In language teaching, many of us use videos or long text as a main media for a large number of quiz questions (5, 10, 20 or more). Unfortunately, it is difficult to answer five or more or questions on that media without lots of scrolling. Our school is proposing a fixed layer in the quiz module on the left side the screen to hold the video or other media and a scrollable right layer ("window") to hold all the quiz questions.
The strategy to achieve this is to modify the Description item so that a teacher option is clicked to make two frames appear in the student's screen (actually not frames or tables, but layers in order to be more moodle-friendly). The left "frame" is fixed to hold the media in the selected Description item. The right "frame" holds all the quiz questions in a scrollable window. Only one Description item can be selected for the fixed layer on the left. Any other Description items remain in the right, scrollable layer.
We are beginning programming now and would like any comments or suggestions from other quiz users and of, course, Tim Hunt. Here is a sample of the student view that we intend to develop.
You have definitely identified a valid requirement that Moodle does not currently satisfy.
I can see that this change you propose making solves it for now, but I don't really like it. At least I would not want to add it to the core code.
Why am I reluctant? I I suppose because I don't think it fits well into the Moodle architecture. (If Moodle can be said to have one
). There is already a mechanism for putting things at the side of the page, namely blocks. And there is already a block available - the HTML block - for putting any bit of content you like at the side of the page.
This ties in with the navigations work we are doing. (We really must start demoing it, rather than just talking about it.) That already switches to a two-column layout, and it does it by putting the navigation into a block. That would conflict with your changes unless you also used a block.
So that would be my proposed approach:
I can see that this change you propose making solves it for now, but I don't really like it. At least I would not want to add it to the core code.
Why am I reluctant? I I suppose because I don't think it fits well into the Moodle architecture. (If Moodle can be said to have one
This ties in with the navigations work we are doing. (We really must start demoing it, rather than just talking about it.) That already switches to a two-column layout, and it does it by putting the navigation into a block. That would conflict with your changes unless you also used a block.
So that would be my proposed approach:
- In whatever version of Moodle you are on, turn on support for block in the quiz module (some other modules already support this, so you can copy the code from there). Or wait until we release this in Moodle 1.8.
- Use the HTML block to add extra content to your quizzes.
- As a further enhancement, you may want different content on different pages of the quiz. In this case, write a new block like the HTML block, but which knows about the quiz, and if it is displayed alongside a quiz, can display different content for different pages.
Thank you very much, Tim, for your quick response. This is exactly the kind of information we need--some future programming directions for the quiz module. So if you can demo the new two-column block system, we would love to see it. 
From what I am familiar with, the current block system is not what we need because it is not integrated into a single page in the quiz module. We need something that allows a Description item to be become "fixed" in the screen, and thus allow the questions to scroll along the right. Maybe I am misunderstanding blocks, or maybe blocks have evolved a lot, so please correct me if I am wrong.
Now the language teachers at our school and many others (we have several thousand users of englishtrailers.com which is a popular video site for language teaching) need a two-column system now for courses or they will not switch to Moodle. As for our language testing program, well, I have been causing lots of agony for students scrolling up and down for an hour during their placement tests. We need a new system in place for end of term test on January 17th. About 1000 students will take it. So in a week or so I will show you exactly what we are preparing and you can make some suggestions on how the two-column system you are preparing will work. In the mean time I will send you our detailed proposal--I wanted to post this, but we have a 100kb limit here.
Cheers, Don
From what I am familiar with, the current block system is not what we need because it is not integrated into a single page in the quiz module. We need something that allows a Description item to be become "fixed" in the screen, and thus allow the questions to scroll along the right. Maybe I am misunderstanding blocks, or maybe blocks have evolved a lot, so please correct me if I am wrong.
Now the language teachers at our school and many others (we have several thousand users of englishtrailers.com which is a popular video site for language teaching) need a two-column system now for courses or they will not switch to Moodle. As for our language testing program, well, I have been causing lots of agony for students scrolling up and down for an hour during their placement tests. We need a new system in place for end of term test on January 17th. About 1000 students will take it. So in a week or so I will show you exactly what we are preparing and you can make some suggestions on how the two-column system you are preparing will work. In the mean time I will send you our detailed proposal--I wanted to post this, but we have a 100kb limit here.
Cheers, Don
I must admit that I don't really understand the block system myself yet. The Navigation stuff has been done by a colleague, so I have been able to stay in ignorance.
One place you can put proposals, if you like, is on a page linked off from http://docs.moodle.org/en/Development:Developer_notes. But if you already have a proposal in another format, you probably don't want to reformat it for the wiki.
One place you can put proposals, if you like, is on a page linked off from http://docs.moodle.org/en/Development:Developer_notes. But if you already have a proposal in another format, you probably don't want to reformat it for the wiki.
I am reviving this 2-year old discussion because all of a sudden I need to display a small video in the left "margin" of one page of a quiz. I am surprised that development has not continued on this needed "left-margin block" or whatever you may call it, as it is really needed.
Anyway, the solution proposed by Tim:
Use the HTML block to add extra content to your quizzes.
does not work, because the HTML block is only displayed on the Quiz "welcome page", not where it is needed, i.e. on the questions pages themselves! If it were, this HTML block would be the ideal solution. How difficult would it be to develop the possibility to insert an HTML block (or more than one...) on the desired pages of a quiz?
As a workaround, I put my video inside a description question, embedded inside a <div style="position: fixed; top: 130px; left: 0px;">put here the link to your video</div>. And in my theme's CSS I put:
#mod-quiz-attempt #responseform {
margin-left:250px;
}
See attached screenshot for result. This is not a very elegant solution but it does work for the moment.
