Well I am a (lurking!) mathematician, and I know that one of my colleagues
has used all sorts of cunning tricks (mainly using a computer algebra
package to generate QML, which is Questionmark's version of XML I guess).
This means we can use the test as an exam, in the knowledge that two
adjacent students will be facing different questions. We can also allow
students to practice on the same questions, and even spy on them
electronically to see who has attempted them.
You are probably right in thinking that, with present technology, maths is
the only are that could take advantage of this sort of randomisation; and it
is not at all easy to do, as a certain amount of programming is involved.
I might also mention the DIAGNOSYS package written by John Appleby at
Newcastle, which decides which question to set based on whether the student
got the last one right or not. We have used it to estimate the mathematical
knowledge of incoming students. In our own research here we are interested
in "intelligent" selection of questions in a tutorial setting, but I can't
claim we have got very far with this yet,
best wishes,
Paul Strickland : Teaching and Learning Coordinator for CMS
Year Tutor (CS4/SE4)
Room 737
School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences
Liverpool John Moores University
Byrom Street
Liverpool L3 3AF
tel: 0151-231-2274
fax: 0151-207-4594
Home page-
http://java.cms.livjm.ac.uk/treefrog/index.htm
Computer-aided assessment page-
http://java.cms.livjm.ac.uk/treefrog/treefrog.htm
Chaos & Fractals Page
http://java.cms.livjm.ac.uk/treefrog/cmsma304.htm
> -----Original Message-----
> From: David Davies [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 22 March 2001 11:13
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: XML, resource discovery and MCQ sharing
>
>
> Hi Mary
>
> That's interesting research. Can anyone provide a reference
> or enter into
> the discussion?
>
> It makes sense that changing the presentation order of
> difficult or easy
> questions would be important.
>
> There must be some people from maths on this list. I know our
> own maths
> department uses these tricks (getting a computer to assign alternate
> equivalent branches to a stem) to create an almost limitless set of
> questions. Can anyone comment? Perhaps maths is the only
> discipline that is
> valid in this? Anyone care to comment?
>
> Cheers,
>
> David.
>
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