Some time ago, this project was called "Darts of teacher". We renamed it because "darts" was used. Now, it's called ASKER.
Working as a teacher, one of the most boring taks is check the same exercises again and again, for every student, and every year.
The tests questions allow us to make activities that are automaticaly checked/resolved by software tools, as for example, Moodle cuestionairs. In this case, the teacher will have enough time to waste others tasks, as:
- Analise results with detail.
- Read information about others materials.
- Test new aplications.
- Develop new tools.
- Etc.
In resume, applying more new knowledge to improve his work, trying new ways of doing his job better, finding or redefining activities or lessons contents. Just finding a better way of teaching. And an easier way of learning for the students.
I decide (about 2013) start writing this tool to help me with the process of making test questions from input definition files.
With this tool, I only waste time making this input file. As a teacher I have this knowledge into my mind, so it will be easy. It's the resume, definitions or conceptual entities of the unit I'm teaching.
I've been using this tools several years/courses, teaching computer science. I have a lot of work to improve it and new features to add. It's usefull (for me at least), and hope It'll be for you too.
Disclaimer
I work as a teacher, and I try to do the best I know. But I'm really a programmer. I studied Computer Science.
The 90% of what I've learned, I must thank to Open Source community. The other 10%, It's luck and time wasted working.
The big problem with test questions are that only are usefull to evaluate measurable features. So it is useless when we try measure abstract features or measure open problems. But I think, we can do it with another approach.
I mean, if we get an open and abstract problem, their resolution will consist on several steps or measurable milestones. So we can transform an open problem, into a lot of closed mini-problems. And we have to focus on the measurable aspects.
Besides, if I "bomb" the student with a huge amount of diferent test questions about one concept, probably I could be near of knowing and measuring, the student asimilation of that kownledge.
The task of creating test questions to solve the previous problem, becames another different problem to be solved. When I had to make manually this test questions, it took me a lot of time. And I need a lot.
And usually when I was making the question number 42, I realise that I forgot the content of the 41 previous. I'm loosing time and it's slow.
Finally, I decide to write this tool that help me with the process of making test questions from input definition files.
So I only waste time making an input file. But as a teacher I have this into my mind and it must be a simple job. Because the inpu file it's just a resumed concepts list about the unit I'm teaching.
I've been using this tools several years/courses, teaching computer science. I have a lot of functions to be improved and features to be added. But for now, It's usefull (for me at least), and hope it will be for you too. ;-)
Thanks!
David Vargas