Joseph
Anyway, the solution proposed by Tim:
Use the HTML block to add extra content to your quizzes.
does not work, because the HTML block is only displayed on the Quiz "welcome page", not where it is needed, i.e. on the questions pages themselves! If it were, this HTML block would be the ideal solution. How difficult would it be to develop the possibility to insert an HTML block (or more than one...) on the desired pages of a quiz?
As a workaround, I put my video inside a description question, embedded inside a <div style="position: fixed; top: 130px; left: 0px;">put here the link to your video</div>. And in my theme's CSS I put:
#mod-quiz-attempt #responseform {
margin-left:250px;
}
See attached screenshot for result. This is not a very elegant solution but it does work for the moment.
Joseph
Thanks for that Joseph. This worked fine for Firefox but something strange happens in IE7 - the video seems to have some extra opaque area around it. Tried using width and height but IE does not act predictably at all with the height and width properties doing very strange things. I'll experiment a bit more.
I've tried all sorts of frames (including inline frames) to solve this problem but, as you say, the only solution seems to be a label within a quiz. I guess you would have to submit all at the end of the page or else the video would restart with each Submit press. Is that right?
Regards, Mike Smith
Hi Mike,
For me it works exactly the same in FireFox and MISE 7 (does not work in MSIE 6). I don't see what you mean by "some extra opaque area around it". You'll have to experiment some more.
"I guess you would have to submit all at the end of the page or else the video would restart with each Submit press. Is that right?"
Correct, that is a problem. However, the video is rewound to the start but it remains loaded in memory, so you don't have to wait for a complete reload, so it's not so bad. And if you use a Flash player which displays the time count, and you say explicitly in your quiz questions the start and end time to watch to answer each question, then it's not so bad.
Joseph
I've just tried this out on a test platform and works fine in IE7 an FF. Thank you Jozeph, this is going to allow us to have listening comprehension exercises online, provided the change works on our production platform and our admin agrees to do the changes (we use our moodle for more than just language teaching).
I think it looks OK, I will probably have to increase the space from the top but million thanks, it's what we were looking for!
I think it looks OK, I will probably have to increase the space from the top but million thanks, it's what we were looking for!
I came across this thread after one of my teachers (thanks Pat!) helped to focus my attention on a very specific text/question format. We are searching for a way to have a scrollable split screen, say 70/30 where on the left is a framed web page, and on the right are questions. Ideally, the left column can be changed by the particular question on the right, or by a drop down menu.
Consider a quiz that has twenty questions, five questions per website = four websites. I would like for the students to be able to either choose the website from the dropdown on the left frame and have it display next to those questions on the right, or forcing the left frame to change as needed by the right.
Is there anything already created out there for this idea? It seems like a simple idea, but might be rather complex to create. Any thoughts? I think that something like this was the original intent of this thread (many moons ago).
Resolved! I used Joseph's suggestion of the fixed position + css addition and tossed in an iframe + some links that have the target property set to the name of the iframe. Works perfectly! Here is the html I used for the iframe:
<div style="position: fixed; top: 0px; left: 0px;"><iframe height="400" name="changer" src="http://www.bbc.com" style="z-index: 10;" width="500"> </iframe><a href="http://www.google.com" target="changer"><br />Questions 1-5 </a> <a href="http://www.theonion.com" target="changer">Questions 6-8</a> <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov" target="changer">Questions 9-13</a> <a href="http://www.unhappyhipsters.com" target="changer">Questions 14-20</a></div>
Thank you all!
The code works nicely to create the iFrame. But it gets in the way of the questions for me. I've tried putting it in a "description question", in a question and in the "quiz description".
I felt overwhelmed by the length of the thread, so I thought I'd just ask: "Where do you put the code so it doesn't obstruct the questions?"
With a bit more code you can make the div fix up or back by a click and the content shown only when it is fixed up. This way the user can open and close the content frame as needed. You can easily add a fixed set of options for fixing the frame in different corners of the screen or setting a big frame or small frame.
Here is an example based on the code suggested above. The second div is a sort of tool bar with "buttons". Each button assigns a certain css class to the wrapping div. The default may be, say, 'fixstatic' which sets the div's position to the normal flow, and sets the inner iframe to display none. Then you can have .fixtopleft with the definition {position: fixed; top: 0px; left: 0px;} and .fixtopleft iframe{display:block;} and in a similar manner .fixtopright, .fixbottomleft and .fixbottomright. And as suggested above some definitions for big and small frames.
<div class="fixstatic">
<div>
<a href="javascript:parentNode.parentNode.className='fixtopleft';">+</a>
<a href="javascript:parentNode.parentNode.className='fixstatic';">-</a>
</div>
<iframe height="400" name="changer" src="http://www.bbc.com" style="z-index: 10;" width="500"> </iframe>
...
</div>
Hi Itamar, I can't get the buttons to work - nothing happens when I click on them.
I don't think the problem is with my CSS:
.fixstatic {position: static;}
.fixstatic iframe{display:none;}
.fixtopleft {position: fixed; top: 0px; left: 0px;}
.fixtopleft iframe{display:block;}
I know very little Javascript, so I wonder if I am missing something obvious.
I don't think the problem is with my CSS:
.fixstatic {position: static;}
.fixstatic iframe{display:none;}
.fixtopleft {position: fixed; top: 0px; left: 0px;}
.fixtopleft iframe{display:block;}
I know very little Javascript, so I wonder if I am missing something obvious.
