Content created: 2005-11-10
File last modified:

Overview:

This form allows you to submit a text file and have my CGI script turn it into a functional, self-grading, practice quiz like the sample.

The quiz consists of a series of items to be arranged in a preferred order (historical order, east-to-west, large-to-small, etc.). The student uses "up" and "down" buttons to reorder the items until the correct order is attained. When the order is correct, the background turns pink.

To avoid simply randomly moving events up and down, an Answer Genie provides a reprimand if the student asks too often whether the ordering is correct.

Instructions:

1. Fill in the title and brief instructions in the appropriate boxes.
2. List the quiz items in the "correct" order (the order in which students are intended to arrange them).
3. Hit "submit"; you will get back a finished web page with the items listed in alphabetical order ready to be sorted by students.
4. Save the finished quiz onto your own hard disk and put it into your own web site. Be sure to change the name to something ending in ".htm" or ".html" when you save the quiz. Save it as "HTML only," not "complete." (The latter destroys the code in new versions of IE.) Double-check the downloaded version to make sure it works perfectly.
5. Upload the saved HTML file onto your own web site.

A sample data set appears when you hit the button marked "Show Sample Data," so you can inspect the question format and then submit the sample to see how it works.

Form to Submit Data:

Limitations

1. Because this format deliberately does not report which items are wrong, anything over about a dozen items becomes more discouraging than pedagogical.
2. Double quotation marks cannot be used in the items to be reordered. If you really need them, use single ones 'like this' rather than double ones "like this."
3. The JavaScript code of the quiz can easily be inspected using the "view page source" in a user's web browser. This allows you to modify your quizzes, but it also potentially allows students to seek answers in the code rather than doing the quiz. You may wish to consider using a program like WebCrypt Pro to conceal the source code of your quiz before putting it on your web site.
4. If the first line of the data field is blank, you will get a blank item that will count as the first item in the correct answer. (So don't leave it blank, already!)
5. If any field or the whole form is left blank, you will get a default listing of Chinese dynasties. (That is better than a server error, but is probably not what you want.)
6. I take no responsibility if this program screws up your life in some unforeseen way. I was just trying to be helpful.

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