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Rutgers University Press Takes Introductory Physics Text Online

  • By Kevin Hudson
  • 03/06/13

Rutgers University Press has inked a deal with an online instruction tools provider to support online homework and assessments for its new introductory physics textbook.

As part of a partnership with WebAssign, textbook questions from "Physics, The First Science" will be delivered through the company's application to distribute, collect, grade, and record assignments automatically over the Internet. Instructors of the course will be able to create and deploy assignments using questions from the textbook, then calculate and display student grades with the GradeBook.

Other key features of the application include assignment restriction settings to allow for secure high-stakes testing and the ability of faculty to upload resources to share with students.

"We are thrilled that WebAssign now supports our book," said Peter Lindenfield, author of "Physics, the First Science," in a WebAssign release. "We have found that having our questions on WebAssign gives us great flexibility and strongly enhances student response."

WebAssign services are free for instructors and the access fee for students is based on factors including the type of institution (high school or higher education), course length (single term or multi-term), and textbook chosen.  Basic and standard student online access packages for higher education range from $16.95 to $25.95 per student, per course or lab, per quarter or semester, according to the company Web site.

Rutgers University Press was founded in 1936 as a nonprofit publisher and is "dedicated to the advancement and dissemination of knowledge to scholars, students, and the general reading public," according to the institution's Web site. For more information, visit rutgerspress.rutgers.edu.

WebAssign is based on the Centennial Campus of North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC. The company was founded in 1997 and has 200 employees. In 2013, the company became a "benefit corporation," with a social mission to promote, support, and improve education and learning, according to a company release.

About the Author

Kevin Hudson is a freelance journalist based in Portland, Oregon. He can be reached at [email protected].

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