No you weren't missing anything. The javascript was missing something. See attachment for a working version. That's a simple html file with only that bit of code. When you open the file you should see a blue bar down the screen with + and -. If you click the + the bar should jump to the top left corner and the iframe should reveal. If you then click the - the bar should jump back to its original position and the iframe disappear. See if that works for you. Then you can simply extract the bit of code from the file and put it anywhere you want. Let me know how it goes.
Thank you very much for your trouble. Alas, this works fine as a separate web page, but when I add the CSS to styles_layout.css and paste the HTML into a Moodle quiz question, the buttons again fail to do anything when clicked on.
The code also seems to interfere with the Toggle HTML Source button in the question text toolbar. It stops me switching to source code view.
The code also seems to interfere with the Toggle HTML Source button in the question text toolbar. It stops me switching to source code view.
Yes, the editor's filters muck up the code. You can't use the editor when adding or editing code. You have two options. Either you turn off the editor (in your user profile) when you add/edit the question or you import the question.
Brilliant, it works perfectly. Thank you very much!
I'm jumping onto this thread after searching all over moodle forums. I too have the (common?) problem of a listening exercise (cloze usually) that is long so has to scroll down. Separate windows is un ergonomic and embedding the mps player is no good when you scroll. Is the split screen the answer and available for cloze test in moodle 1.9. Has moodle now an option on a floating player? Can someone point me in the right direction - sorry I'm still an infant moodler...
Thanks
What's the split screen?
You can easily create a floating player by positioning the player in a floating div.
Thanks for your reply, I meant "dual frame" by "split screen" but in fact I wanted to check this proposal isn't ONLY for quiz but also will work in test/cloze.
And I'm wondering if the best solution to this problem isn't that given in the exchange on floating menu technique (http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=146585)
but elsewhere exchanges indicate this to be impossible "Where do you want to put the floating flash? If it is in a quiz, my understanding of quiz in all Moodle versions up to 1.9 is that it can't be done. That is why the "split screen" module was developed. I don't think it is available for 2.0 yet. Hope this helps." (http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=168127)
Your more experienced view of this?
The best solution depends on your scenario. (I don't quite understand your distinction between quiz and test/cloze) If you just need a player to remain fixed in a certaion position on the screen while you scroll through questions, you can do that by css position:fixed as explained above. This method should work anywhere where there are divs to which you can add css rules either inline or by a stylesheet regardless of moodle version.
Hi Joseph,
We've been using this system for some time now, it works fine. I was just wondering if it'd be possible to add the same margin to the review layout (i.e. when students check their answers) as the video covers part of the questions... I haven't been able to find it (I'm really not an expert at that, to say the least ^^), and as we insist on students checking their attempts to read feedback, it'd improve review..
Any idea how I could do this?
TIA!
Hi Jean-Luc,
In your current theme, try adding:
#mod-quiz-attempt #responseform,
#mod-quiz-review #content {
margin-left:250px!important;
}
Joseph
Thanks for this! I've added it to my test site. I get the margin, but it kind of creates a "blank" block on the left (on the chameleon theme, looks wuite ugly there), pushing the titles to the right
looks nicer on the FormalWhite theme though, on which our production site is based.
Now the difference in display is that:
- on attempt, the titles take the whole width, the margin appears under it.
- on review, the titles also have a margin on the left.
Yet, it makes review easier
Thanks a lot!
Hi Don,
As a language teacher myself, I see what you're trying to achieve. One suggestion, though: don't fix the left frame. It should also be scrollable. With embedded videos there's no need to scroll, but if you had, say, a longish reading comprehension text, it would have to be scrollable, too. So, I think both frames need to be scrollable, but independently of each other.
Cheers,
Przemek
As a language teacher myself, I see what you're trying to achieve. One suggestion, though: don't fix the left frame. It should also be scrollable. With embedded videos there's no need to scroll, but if you had, say, a longish reading comprehension text, it would have to be scrollable, too. So, I think both frames need to be scrollable, but independently of each other.
Cheers,
Przemek
Hello,
I've been working closely with Don Hinkelman and the programmer for this enhancement to the quiz module - we've gotten some good work done and wanted to give everyone an update to give a better idea of what it is.
In a nutshell, the teacher can select ONE description item and have it be placed in a fixed layer on the left side of the screen. This layer is independent from the rest of the questions so it is very useful when a teacher makes many quiz questions based on a single image, reading passage or video. Both the fixed layer and the questions are scrollable.
Here is a screenshot of the teacher's side of the quiz module:
You can see that there is a new column called FRAME. (We will change this to a more appropriate name later). If the radio button above the column heading FRAME is selected, the quiz works as it normally does - no fixed layer. There is also a radio button next to each description item. If one of these is selected, that description item gets put into the fixed layer.
When you edit the description item, we've also made it easier to add video. Here's a screenshot:
Notice how there is a new "video to display" option near the button. Also, you can search images and videos from either the course files or the site files.
Everything you add to the description item gets added to the fixed layer. So you can have text, and image, and a video. Or any combination you like. Text only. Video only. etc.
And finally here is what the quiz will actually look like:
You can see both layers are scrollable. In the above example, a teacher might have 20 questions based on the little panda movie so the panda movie stays on the screen the whole time while the student answers the questions.
Hope this plants a better image in your mind of what we want to accomplish. Remember the screen shots are from a near-complete version but not a completely finished version so some things might change.
We welcome any advice or thoughts on this!
Cheers,
Andy
I've been working closely with Don Hinkelman and the programmer for this enhancement to the quiz module - we've gotten some good work done and wanted to give everyone an update to give a better idea of what it is.
In a nutshell, the teacher can select ONE description item and have it be placed in a fixed layer on the left side of the screen. This layer is independent from the rest of the questions so it is very useful when a teacher makes many quiz questions based on a single image, reading passage or video. Both the fixed layer and the questions are scrollable.
