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Join us for the 13th Annual WebAssign Users Group Meeting!
It’s almost that time again! The 13th annual WebAssign Users Group Meeting (WAUG) is scheduled for June 27-28 in Raleigh, NC at the new Hunt Library and College of Engineering on North Carolina State University’s Centennial Campus. Complex magazine’s Art&Design website has ranked the new Hunt Library as one of the “25 coolest college libraries” in the world.
More than 200 educators from across the nation, all leaders in STEM education, are expected to attend.
“Our registration numbers have consistently increased over the years, and it appears as though we will hit a record this year,” said Mark Santee, vice president of product and marketing at WebAssign. “It is a gratifying validation of our mission to improve teaching and learning. And we’re proud again to bring so many dedicated STEM faculty to the Raleigh area.”
This year’s WAUG meeting will celebrate the 15th anniversary of WebAssign. WAUG ’13 registrants will learn about WebAssign’s innovative features that increase student engagement and learning, and will have the opportunity to meet with other adopters to exchange ideas about what has been working in their respective courses. In addition, attendees will have a chance to meet with WebAssign developers, experts, and executive team members.
Registration is open now, there is no fee to attend, and space is limited so sign up today! Read more about last year’s WAUG event, which was attended by over 150 teachers, and check out our WAUG promo video below:
Cards from Coding
In place of our usual Friday Funny this week, we wanted to kick off Mother’s Day weekend with a card created by one of our content coders using WebAssign graphing code. You can add this card to your own assignments and share with your students and other instructors using QID (2569238).
And for those of you interested in how this graph was created, here is the code used:
<waplot aspectratio=’.75′ axesorigin=’{0,0}’ frame=’false’ view=’-32,32;-25,15′>
<plot type=’region’ range=’-35,35; -30,20′ vars=’x, y’ color=’blue’ opacity=’.4′>
x > -35
</plot>
7*Sin[4*theta] + 3
</plot>
7*Sin[4*theta + Pi/2] + 3
</plot>
7*Sin[4*theta] + 3
</plot>
7*Cos[4*theta + Pi/2] + 3
</plot>
7*Sin[4*theta + Pi] + 3
</plot>
7*Cos[4*theta + Pi] + 3
</plot>
<plot type=’implicit’ range=’-31,31; -10,10′ vars=’x, y’ color=’purple’ thickness=’Thickness[.015]‘>
x == {-30, -20, 20, 30}
</plot>
<plot type=’1d’ range=’-30,-20′ vars=’x’ color=’purple’ thickness=’Thickness[.015]‘>
2Abs[x + 25]
</plot>
<plot type=’1d’ range=’20,30′ vars=’x’ color=’purple’ thickness=’Thickness[.015]‘>
2Abs[x - 25]
</plot>
<plot type=’disk’ edgecolor=’yellow’ facecolor=’yellow’>
{{0,0}, 2.5}
</plot>
<plot type=’implicit’ range=’-32,32;-23,-19′ vars=’x, y’ color=’RGBColor(13/255,97/255,50/255)’ thickness=’thick’>
x == {-30,-24,-18,-12,-6,0,6,12,18,24,30}
</plot>
<plot type=’region’ range=’-2,2; -19,-16′ vars=’x, y’ color=’red’ >
x^2/4 + (y+15)^2/16 < 1
</plot>
<plot type=’region’ range=’-2,2; -16,-15′ vars=’x, y’ color=’red’>
y < Abs[Abs[x] – 1] – 16
</plot>
<plot type=’linechart’ color=’red’ thickness=’thick’>
{{-1.5, -16}, {1.5, -16}}
</plot>
<plot type=’implicit’ range=’-2,2; -19,-15′ vars=’x, y’ color=’purple’ thickness=’thick’>
x^2/4 + (y+15)^2/16 == 1
</plot>
<plot type=’linechart’ color=’purple’ thickness=’thick’>
