WIRIS Quizzes enhances the existing Question Types of Moodle with new exciting features related to mathematics or sciences in general. Visit the WIRIS Quizzes web page for more information.

This manual assumes that you are familiar with Moodle, especially with the Question Banks and Quizzes. It is advisable to visit Quizzes, Question banks and Question types at the Moodle documentation web site to get more information.

The first example is based on the Multiple Choice question type.

Let’s create a new multiple choice question and fill the fields.

1.      Question name: Factorization of integer numbers

2.      Question text: What's the factorization of #n

3.      Choice 1, Answer: #a

4.      Choice 1, Grade: 100%

5.      Choice 2, Answer: #b

6.      Choice 2, Grade: none

7.      Choice 3, Answer: #c

8.      Choice 3, Grade: none

9.      Click over any “Show Advanced” button. At the end of the page, a WIRIS session will appear where we will type:

Note. To type the repeat … until, go to programming tab in the toolbar and click repeat.

10.  You can type any expression outside of the yellow rectangle and click over  to test the program.

11.  Now, you are ready to “Save changes” and test the question.

From the previous example the following things can be inferred:

1.      The objective of the WIRIS program is defining some variables with mathematical expressions.

2.      The variables can be placed anywhere (question, feedback, …) just by using the symbol # followed by the variable name (#a, #b, ...)

3.      The program has two differentiated parts. The library

and the outside library part

When editing the question, authors can do as many computations as desired outside the library. However, when the question is used by the student, only the library is computed and anything outside the library is ignored, saving server resources.

This example is based in the Short-answer question type. Chose the short-answer question type and fill the fields:

1.      Question name: Simple differentiation test

2.      Question text:  (use the formula editor )

3.      Answer 1, Answer: #b

4.      Answer 1, Grade: 100%

5.      Answer 2, Answer: #c

6.      Answer 2, Grade: 50%

7.      Answer 3, Answer: #d

8.      Answer 3, Grade: 50%

9.      Formula editor: check to true

10.  With the program:

The preview of the question is:

Short-answer question with a partially correct answer

Note the following:

1.      We can use the formula editor in the question. In this case, any variable that has the form #<name> will be expanded by the variable with the same name defined in the program.

2.      If we allow using the WirisEditor in short-answer questions, the response of the question will be typed in the formula editor.

This example in based in short answer question type too. We will use plots and test functions. Choose short answer and fill:

1.      Question name: Third order polynomial roots.

2.      Question text: Which are roots of #p ? #q

3.      Answer 1, Answer: #R

4.      Answer 1, Test function: checked

5.      Answer 1, Test function name: test

6.      Answer 1, Grade: 100%

7.      With the program:

The preview of the question is:

Note that:

1.      The #q variable, which is a plot, is displayed as an image.

2.      The test function will grade our response. As we can see in the program, the correct answer is a list with the three roots (one repeated). If user gives only the two distinct roots (without the repeated one), we give 50% of the score.

3.      The result is a list, and the brackets notation must be used. In this case, Answer: {-4,3,3}

The life-cycle of a question attempt states how an attempt is created, destroyed, graded or kept between the student interactions. Such life-cycle is managed by Moodle. It is important to notice that only if any of the new fields introducted by WIRIS Quizzes is filled by the author of the exercise, WIRIS Quizzes takes part in the life-cycle of the question attempt; otherwise, Moodle takes control of everything.

WIRIS Quizzes only intercepts some of the life-cycle events to perform its functionality. For example, during the following events:

·         Create and initialize attempt. When the question attempt is created, WIRIS Quizzes generates and stores a random seed and calls the program to get the values of the variables.

·         Display question. When the question attempt has to be displayed, all question texts, feedback and formulas that appear in the question are expanded according to the values of the variables. The correct answers are also stored during this event.

·         Grade response. When the response has to be graded, usually Moodle manages everything except in short-answer questions where the grade is done by WIRIS Quizzes. Note that only WIRIS Quizzes has the capability to decide the equivalence of two mathematical expressions. In this case, the random seed generated during the Create and initialize attempt is used again.

After installing WIRIS Quizzes and when editing a question type, a teacher will notice that new fields appear when editing a question type. This section explains which and what these new fields are.

4.2.1      True false question type

After activating  the following fields arise:

Answer: Optional field. The value is a variable name that starts with the symbol # (#a, #value, #answer, etc.). When set, the correct answer will be true or false according to the value of this variable, which is calculated by the program. This allows having a single question whose correct answer can be sometimes true and other times false depending on the question text. This can not be done with the original Moodle true-false questions.

WIRIS program: The WIRIS program that defines the variables that are expanded in any other place of the question.

4.2.2      Multiple Choice question type

The existing fields are modified in the following way:

Answer: we already have said that the variables defined in the program can be written in the answer. An important consequence is that now is possible to add formulas in the answer, which was not possible in any other way.

After activating  the following fields arise:

Override grade: Optional field. The value is a variable that has a value between 0 and 1, inclusive (the current version only admits exactly 0 or 1). When this variable is set, it overrides the corresponding field grade: the field grade is not used but the override grade replaces it. That we need this feature may not be obvious at first glance, but it can be used in the following scenarios:

1.      A given feedback is not longer associated with a given grade.

2.      Change the grade of partial grades (between 0 and 1, exclusive) according to the program.

WIRIS program: The WIRIS program that defines the variables that are expanded in any other place of the question.

4.2.3      Matching question type

The existing fields are modified in the following way:

Answer: same as multiple choice question type. At present formulas are displayed as simple text.

After activating  the following fields arise:

WIRIS program: The WIRIS program that defines the variables that are expanded in any other place of the question.

4.2.4      Short Answer question type

The existing fields are modified in the following way:

Answer: same as multiple choice question type with the difference that multiple variables or test functions can be specified here. Multiple variables or test functions are separated with a white space. To use multiple variables or multiple test functions, the Multiple answers must be selected.

After activating  the following fields arise:

Test function: default value is false. If set to true, a user-defined function is used to grade the response and the Function name field has to be filled. In this case, the Answer field is used to put an example of good answer and will be shown in some cases (for example, when the ‘fill with correct’ option is used in previews), but is not used for grading.

Test function name: The name of the function that will grade the responses. This function has to be defined in the WIRIS program field, with the same name. The notation for such functions is the standard WIRIS notation for functions (look at the WIRIS CAS Programming tab). The return value of these functions can be a boolean (true/false) or a grade between 0 and 1.

Formula editor: default value is false. If set to true, the WIRIS formula editor is used to input the answer and WIRIS Quizzes is responsible for grading. Otherwise, a simple input text is used and the grade is done directly by Moodle matching strings (there is no expression equivalence).

Multiple answers: default is false. To enable this option is also necessary to enable Formula Editor. Some exercises needs more than a single answer. Enabling this option, answers will have the form

            <var1>=<value1>

            <var2>=<value2>

            …

where <var1>, <var2>, .. are the variables specified in the Answer field.

WIRIS CAS: default value is false. If enabled, a WIRIS CAS calculator is displayed in order to help the student compute the answer.

WIRIS program: The WIRIS program that defines the variables and test functions that are expanded in any other place of the question.

4.2.5      Essay question type

Essay questions are graded by the teacher manually. The only field that appears when activating  is the WIRIS program.