Summary
With an import question pool feature pending in Samigo, it is desirable to be able to migrate an instructor's questions from MyUCDavis Quiz Builder to SmartSite Tests & Quizzes.
Quiz Builder stores all questions in a single question pool, but gives the instructor an option of organizing subsets of these questions in a collection. In Tests & Quizzes, there is no primary question pool. For migration purposes, collections and subpools represent the same concept in two different systems.
Some instructors do not use collections, so for ease of use, will need the ability to export their entire question pool. Other instructors use collections heavily and may prefer to export their questions in pre-organized sets. Therefore, both Export Question Pool and Export Collection functions will be developed in Quiz Builder to allow instructors to import either as a question pool.
Phases
Documentation
Design Specification
The goals for the Quiz Builder question pool export design are as follows:
1. Minimal code changes to Quiz Builder. Since the quizzing function in MyUCDavis is no longer being developed, the simplest functionality to achieve the result is desirable.
2. Simple export functionality consistent with the existing export quiz function.
3. The export process must document content changes from one system to the other.
4. Exported content must be consistent with the current Samigo import requirements.
Faculty who use the Edit/Browse Questions and Edit/Browse Collections features are already familiar with MyUCDavis functionality. It's desirable to limit changes to make the new exports easy for faculty to access and use. If faculty are migrating their Quiz Builder content, then having the export quiz, question pool or collection UI and functionality consistent will minimize the amount of learning required to use these functions.
The export process needs to inform faculty of any content that will not be exported and any differences between Quiz Builder and Tests & Quizzes. The export process needs to be as close to a one-button process as possible. Finally, the content must be exported in a format that is readily consumable by Tests & Quizzes, i.e., that requires no modifications by faculty for the import to succeed.
GUI Review: Export Question Pool
The existing default screen for Edit/Browse Questions is the Browse Questions screen which allows the user to select questions from their pool list.
I propose to add a link entitled 'Export Question Pool' beneath the 'Edit Question' and 'Copy Question' under the list of questions. When the user selects this link, a new window will open, similar to the export quiz window. The new window will be entitled 'Question Pool Export for username' where the user's first and last name are in place of username. Download instructions will appear next, followed by detailed information under Question Pool Export Notes. Details listed will include any media associated with the questions, listing question types that will not be translated (i.e., calculated questions) and how the questions differ between Quiz Builder and Samigo.
Pressing the Download button will generate a Samigo-compliant xml file which will be exported to the user's local machine. A separate download in the media listing under Question Pool Export Notes will download a ZIP file with any media files associated with the pool questions.
GUI Review: Export Collection
The existing default screen for Edit/Browse Collections is the New Collection screen which allows the user to create a new collection from their list of questions. When selecting an existing collection, the screen changes to show the name of the collection and to allow additional links for the functions Delete Collection and/or Add Collection to Quiz.
I propose to add a link entitled 'Export Collection' to the list of collection functions for an existing collection. When the user selects this link, a new window will open, similar to the export quiz window. The new window will be entitled 'Collection Export: collectionname' where the collection name is displayed in place of collectionname. Download instructions will appear next, followed by detailed information under Collection Export Notes. Details listed will include any media associated with the questions, listing question types that will not be translated (i.e., calculated questions) and how the questions differ between Quiz Builder and Samigo.
Pressing the Download button will generate a Samigo-compliant xml file which will be exported to the user's local machine. A separate download in the media listing under Collection Export Notes will download a ZIP file with any media files associated with the pool questions.
Code Functionality
Currently, the MyUCDavis cms runs on ColdFusion MX 6 with an Oracle database. New code for exporting question pools will use the existing environment and will include ColdFusion code, CF components, and JavaScript. The export file generated via download will be Samigo-compliant XML.
File Name |
Proposed Addition/Modification |
|---|---|
/login/CourseManagement/quiz/qz_win_ques_list.cfm |
Modifications to add the Export Question Pool link to this page will be limited to code where mode=question, since this same list box is used for questions and quizzes under various pages. Code modifications include adding a link with JavaScript functionality to open a new window. No query calls will be made from this page. |
/login/CourseManagement/quiz/qz_col_title.cfm |
Modifications to add the Export Collection link to this page will be limited to code for editing an existing collection. Code modifications include adding a link with JavaScript functionality to open a new window. No query calls will be made from this page. |
/login/CourseManagement/quiz/qz_quiz_exportxml.cfm |
This file is currently used to display export instructions including a Download button and link for the export xml and media zip files. Text will be added to the reflect information specific to a question pool or collection rather than a quiz. Text will be visible based on a variable passed in through the new window link. |
/login/CourseManagement/quiz/qz_quiz_exportxml.cfc |
This component file contains functions for generating quiz information in string or array formats for delivery to the xml file generation page. Additional functions will be added to pull and format the questions for a user's question pool or collection. |
/login/CourseManagement/quiz/qz_quiz_exportxmldoc.cfm |
This file generates the downloadable xml file for a quiz/assessment. This file will be modified to allow question pool or collection data to be delivered in the same downloadable xml format. |