Here is a screenshot of the teacher's side of the quiz module:
You can see that there is a new column called FRAME. (We will change this to a more appropriate name later). If the radio button above the column heading FRAME is selected, the quiz works as it normally does - no fixed layer. There is also a radio button next to each description item. If one of these is selected, that description item gets put into the fixed layer.
When you edit the description item, we've also made it easier to add video. Here's a screenshot:
Notice how there is a new "video to display" option near the button. Also, you can search images and videos from either the course files or the site files.
Everything you add to the description item gets added to the fixed layer. So you can have text, and image, and a video. Or any combination you like. Text only. Video only. etc.
And finally here is what the quiz will actually look like:
You can see both layers are scrollable. In the above example, a teacher might have 20 questions based on the little panda movie so the panda movie stays on the screen the whole time while the student answers the questions.
Hope this plants a better image in your mind of what we want to accomplish. Remember the screen shots are from a near-complete version but not a completely finished version so some things might change.
We welcome any advice or thoughts on this!
Cheers,
Andy
Absolutely fantastic!!! I cannot wait for this to be implemented into Moodle.
Will this be available soon within the next version of Moodle?
The only concern I have with frames is that they can look a little messy and for students who aren't all that computer literate can lead to problems.
How about adding another option - instead of using frames we have the "framed items" floating as you scroll? Meaning there are no frames, but the item is centered in the middle of the page on the left side all the time?
Just my 5c, otherwise, brilliant!!!
Will this be available soon within the next version of Moodle?
The only concern I have with frames is that they can look a little messy and for students who aren't all that computer literate can lead to problems.
How about adding another option - instead of using frames we have the "framed items" floating as you scroll? Meaning there are no frames, but the item is centered in the middle of the page on the left side all the time?
Just my 5c, otherwise, brilliant!!!
Oh, there are NO FRAMES in this. (This was an orginal thought but we decided against it because it is sloppy code)
The stationary part on the left side is a fixed LAYER.
The stationary part on the left side is a fixed LAYER.
Andrew,
This looks quite promising. Hope you can manage to get it finished any time soon and that it gets integrated into futur versions of Moodle.
Thanks,
Joseph
This looks quite promising. Hope you can manage to get it finished any time soon and that it gets integrated into futur versions of Moodle.
Thanks,
Joseph
I've been playing with this and wonder if you can point me in the right direction to hack it so that I can also have an "Audio to display" drop-down along with a "Page to display" drop down.
That way, if I have a web page or audio in my site files, I could use those as a description. I am working with the Gong server and API and have created a simple html page that students can use to record themselves. I would like to integrate that page into the quiz as a description. This will also allow me to have MULTIPLE audio files in the description layer.
That way, if I have a web page or audio in my site files, I could use those as a description. I am working with the Gong server and API and have created a simple html page that students can use to record themselves. I would like to integrate that page into the quiz as a description. This will also allow me to have MULTIPLE audio files in the description layer.
I just noticed that it works for WAV but not MP3. I would really like to add MP3 and HTML pages.
Hi Tony,
Possibly you are using the first version of the split screen mode which couldn't handle mp3 files. In the forum entry I wrote on january 20 I included an updated version which included a few bugs fixes that were pointed out to us in this forum.
If you are using the newer version and are still having trouble with mp3s, let me know!
Thanks for your feedback.
Andy
Possibly you are using the first version of the split screen mode which couldn't handle mp3 files. In the forum entry I wrote on january 20 I included an updated version which included a few bugs fixes that were pointed out to us in this forum.
If you are using the newer version and are still having trouble with mp3s, let me know!
Thanks for your feedback.
Andy
Well, if all you want is to be pointed in the right direction, I think I can help. The "video to display" code is found in the file: editquestion.html
as in: ../question/type/description/editquestion.html
Doing a search for "video to display" will get you in the right ballpark in the code.
We hired a programmer to do this so if you need more specifics let me know and I'll ask him.
And I like your ideas for a "audio to display" and "page to display".
Please keep us informed of what happens!
Andy
as in: ../question/type/description/editquestion.html
Doing a search for "video to display" will get you in the right ballpark in the code.
We hired a programmer to do this so if you need more specifics let me know and I'll ask him.
And I like your ideas for a "audio to display" and "page to display".
Please keep us informed of what happens!
Andy
The split screen mode for the Quiz Module, versions 1.6 and 1.7 is completed and ready for download. Please go to http://englishforum.sgu.ac.jp/downloads/ and look for the zip file "splitmodequiz...". Unzip it and you will see two neat little auto-installers, so just place either the _install1_6.zip or _install1_7.zip file into your main moodle folder, unzip, and then call the _install file from your browser.
We have installed it on our server and if you would like to take a look and see how it works, go to this course: http://ept4.sgu.ac.jp/course/view.php?id=2
To see it as a student, log in as ID= student Password= student
To see it as a teacher, log in as ID= teacher Password= teacher
If you think this is useful enough to be included into the standard Quiz Module, you must convince Tim and others of its value. To do that, I recommend first trying in your classes and explain here how it was used and how you and your students responded. It is not enough just to say, "cool".
Your responses may indicate further refinements or features are needed (please post requests here). Even if this is never included in standard release, your comments may influence future development and interface planning.
Cheers, from snowy Hokkaido!
