Hello Everybody!
I've been thinking for some time about creating a large database of problems (say, in Math and Computer Science) that is open to anyone. On the surface, the database will be useful to instructors to create tests and to students to take practice tests. Somewhat more interestingly, if used by instructors, the database can be used to compare courses and to transfer knowledge between instructors.
Assume that in course A students start with easy problems and in the end go to difficult problems. Also assume that in course B students spend most of their time on problems of average difficulty. Perhaps, we can they say that course A is "better" for students than course B (perhaps, because the instructor is more knowledgeable). Hence, the instructor of course B can benefit from learning from the instructor of course A.
Thus, the main thrust of the database is to create some ways of comparing and improving courses and comparing and improving educators.
Any feedback on this idea will be appreciated. In particular, if you're using Moodle for your own course delivery, would you be willing to contribute problems to such a database and to use problems from such a database?
Many thanks,
= Yakov
Yakov,
Perhaps you can give us some more vivid examples. I, for one, thrive on actually "seeing" what people are talking about, so maybe you can show what you mean visually somehow.
Say we have 10 questions/problems in our database, and course A uses the 1st five and course B uses the 2nd five.
Would the questions that populate the database be marked somehow, such that we know their source? If not, then I do not understand what you mean, exactly, by the comparison of different teachers and/or curriculums (if this is, indeed, what you meant).
From what I do understand, though, it sounds interesting. I'm all for aggregating knowledge and making it more accessible where possible.
Perhaps you can give us some more vivid examples. I, for one, thrive on actually "seeing" what people are talking about, so maybe you can show what you mean visually somehow.
Say we have 10 questions/problems in our database, and course A uses the 1st five and course B uses the 2nd five.
Would the questions that populate the database be marked somehow, such that we know their source? If not, then I do not understand what you mean, exactly, by the comparison of different teachers and/or curriculums (if this is, indeed, what you meant).
From what I do understand, though, it sounds interesting. I'm all for aggregating knowledge and making it more accessible where possible.