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Session Description

Ticketed event: $25.00
Because open-source WeBWorK is a noncommercial homework software package that can reduce the amount of paper grading done by an instructor, its implementation can liberate resources that can then be utilized to improve student learning. In this hands-on workshop, we explain our implementation of WeBWorK in three undergraduate engineering courses: statics and strength of materials, circuits, and thermodynamics.

After an introductory presentation, we will familiarize participants with the WeBWorK interface, including editing problem sets, scoring homework, and managing a course. This workshop also will cover the development and coding of new problems, which are written with parameterizations to make use of WeBWorK’s ability to provide individualized homework sets. All problems coded at the workshop will be compiled into a problem library, which will be accessible by all participants. Following the workshop, participants will be provided with the opportunity to implement WeBWorK at their institutions through courses being hosted on a complimentary basis by Louisiana Tech.

Participants will need a portable computer with a USB port and a working charger for the computer. Lunch will be included.

Speakers

1. Dr. Katie Evans

   Houston Baptist University

   Katie Evans is the Walter Koss Endowed Associate Professor of Mathematics and Statistics and the interim director of Mathematics and Statistics and Industrial Engineering programs at Louisiana Tech University. She is the director of the Integrated STEM Education Research Center (ISERC) and of Louisiana Tech’s Grand Challenge Scholars Program. She earned her Ph.D. and M.S. in mathematics at Virginia Tech. Her research interests include distributed parameter control modeling and simulation, dynamic modeling of physical systems, and STEM education. Her research has been funded by the NSF, AFRL, and LA-BOR. She also serves as an associate editor for the American Control Conference and the Conference on Decision and Control. She is a member of the IEEE, SIAM, and ASEE.

2. Dave Meng

   Louisiana Tech University

   Dave Meng is a lecturer and chair of the Program of Mathematics and Statistics at Louisiana Tech University, where he is also the WeBWorK administrator. He earned his Ph.D. in mathematics at Tulane University. His research interests include scientific computing, computational fluid dynamics, and optimal control theory. He is a member of AMS.

3. Dr. Paul Hummel

   California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

   Paul Hummel is a lecturer for electrical engineering at Louisiana Tech University. He has been a member of the faculty for the past six years where his area of expertise has been circuits and digital systems.

4. Dr. Michael K. Swanbom P.E.

   Louisiana Tech University

   Michael Swanbom is a lecturer in mechanical engineering at Louisiana Tech University. He has a passion for curriculum development, including the use of novel and technologically rich methods of instruction.