We have installed it on our server and if you would like to take a look and see how it works, go to this course: http://ept4.sgu.ac.jp/course/view.php?id=2
To see it as a student, log in as ID= student Password= student
To see it as a teacher, log in as ID= teacher Password= teacher
If you think this is useful enough to be included into the standard Quiz Module, you must convince Tim and others of its value. To do that, I recommend first trying in your classes and explain here how it was used and how you and your students responded. It is not enough just to say, "cool".
Your responses may indicate further refinements or features are needed (please post requests here). Even if this is never included in standard release, your comments may influence future development and interface planning. Cheers, from snowy Hokkaido!
In reply to Don Hinkelman
Re: Split Screen Mode for Quiz Released-vers. 1.6 & 1.7
by Joseph Rézeau -
Hi Don,
Your new split screen mode for quiz looks quite nice on your test site.
Unfortunately there is an access rights problem on your download site http://englishforum.sgu.ac.jp/downloads/ , I get this error message "You don't have permission to access /downloads/splitmodequiz-ver16-17.zip on this server."
Joseph
Your new split screen mode for quiz looks quite nice on your test site.
Unfortunately there is an access rights problem on your download site http://englishforum.sgu.ac.jp/downloads/ , I get this error message "You don't have permission to access /downloads/splitmodequiz-ver16-17.zip on this server."
Joseph
In reply to Don Hinkelman
Re: Split Screen Mode for Quiz Released-vers. 1.6 & 1.7
by David Edwards -
I am having the same problem. Access denied.
So I tried to save the link as and received the zip file but when I tried to unzip it I get unknown format or damaged file.
Could you put this on the moodle module so we can download it from there.
Thanks
Looks great
So I tried to save the link as and received the zip file but when I tried to unzip it I get unknown format or damaged file.
Could you put this on the moodle module so we can download it from there.
Thanks
Looks great
In reply to Don Hinkelman
Re: Split Screen Mode for Quiz Released-vers. 1.6 & 1.7
by Don Hinkelman -
Sorry, guys, I forgot to check the permissions and went on holiday. 
All fixed now. Download from http://englishforum.sgu.ac.jp/downloads/
By the way, David, there is no special place for third party download files to reside. Each developer maintains their own download area and provide links to it. Later, when I post this modification/hack on the plugin database, the download link will be to the same area. I used to attach the code here onto these forums, but then realized people were continuing to download it long after it was out-of-date. This download site will have only the latest code.
All fixed now. Download from http://englishforum.sgu.ac.jp/downloads/By the way, David, there is no special place for third party download files to reside. Each developer maintains their own download area and provide links to it. Later, when I post this modification/hack on the plugin database, the download link will be to the same area. I used to attach the code here onto these forums, but then realized people were continuing to download it long after it was out-of-date. This download site will have only the latest code.
Thanks for the great work on split screen mode. I have installed it in 1.6.1 and works except for one small thing. I can display images from both course files and site files, but I can only display video from site files. It is not detecting the same video file in course files. (Video to display: No video have been uploaded to your course yet Course files) Strange.
Once again, thanks for the program!
James
Once again, thanks for the program!
James
In reply to James Mugodo
Re: Split Screen Mode for Quiz Released-vers. 1.6 & 1.7
by Andrew Johnson -
Thanks for the information. May I ask what type of video file it was? We've tested it with .mov, .avi and .swf, (plus 1 more that slips my memory right now) and those work in the fixed area. Our programmer only added the video formats we specifically requested rather than all the Moodle video filters. Ideally we should have it work with all of Moodles filters and that will be out goal! Typically our use is limited to .mov and .swf so unless other Moodlers tell us what we need to add, it might not get added. So let us know and we'll get it added
We do have newer version which fixes something Charles Kelly pointed out to us- the fixed layer couldn't handle Moodles mp3 filter before (the version fixes that). I've attached a .zip file. The zip file has a 1.6 and 1.7 version (in separate folders). Within each of these folders is another folder called "_install".
*Drag this folder to your root moodle directory.
*Go to www.yourmoodle.xxx/_install
*A installation screen will appear. Follow the instructions.
*Theoretically that's it. Let us know if you have any problems.
Cheers,
Andy
P.S. Please read Don Hinkelman's post that is two posts above this one. Make sure you upload the most current version of this adaptation to the quiz module!
We do have newer version which fixes something Charles Kelly pointed out to us- the fixed layer couldn't handle Moodles mp3 filter before (the version fixes that). I've attached a .zip file. The zip file has a 1.6 and 1.7 version (in separate folders). Within each of these folders is another folder called "_install".
*Drag this folder to your root moodle directory.
*Go to www.yourmoodle.xxx/_install
*A installation screen will appear. Follow the instructions.
*Theoretically that's it. Let us know if you have any problems.
Cheers,
Andy
P.S. Please read Don Hinkelman's post that is two posts above this one. Make sure you upload the most current version of this adaptation to the quiz module!
Sorry if this is a noob question, but will this module work with Moodle 1.5.2?
I do have problems with the installation. I upgraded to Moodle 1.7, unzipped and uploaded the _install folder and successfully ran the installation. At least, except for the last step:
"3. go to http://yoursite.com/mod/quiz/mysql_path.php - all the needed MySql tables will be installed"
I get an "Internal Server Error 500". I chmod'ed the file to 777, but the problem remains. Is it that I lack sufficient access rights in the DB?
"3. go to http://yoursite.com/mod/quiz/mysql_path.php - all the needed MySql tables will be installed"
I get an "Internal Server Error 500". I chmod'ed the file to 777, but the problem remains. Is it that I lack sufficient access rights in the DB?
In reply to Andrew Johnson
Re: Split Screen Mode for Quiz Released-vers. 1.6 & 1.7
by Peter Ruthven-Stuart -
Hello Andrew and Don,
I haven't yet installed your new Split Screen feature for the Quiz module, but have tried it out on your "Split Mode for Quiz Testing Course". It does look fabulous! I'll be sure to install it before the new term beginning in April.
