Hi folks,
I have developed a module while allows Hot Potatoes files (version 6) to be imported into Moodle and to have the scores and other data recorded in the Moodle database. It works by taking your HotPot .HTM file and rewriting it to include the javascript required to write out data to your Moodle database. It does not destroy your original file, but rather, creates a modified version in a 'hotpot' directory inside your moodledata/(course#) file area.
Thanks to the "Moodle for Language Teachers" participants. it has been now tested on a wide variety of browsers, so should work.
Thanks go to Peter Ruthven-Stuart, Jean-Pierre Pawlak, Peter Sereinigg for their help in testing it, and to Timothy Takemoto for his enthusiastic encouragement of the project. Please report any problems that you have with it to me, and I will try to deal with them as soon as I can.
What follows is the contents of the READ.ME file. Unfortunately, I had trouble uploading the file as an attachment, so please take it from:
http://tomrobb.com/HotPot.zip
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This is version 1.1 (2004/02/20) of a new Hot Potatoes module. It should work with Moodle versions 1.1.1 and 1.2dev although perhaps not with any releases since mid-January 2004.
NOTE: Please use Hot Potatoes according to the conditions of use which are listed at the end of this file. If you restrict use via a required Moodle login, you most likely can still meet the 'freely available' condition if you make the same material on a separate URL that permits free access. Otherwise, please purchase a license.
IMPROVEMENTS SINCE v. 1.0
* It now works with all browsers
* The start time and lapsed time of each attempt is displayed in "View Results".
* The number of mistakes/clicks on check/requests for hints is now report via a "Penalties" value in "View Results".
* HTM files containing only are now properly handled.
* The admin/grade function will report hotpot results
* Source files in subdirectories are now recognized and re-write files into a corresponding subdirectory inside the moodledata/(course)/hotpot directory
TO INSTALL:
1. Copy the files to the corresponding locations in your own Moodle directory:
hotpot.php --> moodle/lang/en/
hotpot (folder) --> moodle/mod/
2. Visit your course "admin" area. You should see a report saying that (prefix)_hotpot and (prefix)_hotpot_events have been successfuly installed.
TO USE:
1. Create a Hot Potatoes quiz of any type using Version 6 (Win) of Hot Potatoes.
2. Upload the file to the intended course file area.
3. Also upload any graphics to the file area if they are required by the quiz.
4. With editing turned on ("Turn editing on"button) select "ADD / Hot Potatoes", and select the desired HTM file.
5. The module will then rewrite the HTM file, inserting the required code to output the score to the Moodle database, to a file called "hotpot_events". The newly rewritten file is stored inside the course file area, inside a directory called "hotpot". The original file remains intact in its original location. (If you modify the original file, please remember to update the added resource as well.)
6. You can view the students results via a "View Results" link which only appears for administrators and teachers.
INTENDED IMPROVEMENTS
1. Make it work with Moodle 1.2 once it has been officially released.
HOT POTATOES CONDITIONS OF USE
**Reproduced from the Hot Potatoes site**
Hot Potatoes is offered free to the educational community by the University of Victoria Humanities Computing and Media Centre (formerly the Language Centre), under certain conditions. Hot Potatoes is free for use by state educational institutions which are non-profit making, on the condition that the material produced using the program is freely available to anyone via the WWW. However, you need to purchase a licence under any of the following conditions:
* You do not work for a public sector educational establishment.
* You charge money for access to the material you make with Hot Potatoes.
* You restrict access to the material in some way. (The only exception here is if you have an account on www.hotpotatoes.net, where you ARE allowed to use password restrictions.)
* You want to use the Masher program included with the Hot Potatoes suite.
For more information on licences, and details on how to purchase one, check out our Website at:
http://www.halfbakedsoftware.com/hotpot/
If you intend using the programs to generate more than a handful of exercises, please make sure you register. This costs you nothing -- see How to register for details.
Martin Holmes, Half-Baked Software and the University of Victoria HCMC, 1998-2004.
Hi Tom,
I have a question about Hotpot quizes. Where does the answer checking take place? Is it on the server? Or does the Javascript downloaded onto the client computer do the checking? If the latter, then it would be possible to cheat by tampering with the downloaded Javascript.
Zig
Zig asks, e does the answer checking take place? Is it on the server? Or does the Javascript downloaded onto the client computer do the checking? If the latter, then it would be possible to cheat by tampering with the downloaded Javascript.
Checking is done via javascript on the client side, and no, the students couldn't cheat by tampering with the code because it will only record the scores in Moodle it is is properly set in a Moodle framed document that invokes a Moodle script that requires them to be logged on, etc.
Now with one of the modules, JCROSS which makes crossword puzzles, one can see the correct answers through 'View Source' but for the other modules, there is a simple, but most likely, effective, encoding scheme to prevent cheating.
I should point out, though, that Hot Potatoes was originally conceived as a program for PRACTICE and REVIEW rather than for testing. Still, however, if the instructor is assigning these activities for practice, s/he needs a way of knowing whether the students have done the work and how successful they were in doing it. Thus the Moodle tracking feature is still important.
Checking is done via javascript on the client side, and no, the students couldn't cheat by tampering with the code because it will only record the scores in Moodle it is is properly set in a Moodle framed document that invokes a Moodle script that requires them to be logged on, etc.
Now with one of the modules, JCROSS which makes crossword puzzles, one can see the correct answers through 'View Source' but for the other modules, there is a simple, but most likely, effective, encoding scheme to prevent cheating.
I should point out, though, that Hot Potatoes was originally conceived as a program for PRACTICE and REVIEW rather than for testing. Still, however, if the instructor is assigning these activities for practice, s/he needs a way of knowing whether the students have done the work and how successful they were in doing it. Thus the Moodle tracking feature is still important.
