Solved problems of textbooks all in a website

[Mishal]

I have been thinking of this for quite some time now....

Whenever I have an exam at my university and I start solving the questions of the assigned textbook, I find that either answers
1. to only the odd/even number problems are given or
2. to only selected (and supposedly difficult) problems are given or
3. to only quantitative questions with numerical answers are given with the assumption that there is not one 'right' answer to theoretical questions or
4. are not given AT ALL

Further, even when the solutions are indeed provided, they are always just the final answers and the process to derive the answers are not given.

So, what I intend to do is run a website which would attract university students from all over the world who would volunteer to provide solutions to problems from textbooks they are using for their courses and their effort can then be shared with others. In fact, I wouldn't even mind extending the idea to that of a wiki where it can be edited online then and then, given my resourses and capabilities to run such an advanced website.

Now, the important questions are obviously regarding the financial feasibility of the idea. I want to make this site free-for-all just like wikipedia is, but obviously such a robust exercise will both require large hard disk space and huge bandwith which is going to cost a lot to host. I have looked into what some hosts are offering and it seems that obviously I will have to invite for donations at the least. I personally hate the prospect of my website being clogged with ad banners but that is an option I wouldn't drop very quickly.

What do you guys think? Will such a website be popular among university students? Will students be interested in volunteering to add to the website content? And is it financially feasible?

 

[hokiethang]

Re: Solved problems of textbooks all in a website

I have been thinking of this for quite some time now....

Whenever I have an exam at my university and I start solving the questions of the assigned textbook, I find that either answers
1. to only the odd/even number problems are given or
2. to only selected (and supposedly difficult) problems are given or
3. to only quantitative questions with numerical answers are given with the assumption that there is not one 'right' answer to theoretical questions or
4. are not given AT ALL

Further, even when the solutions are indeed provided, they are always just the final answers and the process to derive the answers are not given.

So, what I intend to do is run a website which would attract university students from all over the world who would volunteer to provide solutions to problems from textbooks they are using for their courses and their effort can then be shared with others. In fact, I wouldn't even mind extending the idea to that of a wiki where it can be edited online then and then, given my resourses and capabilities to run such an advanced website.

Now, the important questions are obviously regarding the financial feasibility of the idea. I want to make this site free-for-all just like wikipedia is, but obviously such a robust exercise will both require large hard disk space and huge bandwith which is going to cost a lot to host. I have looked into what some hosts are offering and it seems that obviously I will have to invite for donations at the least. I personally hate the prospect of my website being clogged with ad banners but that is an option I wouldn't drop very quickly.

What do you guys think? Will such a website be popular among university students? Will students be interested in volunteering to add to the website content? And is it financially feasible?

Its actually a good idea. You are right, hosting is going to cost a lot (i'd offer to host it on my university connection, but they might not like something that would violate the honor code on their network), and things would have to be built so that you don't name specific text books, because theoretically that would be a copyright violation to post their questions on the internet. Initially the finances would be doable, especially with some modest initial donations, but as it grew, it would require donations to grow as well. The other problem I see is formatting mathematics online, since most calculus uses their own symbols. Other assignments would be easier though, especially those with text based answers.

I'll talk it over with some friends of mine, who could help contributing to it initially and see what they think of it. and I probably could get ahold of the hosting needed for it from a friend of mine who owes me from my hosting company days.

 

[Renesis]

might be a good idea, but I doubt it'll work...

 

[bihus]

I think that would be a great project, but just consider the ammount of misplaced answers, or the work needed to separate all the answers, in case it would be a job for the administrators...

 

[Mishal]

Re: Solved problems of textbooks all in a website

because theoretically that would be a copyright violation to post their questions on the internet.

It can be avoided by just referring to the question number but not showing the question itself. Those who want the solution to a question from a textbook presumably has the book with him/her...so the question need not be repeated in the website.

The other problem I see is formatting mathematics online, since most calculus uses their own symbols.