When testing the feature in your site I noticed two things:
Best of luck with this project!
I haven't yet installed your new Split Screen feature for the Quiz module, but have tried it out on your "Split Mode for Quiz Testing Course". It does look fabulous! I'll be sure to install it before the new term beginning in April.
When testing the feature in your site I noticed two things:
- the width of the description layer appears to be fixed. This could be a problem if a teacher wants to use a video or graphic larger then the fixed width. So, it would be good if students doing quizzes with a split screen were able to drag the dividing bar to the right (as opposed to scrolling), so that they could see all the video / graphic.
- when previewing the quiz as a teacher, the 'little hand' (the clickable edit icon) is not present in the left layer, as it is in descriptions and questions in the body of the quiz.
Best of luck with this project!
Sorry if I'm asking a stupid question, but will this module work with Moodle 1.5.2?
Hi Berco,
Sorry but we have never tried it on Moodle 1.5.2. My guess is that it would not work, but you may get lucky. If you have access to a non-critical 1.5 server, could you try it and tell us what happens?
Sorry but we have never tried it on Moodle 1.5.2. My guess is that it would not work, but you may get lucky.
Hi guys,
This looks like a nice addition so I tried to test it out. Install went well and I got the "Installated" message. But when I try and use it, there is no checkbox next to split mode so that I can activate it. Am I missing a step?
Linux Ubuntu Edgy 6.10 Test Server
Moodle 1.7.1 (2006101010)
PHP 4.4.2-1.1
MySQL 5.0.24
This looks like a nice addition so I tried to test it out. Install went well and I got the "Installated" message. But when I try and use it, there is no checkbox next to split mode so that I can activate it. Am I missing a step?
Linux Ubuntu Edgy 6.10 Test Server
Moodle 1.7.1 (2006101010)
PHP 4.4.2-1.1
MySQL 5.0.24
Thanks for the screen shot. It looks like the reason you are having trouble is that you haven't added any *description* items yet. After you add a description item to the quiz, a radio button will appear in the "split" column which will then let you put the info in the description item into the fixed layer.
Hope this helps
-Andy
Hope this helps
-Andy
Yeah... It helps if I read carefully what is written above! Thanks for this. It's a great added feature for me.
I do a lot more with audio (mp3) than video so it would be great to have the "Editing a description" page also link to audio in the course. The filter is working fine but you have to type out the absolute path to the audio in a href tag... <a href="http://mymoodle/file.php/course_directory/file.mp3>Listening</a>
or is there an easier way I am unaware of?
I do a lot more with audio (mp3) than video so it would be great to have the "Editing a description" page also link to audio in the course. The filter is working fine but you have to type out the absolute path to the audio in a href tag... <a href="http://mymoodle/file.php/course_directory/file.mp3>Listening</a>
or is there an easier way I am unaware of?
Another newbie question
Got it installed ok, but how does an instructor upload the movie files?
RC
Got it installed ok, but how does an instructor upload the movie files?
RC
Correct me if I'm wrong guys...
The simplest way would be to click on Course Files in the Administration block and then upload the file. Apparently the "Edit a description" page will then display any uploaded movie (if it is a file format it recognizes). See above for types like .mov. This should also work for Site Files as well. I did not see the typical file upload functionality in the Edit/Add a description interface although I'm guessing it could be easily added.
One caveat we had to deal with... most severs are set (and Moodle is by default) to allow a maximum of 2 MB uploads. Videos can easily be over 2 MB in which case an admin would have to manually copy the file to the course directory via ssh/scp or ftp or the like.
Thanks Tony .. a bit of a memory lapse!
I set upload size to 32Mb in my php.ini file, so I'm ok to that amount
RC
I set upload size to 32Mb in my php.ini file, so I'm ok to that amount
RC
Hi guys,
Here's one for the new guys (like me) who are struggling with this.
I'd been having a little problem with the split screen mode really similar to Tony Beld's up above:
"But when I try and use it, there is no checkbox next to split mode so that I can activate it. Am I missing a step?"
I read and re read and re re read Andy Johnson's reply:
"Thanks for the screen shot. It looks like the reason you are having trouble is that you haven't added any *description* items yet. After you add a description item to the quiz, a radio button will appear in the "split" column which will then let you put the info in the description item into the fixed layer."
But continually thought I was missing something as I thought I had written the description when I first wrote the question. DOH! Wrong!
The description is actually one of the drop down choices available when you write a question. I felt such a groan of "Seth you're sooo stupid
" when I saw it, that I thought I'd share it with everyone else to avoid anyone having to search around in the same way
Once you select a description, fill in the details (and add your audio / video media if that's what you are trying to do) post it over into your quiz using the little >> button, you'll automatically have the option of making it a split screen quiz. Hooray for all the new folk !!!
Here's a screen shot for anyone else having the same trouble:
Here's one for the new guys (like me) who are struggling with this.
I'd been having a little problem with the split screen mode really similar to Tony Beld's up above:
"But when I try and use it, there is no checkbox next to split mode so that I can activate it. Am I missing a step?"
I read and re read and re re read Andy Johnson's reply:
"Thanks for the screen shot. It looks like the reason you are having trouble is that you haven't added any *description* items yet. After you add a description item to the quiz, a radio button will appear in the "split" column which will then let you put the info in the description item into the fixed layer."
But continually thought I was missing something as I thought I had written the description when I first wrote the question. DOH! Wrong!
