Starting early

“About 1/3 of the way through the term, I started to try to answer a few problems as soon as the webwork was released instead of saving them to do all in one sitting later in the week. This change relieved some stress caused by procrastination.”

Andrew – former Math 101 student

The most effective way to get more out of your WebWork is to start early. This will give you enough time to get help when you get stuck on a problem and give you time to persevere on the more challenging problems.

Based on data from last year, students who started Webwork assignments 7 days ahead of time or earlier had an average course grade which was about 15% higher than the students who started Webwork assignments 2 days before the due date or later (see graph below for data from Math 100, 110 and 180 in 2016W).

Click on the graph for more detailed data and statistics. Data obtained from WeBWork log files in Math 100, Math 110 and 180 in 2016W at UBC. Research funded by the CWSEI and the Department of Mathematics.

Getting help when stuck

“After failing my third quiz, I realised that my study habits were inefficient. I used to skim through webwork assignments relying on wolfram; now I try to rely on my own skills 100%. Right after the lecture I normally go to the MLC and solve the questions belonging to the topic explained in class.”

Aya – former Math 101 student

When you get stuck on a WeBWork problem, you could be tempted to ask a friend for the answer or use online software. This will happen more often when you are doing the WeBWork at the last minute, and why it is so important to start early.

You will find that you learn much more from WeBWork if you try to understand why you are stuck and then ask for help. Here are some ideas for getting help:

• Go to the MLC and ask for help from a TA, or work with classmates there.
• Organize a study group of your classmates, and learn to work together without giving away answers to each other.
• Bring your questions about the current WeBWork to the instructor’s office hours. If you are unsure about interacting with your instructor, see this page.
• Check out the Piazza forum for your course. It is a great place to post a question if you are confused about something.
• The Facebook page for your course can be used to organize a study group. Note that these Facebook pages are not officially supported by UBC.

Finishing WeBWork

“Aim for at least 90 percent in each webwork, not because of the mark itself, but because it’s a direct reflection of your understanding of each unit.”

Analilia – former Math 110 student

Often you will find that there are challenging WeBWork problems where you may not know where to begin. It is recommended that you give these problems you best shot. Even if you don’t end up getting the marks for the problem, you can learn a great deal about what you still don’t understand, and gain valuable experience with starting problems. See the section on problem solving for tips on how to start problems.

Attempting almost all the WeBWork problems is a very good predictor of grades. Students who attempt less than 75% of the WeBWork problems are often at risk of failure (see graph below for data from Math 100, 110 and 180 in 2016W).

Click on the graph for more detailed data and statistics. Data obtained from WeBWork log files in Math 100, Math 110 and 180 in 2016W at UBC. Research funded by the CWSEI and the Department of Mathematics.

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