{{-2, -15}, {-1, -16}, {0, -15}, {1, -16}, {2, -15}}
</plot>
<plot type=’region’ range=’-32,-28; -19,-16′ vars=’x, y’ color=’RGBColor(189/255,123/255,1)’ >
(x + 30)^2/4 + (y+15)^2/16 < 1
</plot>
<plot type=’region’ range=’-32,-28; -16,-15′ vars=’x, y’ color=’RGBColor(189/255,123/255,1)’>
y < Abs[Abs[x + 30] – 1] – 16
</plot>
<plot type=’linechart’ color=’RGBColor(189/255,123/255,1)’ thickness=’thick’>
{{-31.5, -16}, {-28.5, -16}}
</plot>
<plot type=’implicit’ range=’-32,-28; -19,-15′ vars=’x, y’ color=’purple’ thickness=’thick’>
(x + 30)^2/4 + (y+15)^2/16 == 1
</plot>
<plot type=’linechart’ color=’purple’ thickness=’thick’>
{{-28, -15}, {-29, -16}, {-30, -15}, {-31, -16}, {-32, -15}}
</plot>
<plot type=’implicit’ range=’-8,-4; -19,-15′ vars=’x, y’ color=’purple’ thickness=’thick’>
(x + 6)^2/4 + (y+15)^2/16 == 1
</plot>
<plot type=’linechart’ color=’purple’ thickness=’thick’>
{{-8, -15}, {-7, -16}, {-6, -15}, {-5, -16}, {-4, -15}}
</plot>
<plot type=’region’ range=’-14,-10; -19,-16′ vars=’x, y’ color=’magenta’ >
(x + 12)^2/4 + (y+15)^2/16 < 1
</plot>
<plot type=’region’ range=’-14,-10; -16,-15′ vars=’x, y’ color=’magenta’>
y < Abs[Abs[x + 12] – 1] – 16
</plot>
<plot type=’linechart’ color=’magenta’ thickness=’thick’>
{{-13.5, -16}, {-10.5, -16}}
</plot>
<plot type=’implicit’ range=’-14,-10; -19,-15′ vars=’x, y’ color=’purple’ thickness=’thick’>
(x + 12)^2/4 + (y+15)^2/16 == 1
</plot>
<plot type=’linechart’ color=’purple’ thickness=’thick’>
{{-14, -15}, {-13, -16}, {-12, -15}, {-11, -16}, {-10, -15}}
</plot>
<plot type=’region’ range=’-20,-16; -19,-16′ vars=’x, y’ color=’green’ >
(x + 18)^2/4 + (y + 15)^2/16 < 1
</plot>
<plot type=’region’ range=’-20,-16; -16,-15′ vars=’x, y’ color=’green’>
y < Abs[Abs[x + 18] – 1] – 16
</plot>
<plot type=’linechart’ color=’green’ thickness=’thick’>
{{-19.5, -16}, {-16.5, -16}}
</plot>
<plot type=’implicit’ range=’-20,-16; -19,-15′ vars=’x, y’ color=’purple’ thickness=’thick’>
(x + 18)^2/4 + (y+15)^2/16 == 1
</plot>
<plot type=’linechart’ color=’purple’ thickness=’thick’>
{{-20, -15}, {-19, -16}, {-18, -15}, {-17, -16}, {-16, -15}}
</plot>
<plot type=’region’ range=’-26,-22; -19,-16′ vars=’x, y’ color=’RGBColor(114/255,139/255,225/255)’>
(x + 24)^2/4 + (y+15)^2/16 < 1
</plot>
<plot type=’region’ range=’-26,-22; -16,-15′ vars=’x, y’ color=’RGBColor(114/255,139/255,225/255)’>
y < Abs[Abs[x + 24] – 1] – 16
</plot>
<plot type=’linechart’ color=’RGBColor(114/255,139/255,225/255)’ thickness=’thick’>
{{-25.5, -16}, {-22.5, -16}}
</plot>
<plot type=’implicit’ range=’-26,-22; -19,-15′ vars=’x, y’ color=’purple’ thickness=’thick’>
(x + 24)^2/4 + (y+15)^2/16 == 1
</plot>
<plot type=’linechart’ color=’purple’ thickness=’thick’>
{{-26, -15}, {-25, -16}, {-24, -15}, {-23, -16}, {-22, -15}}
</plot>
<plot type=’region’ range=’4,8; -19,-16′ vars=’x, y’ color=’cyan’ >
(x – 6)^2/4 + (y+15)^2/16 < 1
</plot>
<plot type=’region’ range=’4,8; -16,-15′ vars=’x, y’ color=’cyan’>
y < Abs[Abs[x - 6] – 1] – 16
</plot>
<plot type=’linechart’ color=’cyan’ thickness=’thick’>
{{4.5, -16}, {7.5, -16}}
</plot>
<plot type=’implicit’ range=’4,8; -19,-15′ vars=’x, y’ color=’purple’ thickness=’thick’>
(x – 6)^2/4 + (y+15)^2/16 == 1
</plot>
<plot type=’linechart’ color=’purple’ thickness=’thick’>
{{8, -15}, {7, -16}, {6, -15}, {5, -16}, {4, -15}}
</plot>
<plot type=’region’ range=’10,14; -19,-16′ vars=’x, y’ color=’orange’ >