The description is actually one of the drop down choices available when you write a question. I felt such a groan of "Seth you're sooo stupid
" when I saw it, that I thought I'd share it with everyone else to avoid anyone having to search around in the same way Once you select a description, fill in the details (and add your audio / video media if that's what you are trying to do) post it over into your quiz using the little >> button, you'll automatically have the option of making it a split screen quiz. Hooray for all the new folk !!!
Here's a screen shot for anyone else having the same trouble:
In reply to Seth Dickens
Re: Split Screen Mode for Quiz Released-vers. 1.6 & 1.7
by Andrew Johnson -
Thanks for clarifying that for everyone Seth!
-Andy
-Andy
Hi everyone,
We've been getting some good feedback on this adaptation of the quiz module. Thanks!
Also, we're starting to get enough little pieces to create a version 1.2 so I thought I would start a new thread where we could collect any thoughts of what we want and possible solutions.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
For reference, the original v1 split screen mode code can be found at http://englishforum.sgu.ac.jp/downloads/.
Soon a few minor bugs were fixed (v1.1) and that code can be found at:
http://ept4.sgu.ac.jp/moodle17/splitscreenmodequiz_v1_1.zip
Note: both versions are meant for Moodle 1.6 and 1.7
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'll start by summarizing some of the ideas for improvements.
Peter Ruthven-Stuart added two good ideas (in green) earlier in the forums:
Suggestion #1: the width of the description layer appears to be fixed. This could be a problem if a teacher wants to use a video or graphic larger then the fixed width. So, it would be good if students doing quizzes with a split screen were able to drag the dividing bar to the right (as opposed to scrolling), so that they could see all the video / graphic.
This is something we talked about when designing the module and decided that the first version- to keep things simple – would have a fixed width for the fixed layer. I was thinking of giving teachers control of the width of the fixed layer (i.e. Let them say have many pixels wide it is). Is it possible to make a fixed layer so that it can be dragged into new dimensions? If so, that would be cool too.
Suggestion #2: when previewing the quiz as a teacher, the 'little hand' (the clickable edit icon) is not present in the left layer, as it is in descriptions and questions in the body of the quiz.
Good eye! This should be fixed in the next version of the Split Screen Mode.
Tony Beld also mentioned adding a "Audio to Display" pulldown as well as a "Page to display" pulldown. Currently, the module lets teachers offers a "Video to Display" and a "Image to Display" option.
I'd also like it if teachers had some control of the ORDER in which videos and images are displayed. Currently, it goes in order of appearance (text, image, video). It might be convenient if teachers could order these items differently (for example: image, text, video).
Please use this thread to let us know what other ideas you have and we'll put them together (perhaps the end of March) and update the split screen mode.
Thanks again for all who have contributed!
Andy
We've been getting some good feedback on this adaptation of the quiz module. Thanks!
Also, we're starting to get enough little pieces to create a version 1.2 so I thought I would start a new thread where we could collect any thoughts of what we want and possible solutions.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
For reference, the original v1 split screen mode code can be found at http://englishforum.sgu.ac.jp/downloads/.
Soon a few minor bugs were fixed (v1.1) and that code can be found at:
http://ept4.sgu.ac.jp/moodle17/splitscreenmodequiz_v1_1.zip
Note: both versions are meant for Moodle 1.6 and 1.7
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'll start by summarizing some of the ideas for improvements.
Peter Ruthven-Stuart added two good ideas (in green) earlier in the forums:
Suggestion #1: the width of the description layer appears to be fixed. This could be a problem if a teacher wants to use a video or graphic larger then the fixed width. So, it would be good if students doing quizzes with a split screen were able to drag the dividing bar to the right (as opposed to scrolling), so that they could see all the video / graphic.
This is something we talked about when designing the module and decided that the first version- to keep things simple – would have a fixed width for the fixed layer. I was thinking of giving teachers control of the width of the fixed layer (i.e. Let them say have many pixels wide it is). Is it possible to make a fixed layer so that it can be dragged into new dimensions? If so, that would be cool too.
Suggestion #2: when previewing the quiz as a teacher, the 'little hand' (the clickable edit icon) is not present in the left layer, as it is in descriptions and questions in the body of the quiz.
Good eye! This should be fixed in the next version of the Split Screen Mode.
Tony Beld also mentioned adding a "Audio to Display" pulldown as well as a "Page to display" pulldown. Currently, the module lets teachers offers a "Video to Display" and a "Image to Display" option.
I'd also like it if teachers had some control of the ORDER in which videos and images are displayed. Currently, it goes in order of appearance (text, image, video). It might be convenient if teachers could order these items differently (for example: image, text, video).
Please use this thread to let us know what other ideas you have and we'll put them together (perhaps the end of March) and update the split screen mode.
Thanks again for all who have contributed!
Andy
In reply to Andrew Johnson
Re: Collecting Ideas for Version 2 of Split Screen Mode
by Matt Brabender -
This is a great feature! We are using it for language testing.
I have made the layer wider but haven't been able to find where to make the rest smaller so the new layer overlaps somewhat.
Also, which part of the coding is it that I can add a border to the layer?
I have made the layer wider but haven't been able to find where to make the rest smaller so the new layer overlaps somewhat.
Also, which part of the coding is it that I can add a border to the layer?
In reply to Matt Brabender
Re: Collecting Ideas for Version 2 of Split Screen Mode
by Andrew Johnson -
Off hand I can't tell you where to hack to modify the border. Is this something I should recommend our programmer add - like a border thickness option (0, 1, 2, ... pixels) - for our next version?
Hi Andrew et al.
This is great! Did you guys happen to see my post http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=66215 ?
