More freedom for students answers

More freedom for students answers

by gilad arrad -
Number of replies: 3

Hi,

I would like to enable my students to answer using more complicated expressions.

This currently is made out of two parts:

1) I would like to set the default questions behavior to alow floating point numbers.

2) I would like to alow students to use complicated expressions in thier answers. The reason for this is mainly that I use my home-made units-testing answers, so I need my students to be able to type in the units, some of which are three letters (or even 4 letters) long. I know I can alow them specific words in each question, but this just wouldent do, as it requiers a long list of allowed words to be copied to each question and there are to many chanses for errors.

So I would like to do one of two things - either have some global list of alowed words that can be used in all of the questions on my moodle environament, or to just allow students to type in any three letter long expression.

What can I do?

Thanks

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In reply to gilad arrad

Re: More freedom for students answers

by Christopher Sangwin -
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Hi,

You can set site defaults for STACK questions to allow floating point numbers.

Adding support in STACK for scientific units is needed, but I haven't had time to do this yet. It would be a very interesting "extra input", and there are some interesting challenges.  E.g. if a student types in m/s and you wanted km/h it is possible to convert between the two and say "correct answer, wrong units".  It would also be useful to be able to give feedback on units (treating them with dimensional analysis).

Chris 

 

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In reply to Christopher Sangwin

Re: More freedom for students answers

by gilad arrad -

Hi Tim and Chris,

Thanks for the answers. 

First to set the recored straight - I am already using STACK in my course.  Also, we already discussed the Units Issue in:
https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=253359#p1101207

I am currently using units in my questions, and I built some functions to support  units analysis which includes:
1) The ability to transform all units to one specific units system, to compare answers (such as in your example above for the m/s to Km/h).
2) the ability to compare the units of the students answer with the correct one.
3) the ability to choose the list of equivalent units.

4) adding constants which have units, for student usage.
5) checking that an equation or expression have equivalent units (that is m+s =s is not allowed).
 

Other features I would like to have:

6) The ability to enter three and four letters "units" - this is very important to me, and if there is a way to do it with the current version of stack, I would like to know how.
7) One global units transitions map that will be maintained in one place, and can be excessed from every question.
8) The ability to check the arguments of exponents and trigonometric functions have no units.
 
 

--> I have not  build the ability to differentiate between (m/s) and (Km/h) as I see no scenario in which I would like to correct a student for working in his own chosen units system - and if he "mashes" together to unit systems, it will reflect itself in the final answer.

 
I remind you again my question relating to item 6.
cheers,

gilad

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