WBS provides reliable marking of student science laboratory reports across multiple sections in a college or university setting. WBS aims to score laboratory reports in lower division science courses.
It is designed to be universal, in the sense that it requires only commonly available support: a web browser, a web server that offers PHP and MySQL, and student logins for security. Most academic environments provide all the above.
The purpose is to score major elements of student lab reports in large classes, freeing the grader to focus on other aspects of the laboratory report.
Screen shots showing use of WBS are included in the manual.
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| How does it work? | Why bother? | |
| What can it score? | Manual (pdf) | How to obtain? |
Students use a web browser and forms to provide data selected from that recorded in the laboratory notebook or equivalent. A second portion of the application marks the submission and provides scores to the instructor, arranged alphabetically by section. (As an option, the same information can be provided in the form of an spreadsheet from the MySQL database.)
The student may view scoring of his/her own submission using the web,
available before the next lab, so that the marking can address the important
goal of improving student work.
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The software eliminates both the tedium of marking large numbers of papers and most questions of proper marking. The real purpose is somewhat less trivial. Rapid, accurate marking of papers in this venue will have a number of desirable if indirect effects on both instructor and student reactions to a course.
The software is intended for lower division science laboratories with large numbers of students. Uniformity of marking is then guaranteed. It offers these advantages for all types of courses where proper experimental skills are developed.
The software is designated as web based scoring, not grading.
We make the distinction to emphasize that grading remains the purview
of the instructor, who remains responsible for use of the scoring as a
component of the grade.
In this manner WBS has an important service role both in courses
using a “cookbook” approach and in courses using a “report
style” approach.
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The software has the capability to check for correct
The author is anxious to extend the capabilities in response to use;
please send email.
User requests receive very high priority for extension.
For example, we anticipate that the next version will suppport marking
for chemical formulae for compounds typically found in the general
chemistry course.
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Click → here ← for the manual (a pdf file), for additional details of motivation, capabilities, and complete installation instructions.
Two versions of the complete set of files are available.
Each includes the manual with installation instructions.
There is no cost for either version.
The acronym WBS derives from Web Based
Scoring.
There are other, older, users of the acronym, but the usage is so
different that confusion seems unlikely.
May, 2013. A new version (1.6) is now available on this website.
It offers the instructor improved ability to verify his or her choices. Also,
some spelling errors are corrected.
Oct., 2012. A new version (1.4) is now available on the website.
This version is html5 compliant.
July, 2012. Enhancements include improved security features and easier user
upgrades. The software remains free.
Click on this link to download the files as a
zip file, wbs.zip.
Click on this link to download the files
as a compressed tar file, wbs.tar.gz.
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email: skknud@wm DOT edu