A MALLARD TUTORIAL

Writing Mallard Questions

This tutorial will lead you through the creation of some simple questions and the construction of a quiz. Although most of these sample questions are just multiple choice, the extension to other types of questions should be evident. Placing the quiz on the Lessons Page will automatically place the quiz in the Mallard gradebook (unless it is invisible).

Creating a New Question

Start at the Mallard HOMEPAGE.
Click on QUESTION MANAGER.

Go to "Create Online a New Question or Version:"
Enter Mallard filename (Mallard ID)1:   sample_mc
Click on CREATE QUESTION OR VERSION

In the blank provided2, type the following text:

Summers in Illinois are
<input type=multiple_choice>
hot
cold
</input>
<answer>
1
</answer>

Click on SAVE CHANGES below the edit window.

The box at the top of the page gives your Question ID and buttons to allow you to view the question source, try the question, or edit the question.
Click on TRY

Answer the question correctly (select "hot"), and click on CHECK ANSWER.
On the graded page, note that the answer you selected is displayed in green and has a green checkmark, indicating that you answered correctly. Your (raw) score of 100% for this question is indicated.

To try the question again, use the browser BACK button or else click on TRY in the box at the top of the WebQuestion Grade page.

Answer the question incorrectly (select "cold"), and click on CHECK ANSWER.
On the graded page, note that the answer you selected is displayed in red and has a red "x", indicating that you answered incorrectly. Your (raw) score of 0% for this question is indicated.

1All Mallard filenames (names for questions, course materials, quizzes, images, etc.) must begin with a letter and consist of only letters, numbers, and underscores ("_"). Note that since blank spaces are not allowed, the underscore is typically used in place of a blank. In this first example, the Mallard filename "sample_mc" was chosen as shorthand for "sample multiple choice" (i.e., "sample mc").

2You can adjust the width and height of the edit window by accessing the USER CONFIGURATION page, available from the Mallard user HOMEPAGE.

Editing a Question/Use of Parameters

Access an Existing Question

We will now edit the question sample_mc we have just created. The question can be accessed through the Question Browser or the Question Manager. This time, let's use the Question Browser.

From the Mallard HOMEPAGE, click on BROWSERS. (Alternatively, you may click on BROWSERS in the navigation bar which appears at the bottom of developer pages.)

Locate the Question Browser section.

Select "questions matching..." and enter sample* in the blank.
Click on BROWSE QUESTIONS.

Mallard will present a list of all questions whose titles start with "sample".
Locate the appropriate question and click on EDIT.

Parameters: Display=Pulldown and Choice_Text= ...

Insert <param display=pulldown> between the <input></input> tags. This will cause Mallard to display the various response options in a pulldown list rather than in bullet-list format. At the same time, let's modify our possible responses and add a third alternative.

Summers in Illinois are
<input type=multiple_choice>
<param display=pulldown>
too hot
too cold
just right
</input>
<answer>
1
</answer>

Click on SAVE CHANGES.

Click on TRY.
Play around a bit, answering things right or wrong.

Note: With a pulldown display, you can display text to the user. Re-edit the question and insert "choice_text='Please make a selection!'>" into the "<param   ...   >" as follows:

<param display=pulldown choice_text='Please make a selection!'>

Click on SAVE CHANGES.

Click on TRY and view the pulldown text you just added.

Parameter: Shuffle=yes

Now re-edit the same question and add another parameter: insert "shuffle=yes" as follows:

Summers in Illinois are
<input type=multiple_choice>
<param display=pulldown choice_text='Please make a selection!'>
<param shuffle=yes>
too hot
too cold
just right
</input>
<answer>
1
</answer>

The shuffle parameter tells Mallard to randomly choose the order of presentation of the possible answers. In other words, a student might one time see

too hot
too cold
just right

and the next time see

too cold
just right
too hot

Use of the shuffle parameter givess you to "a bit more mileage" from multiple choice questions. Letting Mallard randomly select which answers to display gives you even more functionality.

Parameter Syntax Variations

Parameters can be specified within the tags. The following illustrate syntax variations that are supported:

Summers in Illinois are
<input type=multiple_choice shuffle=yes display=pulldown>
<param choice_text='Please make a selection!'>
too hot
too cold
just right
</input>
<answer>
1
</answer>

or

Summers in Illinois are
<input type=multiple_choice>
<param display=pulldown>
<param choice_text='Please make a selection!'>
<param name=shuffle value=yes>
too hot
too cold
just right
</input>
<answer>
1
</answer>

Creating Another New Question/Feedback and Hints

We will now create a second question and use hints and feedback. To make it more interesting, the question will actually consist of two inputs: one arithmetic (requiring a numerical response) and the other multiple_choice. Moreover, notice how input blanks can be inserted in the middle of a single line of text.

Starting from the HOMEPAGE, click on QUESTION MANAGER.

Go to "Create Online a New Question or Version:"
Enter Mallard filename: new_england_mc
Click on CREATE QUESTION OR VERSION.

