WebAssign

Student Lounge College Life
1

<p>Anybody else use this program to do homework? My physics class is using it this fall and it's the first time I've used it. Seems simple enough at this point, but we'll see. </p>

<p>I'm just frustrated because it was an additional cost that we have to pay. We have to purchase an access code in order to use it. Just doesn't seem right paying nearly $1200 in tuition and fees and then turn around and have to PAY to do homework. Anybody else?</p>

2

<p>My school uses WebAssign, along with about seven other online programs to submit homework. I spend an average $300 per semester for access to all of these on top of books, tuition, and dorm. I can’t stand that; I think homework should be free on top of everything else we pay.</p>

<p>Also, I’ve never met a person who liked WebAssign. This is my third semester with it, and I’m only just starting to accept it. It rarely takes the correct answer because it’s so specific about form. The site breaks down a lot for us as well, meaning the entire class will often have a night where everyone fails.</p>

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<p>My school uses it. It’s alright until you try to enter long equations. It only takes them a certain way and the spacing has to be perfect. It only costs 35 extra bucks. College is expensive now, get used it.</p>

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<p>Yea webassign sucks. Its all complicated as far as answering and grading the answers go. Anyways, don’t complain about having to pay extra for it. You’ll have a lot of other fees and stuff to pay in college, so you should get used to it. Also, try to put the $35 in perspective…you’re paying $1200 in tuition (which is a lot less than most people pay) so an extra $35 isn’t that much.</p>

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<p>Hiring work-study students to grade homework assignments seems more economical than using a web service. Suppose it takes 10 minutes to grade a problem set, with 12 problem sets per semester and at $10 hourly wage. That’s only $20 per student in the class to have the homework graded.</p>

<p>With the extra benefits of having real comments on homework, the ability to assign problems with complex answers and the time it saves students not to have to format their answers for a web program, human graders seem like a no-brainer.</p>

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<p>This is (luckily) my final semester of undergrad. It’s the first time I’ve had something like this. $1200 for 3 credit hours is a lot when you’re talking about a relatively small no-name public college. </p>

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<p>No this is MUCH cheaper. It doesn’t cost the instructor anything to use the software. WebAssign is free for the instructors; they just charge the students.</p>

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<p>Ask students if they would rather pay $20 for a grader or $35 for a web program. I have this feeling that most would prefer traditional homework assignments.</p>

<p>Not to mention all of the non-monetary benefits of human graders. (See my previous post.)</p>

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<p>Well no here’s the thing. I’m paying tuition and general fees for the credit hours. The University should use THAT money to pay for the homework to get graded.</p>

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<p>I totally agree with you on that. I’m just saying that human graders are more beneficent from both an economic and a pedagogical point of view.</p>

10

<p>That part of it really doesn’t matter to me. How we do the homework can be up to the instructor, but I don’t believe the instructor should just be able to make mandates for additional fees that account for a large percentage of our grades.</p>

11

<p>But instructors can mandate textbooks or additional material (e.g. in art or lab classes). How is homework software different?</p>

<p>If you agree with paying for textbooks and disagree with for-fee online assignments, what about online accounts that give you access to an electronic copy of the text as well as assignments? I’ve had those for a couple of econ classes.</p>

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<p>Haha my high school uses WebAssign and I thought for sure that I’d never see it again once I get to college next year. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like I’ll be that lucky :(</p>

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<p>We rent our textbooks here so I think it’s a little bit different. But I see what you’re saying and here’s my thoughts on it. Things like textbooks can be used again. All the books I have purchased (with the exception of one) I have used over and over again. Not one and done. If I had purchased other textbooks I’m sure I’d be able to get some of my money back by selling them or something. Access codes like this can’t be re-used nor could they be sold.</p>