Math 220 WebAssign Access, Fall 2010

(8 September version)

WebAssign should be activated by the first day of classes as soon as class rosters can be transferred from UM to WebAssign. By the end of the second week of classes you will need to purchase an access code either from the campus bookstore or online at the prompt. (Hint: It is cheaper if you do it online.) Here at U of M, you did not purchase an access code with your textbook. Please wait to enter your access code until you are sure that you are going to stay in the section where you are enrolled. You do NOT need an "enhanced version" of WebAssign.

In order to update your WebAssign access if you have switched into this class, please write to Timothy Pilachowski (tjp"at"math.umd.edu). Please include "WebAssign for Math 220" in the subject line. In your message please include:

  1. your full name and UID number,
  2. that you are now in Math 220-01XX (give your complete discussion section number),
  3. any course-section with WebAssign that you have dropped.

IMPORTANT NOTE: As of Fall 2007, the process for logging in to WebAssign has changed. Those of you who used WebAssign before Fall 2007 must also follow the procedure given below. Your previous username and password will not work under this new system, including ones you may have used to take the Math Placement Test.

  1. Go to http://www.webassign.net/umd/login.html. YOU SHOULD BOOKMARK THIS LINK SO YOU ALWAYS HAVE IT HANDY! You should see "Welcome to WebAssign @ UMD!".
  2. Click on "Log In". You should now see the U of M logo in the upper left corner and "Central Authentication Service" at the top of the dialog box.
  3. Enter your UM Directory ID, the one you use to sign into testudo. For your password use the same password you use to sign into testudo. IF YOU SEE A SCREEN ASKING YOU TO ENTER AN INSTITUTION CODE, YOU ARE IN THE WRONG PLACE. Do not change the password once you are inside WebAssign. It must remain as it is for the UMD common login process to work.
  4. For the first two weeks of the semester you can click on the "Continue without entering an access code" link toward the bottom. You will need to purchase an access code before the free-use time runs out either in the bookstore or online by clicking the "Purchase an access code online" link. (Hint: The cost may be cheaper purchasing an access code online as opposed to buying it from the campus bookstore.) Please wait to enter your access code until you are sure you are in the section where you will remain all semester because transferring access codes can get complicated. If you took the Math Department Placement test online, you may see it still listed on WebAssign. You can ignore it; it will go away shortly.
  5. The first assignment, "HW 0.0 Getting Started", is listed. It is meant to help you become acquainted with how WebAssign will work and to catch any log-in problems now, before we get into full swing. IMPORTANT: EVEN IF YOU HAVE USED WEBASSIGN BEFORE, YOU SHOULD DO HW 0.0 TO REFRESH YOUR MEMORY. Questions 6 to 8 are especially important because they review the syntax needed for symbolic answers and focus on the difference between exact value answers and decimal approximations.