Navigation settings

Navigation settings

by Melvin Shantz -
Number of replies: 11

I used Quizport in Moodle 1.9 for years. This year, I have made the move to Moodle 2 and pretty much keep up with the versions of both taskchain and Moodle. 

With QuizPort, the student didn't get a menu to between tasks and were basically moved from one task to the next. And when they resumed, they picked up from where they left off. An exit button/abandon button was always present.

I have been fine with the new functioning but have realized that students are presented with the menu each time and they can go back and redo tasks that they didn't score well without having to start a new attempt of the lesson as a whole. As a result, my scores are really high and I am not sure they are learning things as well as they should. My concern is that they are coasting through on feedback that they can use just a little too immediately.

The other preoccupation is that students aren't always doing the tasks in the desired order.

So I am wondering if someone could give me some tips on how to set up navigation so that the students are not presented the lists of tasks after finishing a task but merely are taken from one to the next. I would like them to be able to resume but only from where they left off.

Thanks for any ideas. There is something that I am missing here.

Mel

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In reply to Melvin Shantz

Re: Navigation settings

by Melvin Shantz -

Just to clarify where I have been looking to figure this out:

I expect that Force can play a role here:


I never use New Window as the browsers in the school labs do not allow pop-ups. Not sure if there are settings here that can help.


Not sure that anything here is helpful either.


Is there someplace else I should be looking? Gordon, you have mentioned something about pre and post-conditions. I guess I am not sure how to set these up or if they even play a role here.

Tx,
Mel

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In reply to Melvin Shantz

Re: Navigation settings

by Melvin Shantz -

So I am still wondering how to have tasks chain one to the next without going via the menu. I would also like a setting so that students resume from where they leave off in a TaskChain.

Perhaps, there is something obvious I have missed here.

Once I have things figured out, I will post a little how-to with visuals onto this thread in order to complete the post.

Thanks so much, 

Mel

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In reply to Melvin Shantz

Re: Navigation settings

by Gordon Bateson -
Picture of Core developers Picture of Peer reviewers Picture of Plugin developers

Hi Mel,
sorry to be slow to respond.

I think you need to set up conditions on the tasks in your TaskChain.

You do this in a very similar way to the way that you set up conditions on the quizzes in a QuizPort.

First you need to find the "Edit tasks" page, then select "Conditions" from the "Show columns" menu.

After that, I think you will in familiar territory smile

regards
Gordon

Attachment taskchain.edit.tasks.png
Attachment taskchain.show.columns.png
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In reply to Gordon Bateson

Re: Navigation settings

by Melvin Shantz -

Thanks for getting back to me Gordon. Quite appreciated.

I would open to some discussion by yourself or others using the conditions tool.  It functions differently in TaskChain than it did in QuizPort from what I remember. I wonder what people out there are using as settings in terms of conditions.

Just to give a context perhaps on which to base discussion, imagine about 10 tasks in in a TaskChain as one enters into the conditions below. I want the students to go through the tasks to learn and then to demonstrate mastery in subsequent runs through the TaskChain.

I would appreciate advice on what sorts of settings people are putting in the following settings and what they see as the pedagogical outcome.  I also wonder about the conditions in grade vs. attempts. Tx so much. Tips here will be very helpful.




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In reply to Melvin Shantz

Re: Navigation settings

by Gordon Bateson -
Picture of Core developers Picture of Peer reviewers Picture of Plugin developers

Hmm, that's not the "Edit tasks" page, and the first two settings you show are not for pre- and post-conditions.

Please go to the "Edit tasks" page and select "Conditions" from the "Show columns" menu. (see attached screenshot)

When you get there, you can add pre- and post-conditions, just lke you used to in QuizPort, and create the linear paths through the materials as I believe you are trying to do. 

regards
Gordon

Attachment taskchain.edit.tasks.png
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In reply to Gordon Bateson

Re: Navigation settings

by Melvin Shantz -

Great. Thanks for patiently hanging in there Gordon.

So I am looking at these settings as per the visuals below. Essentially, they are the same as above. I think I can apply a pre- or post-condition to each task when creating a TaskChain which would apply to each file as it imports saving me from having to deal with each individual task. I will do some experimentation and post my results to this thread. But I am still interested in hearing how different people use these conditions. There are also the attempts which I don't totally get.