(x – 12)^2/4 + (y+15)^2/16 < 1
</plot>
<plot type=’region’ range=’10,14; -16,-15′ vars=’x, y’ color=’orange’>
y < Abs[Abs[x - 12] – 1] – 16
</plot>
<plot type=’linechart’ color=’orange’ thickness=’thick’>
{{10.5, -16}, {13.5, -16}}
</plot>
<plot type=’implicit’ range=’10,14; -19,-15′ vars=’x, y’ color=’purple’ thickness=’thick’>
(x – 12)^2/4 + (y+15)^2/16 == 1
</plot>
<plot type=’linechart’ color=’purple’ thickness=’thick’>
{{14, -15}, {13, -16}, {12, -15}, {11, -16}, {10, -15}}
</plot>
<plot type=’region’ range=’16,20; -19,-16′ vars=’x, y’ color=’pink’ >
(x – 18)^2/4 + (y+15)^2/16 < 1
</plot>
<plot type=’region’ range=’16,20; -16,-15′ vars=’x, y’ color=’pink’>
y < Abs[Abs[x - 18] – 1] – 16
</plot>
<plot type=’linechart’ color=’pink’ thickness=’thick’>
{{16.5, -16}, {19.5, -16}}
</plot>
<plot type=’implicit’ range=’16,20; -19,-15′ vars=’x, y’ color=’purple’ thickness=’thick’>
(x – 18)^2/4 + (y+15)^2/16 == 1
</plot>
<plot type=’linechart’ color=’purple’ thickness=’thick’>
{{20, -15}, {19, -16}, {18, -15}, {17, -16}, {16, -15}}
</plot>
<plot type=’region’ range=’22,26; -19,-16′ vars=’x, y’ color=’yellow’ >
(x – 24)^2/4 + (y+15)^2/16 < 1
</plot>
<plot type=’region’ range=’22,26; -16,-15′ vars=’x, y’ color=’yellow’>
y < Abs[Abs[x - 24] – 1] – 16
</plot>
<plot type=’linechart’ color=’yellow’ thickness=’thick’>
{{22.5, -16}, {25.5, -16}}
</plot>
<plot type=’implicit’ range=’22,26; -19,-15′ vars=’x, y’ color=’purple’ thickness=’thick’>
(x – 24)^2/4 + (y+15)^2/16 == 1
</plot>
<plot type=’linechart’ color=’purple’ thickness=’thick’>
{{26, -15}, {25, -16}, {24, -15}, {23, -16}, {22, -15}}
</plot>
<plot type=’region’ range=’28,32; -19,-16′ vars=’x, y’ color=’RGBColor(128/255,128/255,255/255)’ >
(x – 30)^2/4 + (y+15)^2/16 < 1
</plot>
<plot type=’region’ range=’28,32; -16,-15′ vars=’x, y’ color=’RGBColor(128/255,128/255,255/255)’>
y < Abs[Abs[x - 30] – 1] – 16
</plot>
<plot type=’linechart’ color=’RGBColor(128/255,128/255,255/255)’ thickness=’thick’>
{{28.5, -16}, {31.5, -16}}
</plot>
<plot type=’linechart’ color=’purple’ thickness=’thick’>
{{28, -15}, {29, -16}, {30, -15}, {31, -16}, {32, -15}}
</plot>
<plot type=’implicit’ range=’28,32; -19,-15′ vars=’x, y’ color=’purple’ thickness=’thick’>
(x – 30)^2/4 + (y+15)^2/16 == 1
</plot>
</waplot>
Professor Spotlight: Dr. Amit Savkar
Congratulations to WebAssign user Dr. Amit Savkar, assistant professor in residence of mathematics at the University of Connecticut, who has been awarded the 2013 AAUP Excellence Award for Teaching Innovations. Dr. Savkar has won numerous awards for his teaching excellence over the past few years and we are pleased to share his most recent success with you all.
Dr. Savkar shared some of his experience with us below, but we invite you to hear more about his innovative approach to teaching during his presentation at our WebAssign Users Group Conference this summer!
What is your teaching philosophy?
My philosophy of teaching is primarily motivated by the impact of education on society in general. Over the years my teaching philosophy has evolved with how my audience (my students) have evolved during this period. It is important to me that the students are the central point of my teaching. I always go with an open mind in a classroom full of students to make them an active part of the teaching and learning process.
What teaching practices do you employ to get your students engaged in learning?
