New question type: coordinates

New question type: coordinates

by hon wai lau -
Number of replies: 11
Hi all,

Recently, I have developed a question type that is used in our physics courses, which is motivated by the requirement to grade coordinate answers and guided multiple subquestions.

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Example import file

Introduction

This is a question type plugin for Moodle that aims to allow students to answer a set of correlated and random computation questions in the form of numbers, coordinates or vectors. It is especially useful for questions in the field of physics and engineering. The main idea is that computation on (random) numerical data can transform it into answers and check the correctness, so it supports an variables based computation scheme. A sophisticated SI unit checking system is also supported.

Features

  • Coordinate answer: Other than simple number (one coordinate), coordinate or vector answer can also be graded
  • Random values: Each student can receive personalized questions
  • Subquestions: Multiple subquestions can be made to share the same random variables
  • Grading criterion: Other than simple relative error and absolute error, conditional grading criterion is also allowed
  • Partial answer mark: Any mark can be given by using an manual grading formula
  • Grade unit: Check and grade the correctness of answer unit
  • SI unit conversion: SI units can be automatically converted so students' response can be answered in different units
  • Multiple trial: Finite/infinite trial is allowed with a specified maximum mark sequence.
  • Variables: Random data can be easily transformed using assignment based computation for variables
demo-1.png
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In reply to hon wai lau

Re: New question type: coordinates

by Cristina Berisso -

Hello Hon,

Thank you for sharing this feature with us! It looks very appealing for Math instructors as well as physics instructors. This is something we have been craving for a long time, THANK YOU!!!

I will be playing with it to get familiar with the way the correct answers need to be set and how the grading is performed, and most likely come back to you with lots of silly newby questions. As per the example you show in your posting, the third question shows 1/2 correct for the answer. How is the grading done and the criteria specified, since neither x=-10, nor y=-10 correspond to any (x,y) point within the first quadrant?

Thank you for your time

Cristina

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In reply to Cristina Berisso

Re: New question type: coordinates

by hon wai lau -
You are welcomed. It seems that I have used an inappropriate example sad.

Let's be clear, the screenshot shows an quiz in adaptive mode, so the highest grade is taken over all trials (similar to cloze question type), and the second trial has only 80% in this case. You can see the full grading scheme here.

For the grading criteria, each condition in part c counts for half mark, so it gives 1 mark out of 2. But my example is not appropriate because I have asked the same question y < -8x + 4 in part b. It is actually a duplicate question in which the student may possibly get the mark for both subquestions sad.

The grading criteria is actually a formula, say you entered the answer as x and y, the conditions are:
c1 = y < -8*x + 4;
c2 = x > 0 && y > 0;
And the correctness (between 0 and 1, note it is not the mark) is:
(c1 + c2) / 2.
Boolean true is simply treated as 1 and false is 0.

There are more ScreenShots.
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In reply to hon wai lau

Re: New question type: coordinates

by Helen Foster -
Picture of Core developers Picture of Documentation writers Picture of Moodle HQ Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Plugin developers Picture of Testers Picture of Translators
Hi,

Thanks a lot for sharing your coordinates question type. approve To ensure others can easily find it, please could you add an entry for it to our modules and plugins database, as described in the Development:Guidelines for contributed code.
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In reply to Helen Foster

Re: New question type: coordinates

by hon wai lau -
I see, I am currently busy setting up a new server for our course in the next semester, which will have quiz with a bunch of questions. I will read the guide and add a tracker record later. smile
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In reply to Helen Foster

Re: New question type: coordinates

by Oleg Sychev -
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Helen wrote: " To ensure others can easily find it, please could you add an entry for it to our Modules and Plugins database"

Helen, do you really think it is easy to find something in Modules and Plugins database as it is now? It is bloated and low structured, it's hardly usable when you don't already know the module you are looking for.

That's actually a heavy blocker for wide using 3d party modules (thought some core developers may as well be happy with things as they are).
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In reply to Oleg Sychev

Re: New question type: coordinates

by Helen Foster -
Picture of Core developers Picture of Documentation writers Picture of Moodle HQ Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Plugin developers Picture of Testers Picture of Translators
Hi Oleg,

You're right about the modules and plugins database seriously needing improvement. It's on our to-do list for after Moodle 2.0 is released! However, I still think it's a good plan to add contributed code to the database because the Using Moodle forums are very busy these days and forum posts are quickly replaced by newer ones.
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In reply to hon wai lau

Re: New question type: coordinates

by hon wai lau -

Hello,

I have revised the units for mechanics, wave and heat. Most of the units can be typed in very easily, but some units, with the current implementation, are very tedious to type. For example the specific heat capacity: J K^(-1) kg^(-1).

Anyone know a better input format for the unit? Any suggestion to improve the input format?

 

Quantity Unit
fraction/ ratio (No need for unit)*
Length/ Displacement m
Time s
Mass kg
velocity m/s
acceleration m/s^2
momentum kg m/s
force N
energy J
power W
angle / phase rad
angular velocity rad/s
angular acceleration rad/s^2
angular momentum kg m^2/s
torque N m
frequency Hz
wavenumber m^(-1)
intensity W/m^2
sound intensity level dB
Temperature K
pressure Pa
volume m^3
area m^2
density kg/m^3
specific latent heat J/kg
specific heat capacity J kg^(-1) K^(-1)
heat capacity J/K
entropy J/K
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In reply to hon wai lau

Re: New question type: coordinates

by Tim Hunt -
Picture of Core developers Picture of Documentation writers Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Peer reviewers Picture of Plugin developers

This is something we have in another assessment system here at the OU. Here is an example question. We are planning to build a Moodle question type like this over the course of the next year, as I just explained.

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In reply to Tim Hunt

Re: New question type: coordinates

by hon wai lau -

I have played around the input method and the interface is easy to use. A minor complaint is that in the answer box I type 108 which is expected to be correct but it is counted as wrong answer. It only accept the 1x108 as the correct answer. I know that the 1e8 is correct scientific notation by e8 is not, however, in this case 108 should be an correct answer though.

Will there any plan to add error checking for the format before sending the answer? Javascript is used here, so it should not be difficult. smile

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In reply to hon wai lau

Re: New question type: coordinates

by Tim Hunt -
Picture of Core developers Picture of Documentation writers Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Peer reviewers Picture of Plugin developers

Good point. If we can find a way to distinguish clearly between syntax errors, and wrong answers, the the system is capable of warning about syntax errors without penalising the student.

However, I am not sure that 108 is a correct answer in scientific notation. It has the correct numerical value, but it lacks important information, namely the precision. That is, 1x108 and 1.0x108 mean different things, so the 1x is significant.

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In reply to Tim Hunt

Re: New question type: coordinates

by hon wai lau -

From the point of view of a number, 108 is the same value as 1x108 and 1.0x108, etc... The form 10a does occasionally appear in the textbook. The main difference is the significant figures, which can be important part in the grading, otherwise the answer can never fall inside the acceptable error range. However, the number of significant figures itself is not graded. It is a minor problem though.

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