The other thing is that even with conditions, the student seems that I still travel back through the menu rather than simply being taken from one task to another which means that students can still change the order they do things in or re-do a task before moving on to the next task, right? Unless I set each task to one attempt?

There seems to be a large flexibility here which is great in some ways. What I would love as a feature is something that is something to the following effect: "Students may use menu" or "Direct passage from one task to the next" with some sort of "exit" or "abandon" menu that then appears. There may be clearer wording but with the second option, each task would get the score it does based on the number of tries etc and when a student re-enters a TaskChain, they would resume from where they left off if required.




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In reply to Melvin Shantz

Re: Navigation settings

by Melvin Shantz -

I thought this might be what I am after. A student attempts a task and does his or her best. But after the attempt is over, they go to the next task automatically and leave with the score they got on that completed task. But if leave the TaskChain to resume later, they are given a menu that allows the to redo a task that they had a poorer score on rather than being taken to where they left off. So it seems there are a lot of options here. Maybe working with attempts is not the best option and I should simply set a score they need before they can proceed. It still doesn't solve the resume issue that permits them to get around my intentions where they can resume at any point they wish in the entire TaskChain.

Would be interested in any commentary/experience from anyone using these features.



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In reply to Melvin Shantz

Re: Navigation settings

by Gordon Bateson -
Picture of Core developers Picture of Peer reviewers Picture of Plugin developers
Mel, you need to add post-conditions too. The following page may help jog your memory about you set them up in QuizPort:

I strongly encourage you to add conditions on the "Edit tasks" page. It is much more efficient and easier to the whole picture of what is going on. regards, Gordon

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In reply to Gordon Bateson

Re: Navigation settings

by Melvin Shantz -

Thanks for the link to the quizport manual Gordon. There are still some challenges.

Just to recap:

1. I am trying to set up a TaskChain so that students don't go through the menu but are taken from one task to the next and resume where they left off unless they start a New Attempt.

Challenges:

1. Having trouble getting the order right. 

2. New Attempt never seems possible.

I have put together a little video here that points out some of the challenges, I believe. Again any tips here are most appreciated.

http://mshantz2.profweb.ca/TaskChainMenu/TaskChainMenu_player.html

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In reply to Melvin Shantz

Re: Navigation settings

by Gordon Bateson -
Picture of Core developers Picture of Peer reviewers Picture of Plugin developers

Mel,
to get a linear progression through the tasks, so that after one task is finished, the student is immediately shown the next task, please set up your conditions as per the attached screenshot, i.e.

  • every task has only one pre-condition, "Previous task", except the first task which has no pre-condition
  • all tasks have one post-condition. "Next task", except the last task whose post-condition is "End of chain"  

Then set the "Allow resume" in the TaskChain to "Force".

That's all you need to do.

If you have further problems, please set up your chain on my testing server, so that we can look at it together:

all the best
Gordon

Attachment taskchain.conditions.png
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In reply to Gordon Bateson

Re: Navigation settings

by Melvin Shantz -

So for anyone getting their mind around the discussion in this thread as I have just done, I will sum it up here. (Thanks for your help Gordon.)

The goal here: to force students to go through a TaskChain in the order without the option to return to a task through the tasks menu. A TaskChain is a set of Hot Potatoes lessons (among other types) put together into a lesson and the grade will appear in the Moodle grade book. 

Using the Edit Tasks menu on my TaskChain of three tasks, the conditions are shown. More complex conditions are possible such as the required scores on a task and more.


In Edit Settings, I have allowed unlimited attempts and I force "resume". With the conditions above, putting "yes" in resume functions the same way. "Allow free access" is set to "no."


It means that students will be able to resume a TaskChain but will resume at an unfinished task or at the next one they have not yet attempted, even if that attempt was nothing more than a look at the Task without any interaction.


Also in Edit settings, you see the grading system chosen for the mark book. I would usually have the category chosen too. Highest grade means that the highest grade achieved on a complete TaskChain is the one that will show in the grade book.


You can see my 8 attempts on my test TaskChain and the options available to me as a student.


Lots of powerful options here. Please let me know how you would do things differently.


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