using HP for more than just questions/quizzes/tests

using HP for more than just questions/quizzes/tests

by Chip Wiegand -
Number of replies: 2
According to the help files HotPot should be able to be used for more than just quizzes, but also for general text on a web page, if I remember correctly.

So I created a lesson page and at the bottom of it added some cloze questions. In the preview of the page it displays exactly as I want and designed it, but when uploaded to moodle it is completely wrong. I cannot get it to display correctly no matter what I do with the code.

The page includes several small tables used for formatting (which I know is poor design practice, but without the use of stylesheets I don't have any other choice). So I used inline styles to get the page formatted correctly. I know that using html within the Moodle editor is limited, and also within the HotPot editor it appears to be even more limited.

I can do lesson pages with no questions on them, just information and examples, then a Next button that opens a quiz page, then another lesson page, then another quiz page, etc. But that is not the format I would prefer.

So my question - is it practical to use the HP for actual lesson page design? Wherein I would have lesson info and questions, mixed on a single page (lesson). Similar to what is seen in language learning books? That is my goal - make my language learning web site lessons interactive in the way that a printed book is - lesson info and questions of various types all incorporated together. Then after 4 lessons I would have a unit review test.

Does anyone else make use of mixing textual information and questions on the same page?

Thanks for your responses/input,

Chip

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In reply to Chip Wiegand

Re: using HP for more than just questions/quizzes/tests

by Glenys Hanson -

Hi Chip,

The words "Lesson", "Quiz", "Module" and other common words all have special meanings in the Moodle. It's maybe a good ideal to avoid using them, except in the Moodle sense, so people who are trying to help you don't get confused.

Also please add screen shots of what you want to achieve or create a demo on Gordon's site - that avoids terminology problems and will get you quicker answers.

I understand you want to create a "learning unit" with information on one side of the web page and an MCQ or a Close exercise on the other half. Is that right?

In nearly all Hot Potatoes exercises there is a "reading text" area to which not only text, but images, graphs, audio and video files can be added and will appear on the left. Here's an example: Phrasal Verbs: in - out. (And the same exercise on a Moodle site: http://uepd.quizport.com/mod/hotpot/attempt.php?id=3243 but you have to create a (free) account on the site and enroll (free) in the course to see it.)

You can also add the same items in the "Exercise subtitle" field above the exercise questions: Here's an example (not in Moodle but it could be): Choosing - Time expressions 1.

You can modify the layout with CSS. Here's a tutorial: https://hotpot.uvic.ca/howto/hacking_hotpot.htm#Example2.

You'll find a lot of useful Hot Potatoes tutorials and demos on Stan Bogdanov's site. They're intended for people who are already familiar with Hot Potatoes. So maybe you should start with his Taxonomy which shows  demos of basic Hot Potatoes exercises, for example, Columbus seems to me similar to what you're trying to do.

Good luck!

Glenys


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In reply to Glenys Hanson

Re: using HP for more than just questions/quizzes/tests

by Glenys Hanson -

Hi again Chip,

Just thought you might not know how to find and add a "ReadingText".

Here's a screenshot. You'll find more info in the Help files under "General introduction and help".

Cheers,

Glenys

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