WebAssign

This lets instructors stack restrictions on a single assessment. These ‘restrictions’ can range from password protection to timed completion, IP restrictions. It also offers LockDown Browser that blocks other applications and browser tabs while a test is open. Also included within is the Show My Work feature. It lets students attach files (photos or typed work) to a specific question for instructor review.

WebAssign has a grading system that works by reading mathematical language, not merely matching a fixed answer. The Gradebook also keeps track of individual as well as class-wide scores. In addition, it runs basic statistics (mean, standard deviation) and generates response histograms per assignment. Grades can be exported as a spreadsheet or synced to a connected LMS.

Class Insights breaks down performance by question and topic. It shows which concepts a large share of the class struggled with, along with how many attempts it took to get the right answer. Instructors can compare homework performance against test performance on the same topic. Plus, they can check gaps between sections and find an individual student's submission history before office hours.

Mastery - a recent addition – gives randomized questions to students on a certain topic. In turn, they need to answer a set number correctly before they get credit. They can lean on videos, tutorials, or feedback during practice, and can skip a question temporarily and come back to it later. Instructors have the option to use prebuilt Course Pack sets or build their own with custom questions and credit thresholds.

WebAssign features include collaboration tools. These let a course owner hand off partial or full-course, or even section-level access to TAs or co-instructors for specific jobs. These tasks can range from rostering and building assignments to handling extensions, grading essays, and more. Instructors can also share individual questions or whole assignment sets with colleagues at other institutions.

Communication – from instructors to students – is covered via email, forums, and private messages. Instructors can also share course updates and clarifications there. TAs with shared access can message students on their assigned tasks too.