Hmm, mathematics never even entered my mind when I thought of this website Since, I am a business student, things like capital budgeting and portfolio management was roaming around my head... :lol:

However, I do want to expand to other disciplines and mathematical symbols is indeed a problem I guess

I'll talk it over with some friends of mine, who could help contributing to it initially and see what they think of it. and I probably could get ahold of the hosting needed for it from a friend of mine who owes me from my hosting company days.

Thanks for the offer but I am already indebted to you way too deeply by using your ftp like crazy and wouldn't want to give you any more trouble

 

[Phix]

This could be blacklisted as well since if you show the procedures and everything it could be used as a WikiCheat. One of the main reasons that only the final answer is shown is because of that.

 

[Mishal]

bihus, I didn't exactly get your point. Are you talking about sorting the answers and keeping them in an organized manner? If that is the case, it shouldn't be a problem since I thrive in sorting out stuff and keeping them organized

This could be blacklisted as well since if you show the procedures and everything it could be used as a WikiCheat. One of the main reasons that only the final answer is shown is because of that.

Whati is WikiCheat? :?

 

[bihus]

bihus, I didn't exactly get your point. Are you talking about sorting the answers and keeping them in an organized manner? If that is the case, it shouldn't be a problem since I thrive in sorting out stuff and keeping them organized

Yep, that was my point. It can be achievable in the beginning, but if it grows a lot, it can be harder to organize. But the idea is great.

 

[freerider]

We already have this for our school. Some students started a website with summaries and notes on it from every course. And our class also has it's own forum, so whe can share files during class. Very handy, but I doubt that it'll work on such a large scale.
Btw, all the answers of our books can be found on the internet. Maybe you should check this too. But I have to agree that a the answers aren't always correct, and the fact that it only has the answers and not how they get to it, is a bit stupid.

Greetz Johan

 

[hokiethang]

Re: Solved problems of textbooks all in a website

because theoretically that would be a copyright violation to post their questions on the internet.

It can be avoided by just referring to the question number but not showing the question itself. Those who want the solution to a question from a textbook presumably has the book with him/her...so the question need not be repeated in the website.

As for the not repeating the question, the only problem I have with that is that you have to be fairly specific for book revision information then, because some publishers (at least here in the states) like to change problems between revisions, which could cause problems if not identified correctly.

 

[chaos386]

The textbook publishers might not take to kindly to the idea, because many of them also publish complete solution guides for their books.

 

[Mishal]

Johan, I have often tried going to the websites for answers and usually they don't have answers to all the problems. Further, when an older edition of a book is being used in class, solutions become even harder to find on the net.

Hokie, yes I did think of the trouble that will be caused whenever a newer edition of a textbook comes out. My idea is that the new edition will be checked for any new additions or modifications to the sequence of problems at the back of the chapters and the answers to the problems of the previous edition will be adapted accordingly to suit the new edition. Also, the previous edition answers will not be deleted just in case some students are still using that edition instead of the new one.

chaos386, yes indeed the textbook publishers will not take it too kindly especially because their sales of such supplementary materials will drop if I manage to provide my site for free. But the point is that there is hardly any scope for any legal action since answers written by students is not really 'copyright material'.

Overall, the reaction from you guys have been cautious and that does dampen my spirit. But I am still unwilling to drop the idea from my head.

 

[bihus]

Overall, the reaction from you guys have been cautious and that does dampen my spirit. But I am still unwilling to drop the idea from my head.

I don't think that was anyone's intention. I bet all liked the idea, but you have to keep in mind it will be hard to have it updated, and to have it organized, and above all, correct. I'm finishing my degree in July (hopefully), so I won't use any of this, but I wished there were some sites like this when I needed it most. Although it would be hard to find any answers in portuguese. Anyway, if you have a nice plan, make it work. After all, google started as a small project.

 

[Mishal]

Yeah, my bachelor's degree finishes within 8 months too. But I am hoping to continue uptil Ph.D ....so let's see if I can make it work sometime in the future.