Tips for Students

Table of contents

Using WebWorK
Doing WeBWorK assignments
Entering answers in WeBWorK

Using WebWorK

How do I log on?

To log into WebWorK, go to https://www.champlainww.ca, click Courses, and finally choose your course from the list.

Your Username is your seven-digit student number.
Your initial Password is your seven-digit student number.

As soon as you log in for the first time you should use the User Settings link to:

Change your password
Check your email

I changed my password and forgot it. What should I do?

Your teacher can reset your password to its initial password.

I still can’t log in. What should I do?

See More log in tips.

Doing WeBWorK assignments

How do I print all the questions in my assignment?

In WeBWorK, the phrase “Download a hardcopy” means print the assignment as a Portable Document Format (PDF) file. There are two places in WeBWorK where you can print an assignment:

From the list of Homework Sets, click in the box to put a check mark beside the assignment you want and then click on “Download PDF or TeX Hardcopy for Selected Sets” (near the bottom).
Or, from within the assignment, where you can see the list of problems, click on “Download PDF or TeX Hardcopy for Current Set”.

How do I see the correct answer?

After the answer date, you may view the answer to a problem by checking the "Show Correct Answer" box and then checking your answer, or by printing your assignment (downloading a hard copy) with answers.

[I'm sure my answer is correct, but it is scored as a wrong answer. What can I do?]{#d3}\ Talk to your teacher.
[What happens if I answer a question right the first time, and try it again later and get it wrong?]{#d4}\ If you do a problem correctly once, its status will always be Correct even if you later do the problem again incorrectly. It the problem allows partial credit, the highest percentage correct you receive on any attempt is recorded, regardless of which parts are correct or not. So, to get 100% correct on a partial credit problem, you need all parts correct on the same attempt.

Can I get an extension on the due date?

The policy on extending due dates for homework is determined by your teacher. WeBWorK supports individual due dates for students.

How do I see my progress on homework for the course?

Click Grades under the Homework Sets heading in the left column.

Can I look at closed homework sets?

Yes. You may work on the problems and have your answers checked, but your score will not be recorded.

In my printed assignment, I see a "?" (boxed) in the middle of a question. Is that a misprint?

The “?” (boxed) appears in the pdf printout whenever there is a drop-down box menu in that question. In that case, you will need to login to WeBWorK to view that question online to see the drop-down choices available for the answer.

I clicked on a homework set but I don't see any of the problems.What can I do?

You may need to scroll down the page to see the problems.

Entering answers in WeBWorK

How do I enter square roots or cube roots?

For square roots, you can use sqrt() or the exponent (1/2). For example, the square root of two in WeBWorK is either sqrt(2) or 2^(1/2). For cube roots, use the exponent (1/3). The cube root of 7 is then 7^(1/3).

How do I enter the number \(\pi\) in my answer?

Enter pi for the number \(\pi\) in WeBWorK.

WeBWorK says my answer is incorrect but I can't see what is wrong. What can I try?

Use the Preview button to see what WeBWorK understands that you have entered.
See if there are any ways to simplify your answer. For example, simplify \(e^0\) to 1, simplify \(1^{5/2}\) to 1, simplify \(\sin\pi\) to 0, simplify \(\cos(\pi)\) to -1, and so on.
Do you expect your answer to be positive or negative? Use the Preview button.
Check for brackets, especially with negative numbers. For example, (-3)^2 is not the same as -3^2.
Check how you enter exponents. For example, e^3^x is not the same as e^(3x).
Check that you are using the correct brackets for intervals (see below).
Check that you use a dot for a decimal point and not a comma.

How many decimal places do I need to have my answer scored correctly?

For most numerical problems, WeBWorK counts an answer within .01 percent of the right answer as correct. So, if the right answer is 12345, anything between 12343.765 and 12346.235 counts as correct. If the correct answer is smaller, \(\pi / 2 \) for example, an answer would need to be within about 0.0001570796 of \(\pi / 2 \) to be considered correct.

The answer box is too small. How do I enter my answer?

WeBWorK will accept hundreds of characters in an answer box, even if the box size on the screen is smaller. When you enter a long answer in a short answer box, the text scrolls to the left as you continue to type characters.

What do I use to enter intervals in WeBWorK?

Use a round bracket, that is, "(" or ")", if the endpoint of the interval is not included. Use a square bracket, that is, "[" or "]", if the endpoint of the interval is included. For example, enter (-4,3) to indicate the interval \(-4<x<3\). Note: WeBWorK will not accept ]-4,3[ as a correct answer for that same interval.

Do I use a comma or a dot for the decimal point?

Use a dot for the decimal point. For example, a number such as 0.625 (that is, do not write it as 0,625).

This page reviewed March 29, 2022.

Last update: 2022-10-02