In the blank provided, type the following text:

There are
<input type=arith size=5 feedback=high>
</input>
<answer>
6
</answer>
states in New England.
<hint>
Specify the <i>number</i> of states there are in New England.
</hint>
<P>
Which of the following states is <B>not</B> in New England?
<input type=multiple_choice>
Connecticut
New Hampshire
New York
Rhode Island
</input>
<answer>
3
</answer>

Click on SAVE CHANGES. TRY the question, and get the answers wrong.

The feedback parameter tells Mallard how much feedback a student should receive if she has a wrong answer. By default, feedback=low and the student response is marked as totally correct or else wrong. Setting feedback=high tells Mallard to give the student the answer.

It may not be clear that a numerical response is expected for the first input blank, so a hint has been added to clarify this. (The hint could contain a picture of the United States, with the New England states shaded.) You might wish to replace the <hint> ... </hint> lines by the following:

A
<hint link_text="bit of help">
Specify the <i>number</i> of states there are in New England.
</hint>
is available.

Click on SAVE CHANGES.
TRY the question and check out the hint.

Multiple Versions/Instructor Feedback

Now you should create a question with (in this case) 3 different versions. In particular, go to the QUESTION MANAGER page and create a question named french_colors. Enter the following:

In French: yellow is
<input type=multiple_choice >
jaune
vert
rouge
blanc
noir
</input>
<answer>
1
<if answer = 1>Good job!</if>
<if answer = 2>Vert is French for green.</if>
<if answer = 3>Rouge is French for red.</if>
<if answer = 4>Blanc is French for white.</if>
<if answer = 5>Noir is French for black.</if>
</answer>

Click on SAVE CHANGES.
Click on TRY. Try the question several times and observe the question feedback you get with wrong answers. When you are certain there are no errors, then you can proceed to the creation of the second version.

Click on the QUESTION MANAGER ICON in the left icon bar.

Again go to "Create Online a New Question or Version:"
Again enter the Mallard question ID french_colors.
Click on CREATE QUESTION OR VERSION.

A page will be displayed which tells you that this question already exists and asks you to confirm that you wish to create a new version and copy version 1 into the new version.
Click on CREATE NEW VERSION.
Now edit this new version of french_colors in order to produce the following:

In French: green is
<input type=multiple_choice >
jaune
vert
rouge
blanc
noir
</input>
<answer>
2
<if answer = 1>Jaune is French for yellow.</if>
<if answer = 2>Good job!</if>
<if answer = 3>Rouge is French for red.</if>
<if answer = 4>Blanc is French for white.</if>
<if answer = 5>Noir is French for black.</if>
</answer>

Click on SAVE CHANGES and again return to the QUESTION MANAGER page.
Create a third version of french_colors:

In French: white is
<input type=multiple_choice >
jaune
vert
rouge
blanc
noir
</input>
<answer>
4
<if answer = 1>Jaune is French for yellow.</if>
<if answer = 2>Vert is French for green.</if>
<if answer = 3>Rouge is French for red.</if>
<if answer = 4>Good job!</if>
<if answer = 5>Noir is French for black.</if>
</answer>

Constructing a Quiz

From the HOMEPAGE, click on QUIZ MANAGER.

Go to "Create a New Quiz":
Enter the Mallard quiz name:   mc_examples
Enter number of question pools:   2
Click on CREATE QUIZ

Click on CHANGE QUIZ at bottom of page.
You have created a quiz which presents the student with 2 questions to answer. Recalling that there are 2 alternatives for the first question (sample_mc or new_england_mc) and 3 choices for the second question (french_colors), you have in effect created 6 different quizzes.

Click on TRY QUIZ.
After trying the quiz, click on NEW QUIZ at the bottom of the graded quiz page. You are unlikely to see the exact same questions when you reload a new quiz. Depending on the grade policy chosen, you can, in fact, guarantee that a student will always see different questions when she retakes a quiz - until the supply of new questions is exhausted.

Your quiz has been constructed, but it cannot be made available to students until its structure has been "finalized". When you are certain that there are no more structural changes to be made (e.g. a change in choice of questions or grade policy), then you need to re-edit the quiz and finalize it:
Finalize the structure of this quiz? Select "yes!"
A JavaScript window will pop open and ask you to confirm that you are certain you wish to finalize the quiz. If you are, then click on OK.
If you have no other changes to make, then click on CHANGE QUIZ.

Putting the Quiz on the Lessons Page

From the HOMEPAGE, click on EDIT LESSONS PAGE.

In the edit box provided, add the following (at the top of the page): 

     <lesson title='My First Quiz'>
        <quiz src=mc_examples duedate="12/25/98:17:00"
status=available>
     </lesson>
Click on SAVE CHANGES.

Your quiz mc_examples is now on the Lessons Page within a lesson called "My First Quiz". Its duedate has been set to 5 pm on December 25, and it is available. (A quiz cannot be made available to students until it has been finalized.)

Comments? Questions? General harassment? Mail it to maiko@wocket.csl.uiuc.edu