Just to play devil's advocate: I agree that Javascript tampering would be beyond the capabilities of the vast majority of students. However in principle it would be possible to write a browser plugin which would do the tampering on the fly. Perhaps there might be an economic incentive for somebody to write such a plugin.
Of course if Hotpot is used for practice and review there is no problem. But if it is used for assessment, I think one ought to be mindful of such a potential limitation.
Yes, I agree that this sort of possibility should be taken into account. Perhaps the module should have settings for the Date/Time range when it is available. If this were the case, then students wouldn't have sufficient time to do much mischief with it.
It occurs to me that it is possible to use the module outside of Moodle by simply clicking on the HotPot quiz when it appears and opening it up in another window. It will act normally, although it will not result in any scores or other data being recorded.
For this case, I could easily insert a statement which would cause the window to close just in cases where the supporting parent window isn't there. At any rate, we can deal with these problems once they occur or look likely to occur. Right now, I'd just like to have a few people install it and verify that it works 'as advertised'!
It occurs to me that it is possible to use the module outside of Moodle by simply clicking on the HotPot quiz when it appears and opening it up in another window. It will act normally, although it will not result in any scores or other data being recorded.
For this case, I could easily insert a statement which would cause the window to close just in cases where the supporting parent window isn't there. At any rate, we can deal with these problems once they occur or look likely to occur. Right now, I'd just like to have a few people install it and verify that it works 'as advertised'!
Wow, Thomas, this is going to be a very big deal to the many teachers in my school district who like to use Hot Pototatoes to create practice quizzes!
Thanks very much for this.
-- Art Lader
Thanks very much for this.
-- Art Lader
Thomas, this is wonderful. Many thanks for your work. Despite thinking it to be a great tool, my reluctance to use Hot Potatoes has been due to being unable to integrate scores into the Moodle environment. Now I can do what I want, thanks to your hard work. I'm sure this mod is going to be of great use to many teachers.
Thanks again
Dale Jones
Thanks again
Dale Jones
I have found that many of my students enjoy creating practice resources for each other in HotPot. Once it is ready for Moodle 1.2, this module will make it easy as pie for me to have students create practice quizzes in HotPot, check them and upload them to the site
I don't want my Moodle to become merely a place where students drill, drill, drill, but I do like to post practice quizzes.
Thanks again,
Art Lader
I don't want my Moodle to become merely a place where students drill, drill, drill, but I do like to post practice quizzes.
Thanks again,
Art Lader
I have found this too, and uploaded the crosswords to a set of webpages I had in the days before Moodle. Even though it's fun to create the puzzles yourself, it's much better for the students to do it for themselves.
Sally Mack
great thing, for use in class rooms cheating will not be the problem.
Me ha causado mucha alegría ver que se ha creado el modulo Hot Potatoes, pues ampliará las posibilidades de moodle.
He empezado a probarlo y veo algunos errores al obtener las calificaciones de los alumnos.
Supongo que se irá perfeccionando.
felicitaciones por la creación del modulo Hot Potatoes
It has caused much joy to me to see that it has been created I modulate Hot Potatoes, because it will extend the possibilities of moodle.
I have begun to prove it and I see some errors when obtaining the qualifications of the students.
I suppose that it will be perfected.
congratulations by the creation of I modulate Hot Potatoes.
Thanks very much.
Francisco Javier Soler Moreno
Where can I find the "Moodle for Language Teachers" discussion?
Thanks!
Hi, Susan,
Thank you for asking a question I can answer!
Try this link --> http://moodle.org/course/view.php?id=31
Best regards,
Art Lader
Thank you for asking a question I can answer!
Try this link --> http://moodle.org/course/view.php?id=31
Best regards,
Art Lader
I am excited to see this also as I have just started using the Hot Potatoes quizes on the web.
What will happen if I'm using the latest version of Hot Potatoes for the Mac instead of the Windows version? I work in an all Mac school district and train the teachers in the use and integration of technology.
Should I just forego the use of the Hotpot module? I'd rather be disappointed now, rather than spend hours creating something that just won't work.
Thanks for any info!
What will happen if I'm using the latest version of Hot Potatoes for the Mac instead of the Windows version? I work in an all Mac school district and train the teachers in the use and integration of technology.
Should I just forego the use of the Hotpot module? I'd rather be disappointed now, rather than spend hours creating something that just won't work.
Thanks for any info!
Hi ,
I installed the hotpot module in my moodle 1.4-dev.
Perhaps a stupid question: is there no lang folder in de hotpdownload folder?
gr.
Herman
sorry, we have not german translation now, ...
but if you like to help us ... we will publish a german translation, visit the german´moodle site here and we may discuss the possibilities ..
Peter
p.s.: wir suchen Freiwillige die mithelfen Module zu übersetzen!
Hi Thomas
Thank you for making the Hot Potatoes Moodle module available. I have a little suggestion for improving the conversion of HP files with graphics files attached to them (or any attached media files for that matter).
Suppose I create a HP file named myHPCloseTest.htm which refers to a graphics file named myPicture.jpg and both are saved to a subdirectory of my Moodledata directory called \myHotPotFiles.
When the Moodle Hot Potatoes module does the conversion and saves the converted myHPCloseTest.htm to the \hotpot Course directory, any attached graphics (or media) file remains in the orignal directory but the pointer in the HP exercises points to the \hotpot Course directory where of course the graphics/media files are absent...
Could you make your HP module parse the original file for any attached graphics files and either:
- retain their original address;
- or copy those files to the \hotpot Course directory (more costly in terms of storage resources).
Thanks in advance,
Joseph_R