WebAssign

Description Contact Download: Documentation · Software

WebAssign is a web-based system that integrates written assignments into a virtual university. It comprehensively supports authoring of assignments, download of assignments onto the students´ PC, upload of solutions, distribution of solutions over the correctors, assessment of solutions and finally returning the assessed solutions together with sample solutions to the students.

WebAssign provides a flexible platform for different kinds of assignments and correction modes:

• multiple-choice questions, numeric tasks, and matching text with automated assessment and immediate feedback,
• open questions - where the correctors´ comments are delivered in personal web pages for the students, and
• programming tasks - where an automated testing facility provides immediate feedback (giving the students the possibility to test and improve their solutions step by step); the last solution is assessed by a human corrector and delivered in a personal web page.

Over the last years, the WebAssign system has been used for many courses from different faculties of several universities. The overall experience is very encouraging: Students very much appreciate the convenient access and shorter turn around times for manually assessed assignments.

An evaluation of the introductory computer science course at the FernUniversitaet Hagen with roughly thousand students exhibits that WebAssign is more than simply a faster and more convenient variant of the conventional assignment system. Students using WebAssign have a significantly lower dropout rate over the course compared to a control group with no WebAssign access.

Likely due to the automated pretesting facility, WebAssign users achieve for programming tasks significantly higher scores in the final exam (no WebAssign support allowed) - a clear indication that WebAssign also promotes a higher learning outcome.

WebAssign is implemented in Java, runs under Linux and Solaris, and uses Open Source-software (e.g. Apache, MySQL) as well as software standards (e.g. JDBC, CORBA).

The development of WebAssign was partially supported by the Multimedia Network of Competence which is an initiative of the Northrhine-Westphalia federal government.

Supported form of instruction

• Supports authors, tutors, graders and students in working with assignments at a university level

Special characteristics

• Exercise types for self-assessment and manually graded exercises; test runs for programming exercises
• Statistics and reports on performance for students
• Statistics and reports on correction status for tutors
• Communication options: mailing lists and forums

Functions for various user groups

• Students: download, work on, test, and submit exercises, view corrections, check score totals and examination requirement status, register for examinations
• Graders: download, correct, grade, and return submissions
• Tutors: support students, graders and authors, set assignment deadlines, release corrections
• Authors: create exercises, sample solutions, correction and scoring modules

Other functions

• Access control with different access rights for the user roles tutor, student, grader, and author
• Online and offline modes for students, graders and authors
• Interfaces to central university databases and LDAP

Administration

• Limited student secretariat: separate student management independent of LDAP and central university databases

Technical characteristics

• System requirements: WebAssign is implemented in Java, runs under Linux and Solaris and uses open source software (Apache, Tomcat, MySQL) and software standards (JDBC, CORBA). ORACLE and Informix can also be used for the database.
• User-side requirements: Web browser
• Formats: Exercises, corrections and sample solutions can currently be stored as HTML, and in the future in any desired format.
• Extensibility: WebAssign is an Open Source product and can be expanded as desired by any license holder.

Costs and Outlays

• WebAssign is an Open Source product that can be obtained under the GNU General Public License (GPL) through the CampusSource Initiative
• Qualifications for platform administrators: knowledge in the areas of Solaris, Apache, Tomcat Servlet engine, databases, and WebAssign application use.
• Fees for operation/support and consulting and training are available on request

Miscellaneous

• Reference customers:
  • Distance University of Hagen: WebAssign has been in use here since 1998
  • University of Freiburg
  • University of Lübeck
  • University of Halle