The activity of teaching and learning is an extremely symbiotic process. On one end of this process, the students learn material presented in the classroom, while on the other end, the teacher tries to comprehend if his students are truly learning the material being taught in the class. To me these activities are closely related to the success of teaching and learning, inside and outside of the classroom. As teachers, the fi rst challenge we face is that of motivating our students to learn.
As a teacher it is necessary to have a clear vision of goals for your students. Acknowledging the variation in individual learning abilities of the student can help in outlining these goals in the classroom to a broad spectrum of students. Each student is unique in his/her way and brings a preexisting process of learning and understanding material. I recollect a quote that I recently heard at a talk given by famous mathematics educator Dr. Herbert Gross, “Students don’t fail calculus, they just don’t pass algebra.” This very statement has resonated with my understanding of how students in di fferential and integral calculus struggle to internalize the concepts that are built on the fundamental understanding of algebra, arithmetic, and trigonometry. It is then no surprise to me that as a teacher my focus has always been to solidify the foundation of basic mathematics for my students.
What are your best practice suggestions for using WebAssign?
WebAssign has evolved over the last seven years since I first started using it as a tool to have students do their online homework. While it is extremely difficult to keep up with the pace that technology changes, it is also important to recognize that WebAssign has kept up with changing times. I have used WebAssign more as an assessment tool than as a tool that just allows students to do their homework. WebAssign offers psychometric data on questions that have been answered by millions of other students. This allows you to pick the difficulty level of each problem. Over the years, one of the features that has helped me look at student understanding is the time spent on homework. Another important feature that helps me in my class is the record WebAssign keeps of student’s wrong answers to the homework questions. I have used these wrong answers to spotlight common misconceptions in the class. This actually allows me to have a common theme on which I can build the concepts.
Last year was the first time I used WebAssign with a completely online class for finite mathematics with business majors. We were able to get really good data on student learning based on how they responded to modules in WebAssign and our in-house LMS (learning management system).
What role does technology play in your teaching?
In this world of emerging technologies, it is essential to keep in mind that students, now more than ever, have access to new technologies such as iPhone, iPads, laptops, and so on. These technologies are playing a signifi cant role in improving the overall understanding of material in the subject of mathematics.
Over the past three years, I have received two grants to enhance the teaching and learning experience in large lecture classrooms. I have been able to increase the in-class participation of students, to increase their interaction with instructors, and to help them organize their study material throughout the semester.
John Risley: An Enduring Legacy
It is with heavy hearts we share with you the news that our CEO and founder, Dr. John Risley, has passed away after a brief battle with cancer. John was resting peacefully at home with his family when he passed.
A passionate physics professor at NC State University, Dr. Risley started WebAssign in 1997 as an online homework management system designed to help teachers deliver automatically graded assignments to their students. He saw the potential of technology to connect students and teachers at a much deeper level, and dedicated the next 15 years to delivering an unparalleled learning solution designed to help teachers teach and students learn.
Thanks to Dr. Risley’s extraordinary vision, today WebAssign is the leading independent provider of powerful online instructional tools for faculty and students. With over 180 employees, WebAssign serves more than 1 million students each year at over 2,300 educational institutions worldwide. As part of Dr. Risley’s ultimate vision, WebAssign recently became an employee-owned benefit corporation dedicated to educational achievement.
Dr. Risley touched numerous lives through his revolutionary technology and involvement in the educational community, and many of you knew him personally. Besides his enthusiasm for enriching education, John was a dedicated family man who loved to travel, attend classical symphonies, garden, and ride horseback. He truly encompassed the sentiment of living life to the fullest, and his infectious spirit inspired others to do the same. He instilled these values at WebAssign; fostering a community that encourages lifelong learning, laughter, and dedication to the company’s mission through an open work environment, complete with a company social hour every Thursday evening. We welcome you to learn more about his life achievements beyond WebAssign.
John’s family would like to invite anyone who wishes to celebrate his life to a Memorial Service Thursday, April 18 at the James B. Hunt Library Auditorium on Centennial Campus at NCSU at 5:30 p.m. At his request there will be a reception and party to follow at WebAssign Headquarters. The addresses for both of these locations are listed below.
For those of you who have asked about sending flowers or memorial contributions, Dr. Risley’s wishes were that in lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to the NCSU Physical and Mathematical Sciences Foundation (PAMS Foundation) for the Risley Endowment which will support the Department of Physics.
We also invite you to share any memories, thoughts, or tributes as comments on this blog. John will be greatly and deeply missed, but his legacy will live on at WebAssign in everything we do.
James B. Hunt Library
1070 Partners Way
Raleigh, NC 27606
WebAssign
1791 Varsity Drive, Suite 200
Raleigh, NC 27606
