Directions for using Quizmaker 1.4

URL: http://www.academicsolutions.com/mq14/quizmaker14.htm
 

These directions show that making a self-grading quiz can be as easy as making a Web page. Here you will type in your questions, answers, and feedback comments. The quiz maker will generate all the HTML code and JavaScript you will need. The most difficult part of the process is saving the resulting quiz to a file.

  1. Enter the exam title. This will be the suggested file name when you save the quiz.
    Sample:

  2. Directions. Enter any directions you wish students to read. Any valid HTML code is acceptable*. Sample:
    Enter Exam directions and/or message to students*.


  3. You may enter the class name, number, and section number. If nothing is entered, nothing will be printed.
    Enter class* Enter Section number*
    *Optional. If blank, it will not appear on the quiz.
  4. The next group of selections allow a number of options. (i) You can ask the student to enter his or her name at the top of the exam. (ii) The right click can be disabled. This somewhat restricts the the student's ability to view the source code. To help secure the exam, the correct answers are slightly encrypted. (iii) If you desire the answers to be shown after each selection, check this box. This is primarily for the feedback option to show the student in addition the answer feedback.
    Student name box at head of exam? Yes No
    Disable right-click? Yes No (Use for security to prevent using right-click to view quiz source.)
    Show answer after each question answered? Yes No (If no, students can change answers until Grade or Submit.)
  5. Grades can be reported in three ways. (a) To the cgi-bin, (b) To an email address, and (c) To the student only.
    For the first option, you will need to download and install the CGI scoring file. This file must be stored in your cgi-bin and a folder "Results" created in that folder. The score of each student is stored by name and grade in this folder. In the quiz file itself you must edit just one line. Be certain to insert your correct url and your correct cgi-bin path. Leave in place the double quotes (").
    var mailer="http://your-url/your-cgi-bin/quiz-a.cgi"
    If you wish the grade sent to you by email, check the email button and enter your email address below.
    Report results? CGI Email Show results to students only.
    If yes, enter email address here
    Finally, if this is to be a practice test, check the third button. Only the student will see the grades, the feedback if any, and the current grade of the test.

     

    Making the Quiz

  6. Following the blue line, you see the box below. The first item shows which question is currently being created. Now enter the Answer letter for the current question. It should be uppercase A-D. It can be entered at any time before selecting the Create Question button. If you make lower case answers (i.e. ad) , they are converted to upper case.


  7. Questions. Enter your question. Any valid HTML code is acceptable. For example, you can make up the question in any HTML editor and then copy the source code into any of the input boxes. This includes all HTML coding and graphics files and other devices. You could even put in a hyperlink - if you wish.


  8. Answers & Feedback. Enter your four multiple choice answers, and four feedback comments for each question. Any valid HTML code is acceptable. Leaving the feedback blank is OK. When the user clicks a response, the only information displayed will be whether the selected answer is correct or not.

    The two boxes may be horizontally arranged as you see here or vertically stacked - depending on your browser width.
    Rules:
    1. Rules of HTML tags apply. So, if you want a carriage return, use the break tag <BR>. If you want a new paragraph use the <P> between your text </P> tags. Using the normal "Enter" key will break the line as you type the script, but it will not display in that manner. However, knowledge of HTML tags is not necessary. An easy way to create the HTML code for a question is to create it using an HTML editor such as Dreamweaver, FrontPage, or CoffeeCup and then copy and paste the HTML source code into the appropriate quiz question, answer or feedback box. All three of these editors, and many more as well, reveal the source code at the press of a button or key.
    2. If you insert an image with the <img src= ... > tag, you will not see the image when you create the quiz. What you will see is a blank box something like this:   You must first save the quiz to the folder where the image is stored. Then redisplay the quiz in the browser.
    3. It is not recommended that you use <div> or <span> tags in your quiz question, answer or feedback descriptions.

  9. Create. Select the "Create Question" button. Enter next question and repeat.

  10. Create. When all questions have been entered, select the "Create Exam" button. Note the comment above on the display of images.

  11. Saving your Quiz - Method 1. After selecting the "Create Exam" button a new browser page will open. It displays the exam exactly as students will see it. You must now save it for deployment to the Web. Here are the steps:
    • Select the "File"+"Save As".
    • Select type as "Web Page, HTML only." This is important.
    • Choose or create the folder for the file, and then save the file.
    • Before deploying to the Web, be certain to place in this folder all graphics you have used.


  12. Saving your Quiz - Method 2. After selecting the "Create Exam" button a new browser page will open. It displays the exam exactly as students will see it. You must now save it for deployment to the Web. We give two methods. The simplest is to "Save-The first is to select "View"+"Source". The source file for the quiz will appear in Notepad, unless you have set some other editor as the default. The next step is to select "File"+"Save As" and place the file with a name of your choice in your designated folder. A variation of this method, which may save a few keystrokes, is to copy and paste the page source to a file ready to save in the correct folder. In this way you can make modifications and additions more easily.
  13. Deleting questions: At any time, you may entirely delete some question, type the number of the quiz in the box provided and select "Delete Now." See the graphic below:

    You may also delete a question after you have created the exam. Simply return to Make-a-quiz, delete the question and (re-)create the exam. This will yield two exams open, the original and the re-created one.

  14. Editing questions: At any time, you may edit any question. Merely, type the number of the quiz in the box provided and select "Edit Now." See the graphic below:

    You may also edit a question after you have created the exam. Simply return to Make-a-quiz, edit the desired question and (re-)create the exam. This will yield two exams open, the original and the re-created one.

    *It is not recommended that you use <div> or <span> tags in your quiz question, answer or feedback descriptions.

    A suggestion: Try the program out - not entering content, making sure everything works. Create a few questions, create the exam save the exam, launch the exam into your browser and make sure it functions properly. Then create the real exam - first reloading Quizmaker 1.4. When making a real quiz, you can choose Create Exam at any time. Test it out. Then return to the quizmaker to add more questions. This step-wise construction is best and safest.

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Good luck. Questions? dallen@math.tamu.edu

© 2002 G. Donald Allen & Diem Nguyen