Is the "Undefined property" showing up for you when debugging is on? Is this one of the bugs? Or am I the only one getting this error?
Like I said in that post, I was able to add .mp3 and .spx to the dropdown and have the mp3 filter and the speex player display but only when not in split mode. I'm not good enough to know what the problem is...
Moodlespeex seems to not have any support anymore so I don't know if it makes sense to include that as well. I still use it but with your great tool I can easily add that for myself. However, if other people think it is worth while, maybe an add audio option that targets .spx, .mp3, and .wav. and returns an appropriate player would be useful.
One last minor suggestion. I think it would be more intuitive and consistent with the Moodle layout if the check box next to Split mode and the help link was a toggle for on and off once one adds a description. And uder Split in the Order# Question name section maybe the text "on" or "off" could show. A minor thing but that was my first instinct when I saw split mode for the first time. Another thing that could be added is a message that comes back alerting that one needs to add a description in order to activate split mode. Maybe supurfluous... I don't know.
For the page to display option, I need to be able to include javascript. Is this a technical issue? Like I said, I would like to be able to work with the Gong API as another recording in a quiz option.
Hi Tony and thanks for the feedback
First, I guess I should say that I am not the actual programmer for this so while I can help with 'easy' bug fixes, much is over my head. For example, I'm clueless about the "undefined property" error (which I haven't seen myself). Basically, we have a paid programmer who helps us with this stuff (which is why i want to amass a reasonable amount of additions before contacting him with changes.)
I agree with you that an "Audio to display" option would be good. I think this was talked about when Don and I were drafting the original proposal and we thought that could be saved for a later version. Like now!
Audio formats: .spx, .mp3, and .wav
Any other requests from anybody?
BTW Tony, did you see the improved version of the split screen mode that could handle mp3 files? It can be found in http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=61067#p299270
You also wrote:
I think it would be more intuitive and consistent with the Moodle layout if the check box next to Split mode and the help link was a toggle for on and off once one adds a description.
I see. Right now, even if no descriptor items have been added, the column heading 'Split' appears with a radio button above it. And this can be confusing. I think your suggestion to add a toggle for turning the Split Mode on and off AFTER a description item has been added is a good one.
For the page to display option, I need to be able to include javascript. Is this a technical issue? Like I said, I would like to be able to work with the Gong API as another recording in a quiz option.
Unfortunately I don't know enough to answer this. Can anyone else help here?
-Andy
First, I guess I should say that I am not the actual programmer for this so while I can help with 'easy' bug fixes, much is over my head. For example, I'm clueless about the "undefined property" error (which I haven't seen myself). Basically, we have a paid programmer who helps us with this stuff (which is why i want to amass a reasonable amount of additions before contacting him with changes.)
I agree with you that an "Audio to display" option would be good. I think this was talked about when Don and I were drafting the original proposal and we thought that could be saved for a later version. Like now!
Audio formats: .spx, .mp3, and .wav
Any other requests from anybody?
BTW Tony, did you see the improved version of the split screen mode that could handle mp3 files? It can be found in http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=61067#p299270
You also wrote:
I think it would be more intuitive and consistent with the Moodle layout if the check box next to Split mode and the help link was a toggle for on and off once one adds a description.
I see. Right now, even if no descriptor items have been added, the column heading 'Split' appears with a radio button above it. And this can be confusing. I think your suggestion to add a toggle for turning the Split Mode on and off AFTER a description item has been added is a good one.
For the page to display option, I need to be able to include javascript. Is this a technical issue? Like I said, I would like to be able to work with the Gong API as another recording in a quiz option.
Unfortunately I don't know enough to answer this. Can anyone else help here?
-Andy
In reply to Andrew Johnson
Re: Collecting Ideas for Version 2 of Split Screen Mode
by Larry Elchuck -
Will the 1.7 version of Split screen mode work ok in moodle 1.8?
larry
larry
In reply to Larry Elchuck
Re: Collecting Ideas for Version 2 of Split Screen Mode
by Matt Brabender -
I may be showing my ignorance here but there seems to be an issue with screen resolution.
I have designed our quizzes using a screen resolution of 1280 x 1024.
When a student runs the quiz in a lower resolution than this, the split layer overlaps the other layer so some text is blocked.
There also seems to be an issue that causes the page to be able to be scrolled infinitely. So you can just keep scrolling down into empty space unless the resolution is set to 1280 x 1024.
Should I be designing everything in 800 x 600 (which I really don't want to do) or is there something I can do?
Is it wrong to specify a resolution for students to use?
I have designed our quizzes using a screen resolution of 1280 x 1024.
When a student runs the quiz in a lower resolution than this, the split layer overlaps the other layer so some text is blocked.
There also seems to be an issue that causes the page to be able to be scrolled infinitely. So you can just keep scrolling down into empty space unless the resolution is set to 1280 x 1024.
Should I be designing everything in 800 x 600 (which I really don't want to do) or is there something I can do?
Is it wrong to specify a resolution for students to use?
In reply to Andrew Johnson
Re: Collecting Ideas for Version 2 of Split Screen Mode
by Jean-Luc Delghust -
This feature looks great, as we're using Moodle for language courses only here at the ILV, and this could be the one improvement that would convince some of our most reluctant colleagues of the added value of Moodle...
I am not a programmer, so I have a few questions:
- We're using Moodle version 1.8.2+ . Would this work on our Moodle Platform? Or is there a version for 1.8 somewhere?
- If we decide to try it, can we uninstall it if it doesn't work, or is there a risk our installation won't work properly anymore?
Thanks in advance for your answers!
I'd definitely provide feedback on our experience with this feature!