WeBWorK/FAQ

Technical Issues

WeBWorK is giving me an error when I click the button I'm supposed to click.
Many WeBWorK problems are solved by logging out, clearing your cookies, then logging back in.

When I try to log in, clicking on the login link doesn't seem to do anything. How do I get past this?
Check the "cookies" setting on your browser. WeBWorK sometimes needs to leave a cookie on your computer.

Sometimes I have trouble logging in to WeBWorK and I get an error. Is the problem on my side or is the WeBWorK server not working?
Usually when this happens, there is some subtle thing going wrong with your browser's communication with the server, even though it might seem like you're doing exactly the same thing as the last time you logged in. There are some general things that you can try like a forced-reload (Shift+Command+R on a Mac, Ctrl+F5 on Windows, F5 on Linux), clear your cache, close the tab you're using and open WeBWorK in a new tab, or restart your browser. WeBWork usually works with all the popular browsers but sometimes it helps to have a second browser to try when the first one doesn't work. Google Chrome and Firefox are fairly reliable.

I got the error message "Access Denied. You have successfully logged in to MATH_XXX_YYY_ZZZZW1 but you do not have access to this course." I'm in the course. What's wrong?
Double check that the course, section number, year and term are correct. Next, try hit CTRL+R (reload) or logging in again. If these don't work (and they ought to in many cases), contact your instructor and ask them to make sure you are registered correctly in the WeBWorK course. The SSC registration information does not always get transferred to the WeBWork server immediately.

Can we open an assignment once, work on it and then close it and come back and work on it another time?
Provided you log in again and submit all your answers before the due date/time and before the time limit for the assignment (if there is a time limit on the assignment in question), you can log in as many times as you like. The answers you enter into WeBWorK prior to logging out should still be there but if you are logged out because of a browser glitch, your answers may not get saved. If you have trouble or want to avoid risking it, you can download a PDF of the assignment, work on paper and then enter your answers into WeBWorK all at the same time. Note that there may be restrictions are on the number of times you can submit answers - each question might be different and that information is stated with the question - and WeBWorK will count all attempts even if they occur during different login sessions.

I've changed into a different section of the same course and now I can't log in to my new section's WebWork. What should I do?
Send an email to the instructor of your new section (or the WeBWorK TA if the instructor has indicated that all technical problems should be directed to a WeBWorK TA) stating your name, student number and your old section number. Keep using your WeBWork account on the old section, and switch to the new section when the system allows you.

How do I submit my answers to WeBWorK?
Click submit, explained with picture here.

Is "Answer Preview" the correct answer?
Not necessarily--it only shows how WeBWorK interprets the answer you put in the box. For a multiple-choice question, this isn't very useful. For a question where you enter a complex formula, it is quite nice for checking that you didn't make any typos, or order-of-operation mistakes.

How do you represent an interval on the real line in WeBWorK? I learn to write it as $-6<x<4$ but WeBWorK didn't accept that.
WeBWorK usually accepts interval notation. The interval you tried would be written as $(-6,4)$ where the round brackets indicate strict inequalities. If you were trying to enter the interval $-2\le x <1$ that would be $[-2,1)$ in interval notation. If your interval goes to $\pm\infty$, then you would enter "(-infinity, 5]" or "(-3, infinity)" or "(-infinity, infinity)". Not being a number, $\infty$ is never included so it always gets a round bracket. Also to have a union of intervals, you use "(0,2)U(3,4)" (use the letter U).

If I put units into the answer box do I get it wrong?
Most likely, the problem is programmed to accept a numerical answer only so you would get it wrong. Unless the question states otherwise, enter only the numerical values, without units. If units are required for an answer, they will be included just after the box. When units are required and you don't see them already there just after the box, please hit your "email instructor" button so the omission can be fixed.

Why are my answers different from my friends'?
Webwork often generates slightly different problems for different students. You're likely to have different constants in your problem from other students, but other than that the content will be largely the same.

I had made a technical mistake and didn't get credit for my work. Can I try again?
There's a bit of a learning curve to WeBWorK. Rather than handling every case individually, we have the 5% rule. Check course policies for more detail. Additionally, you can earn extra credit for filling out the MAPS, linked to the end of Assignment 3.

Why does the midterm review have such an early due date?
The midterm review is not for points so you don't have to complete it before the deadline and you can still work on it after the deadline. The reason the deadline is so early is that the answers are automatically made visible after the deadline and you probably want a bit of time before the midterm to look those over.

What do the abbreviations in the course calendar stand for?
- PLx.y Pre-Lecture assignment in week x; y is generally 1 or 2, for the first or second pre-lecture assignment for the week.
- WWx Assignment x; x is the last week of content included in the assignment, so Assigment 3 is abbreviated WW3 in the calendar, covers the first three weeks of content, and is due in the fourth week of classes.
- WW CL is the course logistics assignment on WeBWorK, due early on to make sure you have a good look at the requirements of the course.
- WW DT is the diagnostic test on WeBWorK. This is a good thing to take to identify weak spots in your knowledge. The last question contains a link to a review course on Connect.
Where can I find more problems to practice?
On the one hand, the mathematics we're teaching in this class is pretty standard, so most calculus resources will have significant overlap. On the other hand, classes will always have slight differences. With both these in mind, there are resources listed under the sidebar in " General Information > Getting Help"

If the diagnostic test is only graded on completion, why does it show a percentage?
WeBWorK doesn't natively give us the option to grade on completion. We'll do that when we calculate your grade at the end of term. Additionally, the points it's worth are assigned as an easy way for the researchers to see from your grade exactly which questions you got right and wrong.

Why don't I see my extra credit from completing the Math Attitudes survey?
Since the survey is stored off WeBWorK, we rely on its administrators to send us a list of students who completed the survey. Your extra credit will be reflected on your final grade when we compute it, but it will not be reflected on WeBWorK."