on software download and then on "Experimental CVS for WeBWorK." The Rochester problem library is under the CVS Root Rochester and the system files are under System. In addition at this site you can find problem libraries from Cal State Long Beach (CSLB), Detroit County Day School (DCDS), Dartmouth, Indiana, Ohio State, Stony Brook, and Union College. If you have written WeBWorK problems and are are willing to share them, please contact us and we will add your problems to the repository.

5. WeBWorK License

Copyright (c) 1995-2003 University of Rochester All Rights Reserved

Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its documentation for educational, research and non-profit purposes, without fee, and without a written agreement is hereby granted, provided that the above copyright notice, this paragraph and the following three paragraphs appear in all copies.

Permission to incorporate this software into commercial products may be obtained by contacting the University of Rochester's Office of Research and Project Administration (<URL: http://www.rochester.edu/ORPA/tto/index.html>).

This software program and documentation are copyrighted by the University of Rochester. The software program and documentation are supplied "as is", without any accompanying services from the University. The University does not warrant that the operation of the program will be uninterrupted or error-free. The end-user understands that the program was developed for research purposes and is advised not to rely exclusively on the program for any reason.

IN NO EVENT SHALL THE UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER BE LIABLE TO ANY PARTY FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOST PROFITS, ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE AND ITS DOCUMENTATION, EVEN IF THE UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. THE UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE SOFTWARE PROVIDED HEREUNDER IS ON AN "AS IS" BASIS, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER HAS NO OBLIGATIONS TO PROVIDE MAINTENANCE, SUPPORT, UPDATES, ENHANCEMENTS, OR MODIFICATIONS.

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