FX QAA General Structure

Overview

The IGP:FoundationXHTML QAA block structures makes complex interactive Q&A relatively simple to produce. There are nine highly configurable standard FX-QAA pattern options available.

QAA is also designed to render effectively in print with both answer and marking sheets available.

The nine FX-QAA semantic patterns are:

1. True False
2. True False Multi
3. Choose from (Multichoice)
4. Select all (Multiselect)
5. Association (Match)
6. Sequence
7. Text Match
8. Text Match multi
9. Sort-word Multi

In addition there is a FX-QAA-set structure that can be used to wrap any combination of FX-QAA items to create an evaluated test.

These articles do not try and instruct on the best techniques and methods to author, create and use interactive evaluation, they are focused on the mechanics of getting it available as easily as possible.

The QAA XHTML Structure

There are three major components:

Question block. This contains the lists of selection choices a user can make within any interaction. If the question is a simple selection type this block only contains Option Source: Examples are True/False and multi-choice. If it is a more complex association or sequence type this block contains Option Source and Option Target. Examples are: Association and Sequence.

User controls. Buttons for Check, Try Again, Reset, Show Answers and associated feedback messages

Question Control block. Stores the answer map and evaluation criteria. If required the Question Control block can be stored separately and independently from the question with just ID association.

QAA General Structure

The FX-QAA structure is consistent across all pattern types. This makes it easy to associate Javascript controls.

User Visible Structures

Question Options

All of the FX-QAA structures are objective and therefore have user selectable options. The primary user interface options are called option sources. If a correct option-source pattern is selected by the user the question will evaluate to correct.

Where the answer is determined by associating two items there are option-targets. In this case if the correct option-source to option-target pattern is created the question will evaluate to correct.

Buttons and Feedback

Every question can optionally have any combination of the following:

Check - Check to see if the answer has been answered correctly.

Answer - Show the correct answer for the question

Try Again - Set the question back to pre-evaluation for components that have not been answered correctly.

Reset - set the question back to the ready to answer state.

There are three standard optional feedback messages. Every question can have custom feedback messages or interactions:

Correct - A statement or reward interaction for getting an answer correct. This can be text, or it can be interactive animated rewards.

Wrong - A statement for informing the user the answer choice was wrong. This can be text, or it can be interactive

Reinforcement - Extended optional statement that can be used when a user makes a wrong answer choice. This can be any type of content and the objective of using this is to encourage the learner to review a lesson or even to directly explain the why of the correct answer. How this is used generally depends on the target age group, and whether the question is being used for self-paced learning, or some type of testing.

Hidden structures

Answer Map

The Answer map is configured for the evaluation of the users source and target interactions. The answer map can be quite complex with text based questions and allows the inclusion in answers of similes, phrases, different case combinations and also punctuation variants (Eg: I've, I have).

A FX-QAA evaluated answer can be allocated a score. This can include scores for correct and wrong answers. Scores can be negative. This is particularly useful when a QAA-Set is being used in test mode.

Correct Score - A score associated with a question for any reason such as difficulty. For example one question can be worth 5 points, another only 1 point. The total score for a test is the sum of all the Correct Scores.

Wrong Score - for demanding training environments where there is a body of mandatory knowledge which must be known, negative wrong scores can be allocated. In this case the total wrong score for a test is the sum of all the Wrong Scores.

Question Control - feedback

The Feedback map controls if and when feedback is given. Feedback can be enabled or disabled. It is typically active by default. In a test where results are submitted to a URL there would be no feedback other than acknowledgement of completion.

Question Control - Evaluation

Evaluation can be carried out interactively in the user's device, or on a server for a text or exam scenario.

Question Control - Results

This option controls what happens to the results for a question. In an extended test results must be stored in memory until all questions have been answered. Result presentation is then at the end of the test.

Optionally if results are to be persistent then the application must know the storage strategy and location. It can be local or a URI.