WirisQuizzes User Interface

In Short answer questions, you can ask for more than one answer to a single question. You can choose to grade the whole question as incorrect if any of the answers are not accurate or give each answer a weight in the grade. For more details, see this page: Compound answer.

The Answer input method section is divided into three. The first one is named Answer input field.

Here, you can choose the answer field for the student from the following options:

One of the above three is always selected. Below, you can find the second subsection named Auxiliary input.

Here, you can choose what kind of additional entry you want to offer to the students. There are also three options:

One of the above three is always selected. Below, you can find the final subsection named Initial content.

Here you can decide whether you want to lock the initial content or not. If this setting is enabled, the student will only be able to fill in the boxes of the initial content.

Finally, you can find the Input syntax section, where you select what kind of input is expected from the student and how the correct answer is validated against the student answer. The primary function of many of the options is to decide how syntax checking works on the student side. For example, [0,1) is usually highlighted as the incorrect syntax unless we choose the Intervals option. The section is divided into several parts, explained below.

Firstly, you can choose which symbols are recognized as mathematical constants instead of variables (e.g., if $i$ is enabled, then $i^2$ will be understood as –1). You can also define more constants at the Define random variables and functions pannel.

Secondly, you can choose which function names are recognized by their usual meaning (e.g., if exp/log is enabled, then "ln(2)" will be understood and calculated as 0.6931...).

Then, you can choose which units are recognized. Notice that any of them is selected by default; you will have to enable manually those units in which you are interested.

In addition, you can also choose which unit prefixes are recognized. Again, you have to enable it manually, as they are all unselected by default.

Afterwards, you can define which of the following constructions are allowed as correct answers.

You can see a detailed description of each construction in the table below.

Finally, you can decide which symbols act as separators by choosing the meaning of point, comma, and space symbols. Additionally, you can use apostrophes ' for decimal marks. You only have to check that º'" are unselected as units of measure.

Once you have decided what format you expect the student answer to be in, you have a few options for how their response should be compared to the correct one.

You can see a detailed description of each option in the table below.

In the Numbers section, we specify the tolerance criteria used to compare the student's answer and the correct answer. These settings apply globally (to the entire question), and they are divided into four. Firstly, you need to choose if you want the answer to be symbolic or not.

If you select this option, any answer expressed with decimal numbers will be graded as incorrect. It must be a combination of operations, fractions, roots, and functions to do so. If it's enabled, it will be the only option available.

Otherwise, you can specify the tolerance criteria used to compare the student's answer and the correct answer.

You can choose between the three possible options:

Below, you can choose the format in which you want to require the student's answer.

You can choose between the three possible options:

Below, you can define a precision that requires the student's answer. It allows you to check the minimum and the maximum number of significant figures or decimal places the student answer must-have.

Sometimes it's not just the value of the answer that's important, but also its form. This usually happens when you teach basic algebraic manipulation and want the answer in a particular format.

You can see a detailed description of each option in the table below.

Variables are defined by writing a name for a variable next to the pound symbol # and the minimum and maximum value between which it's comprised.

There are two details to note:

Those are the basics of how variables function inside of WirisQuizzes Studio works. What's very important, though, is to know how to use these variables outside of Studio.

To include a variable anywhere within a question type, write a pound symbol # followed by the name of the variable (e.g. #a). So we could include the above values in a question just like this:

This would appear to the student as:

When defining the question's correct answer, we can expect the corresponding expression to be displayed as we have written it, or we want to evaluate it before showing the result to the students. To do so, we need to use the evaluate() command and insert the variables to be simplified as its argument.

If we don't use the command mentioned above and just type $\sqrt{\#a^2+\#b^2}$, the correct answer will be displayed, as you can see below.

It won't suppose any validation problem, as the student's answer will be compared following the corresponding assertions as usual. We only recommend using the evaluate() command to display the correct answer in a more compact way.

You can automatically convert these basic random variables to the advanced mode if you wish. Thus, you will be able to add more variables and restrictions using all CalcMe resources.

Below you will find a detailed description of how CalcMe works within WirisQuizzes Studio.

Variables are defined by writing a name for a variable, an equal sign, and an expression on the right-hand side. For example:

Within this field, variables can be manipulated and acted on, and new variables can be defined from old ones, just as on paper. For instance:

There are two details to note:

Algorithm language

The algorithm field is available in multiple languages. By default, the language of the CAS will be the same as Moodle or English as the fallback. But you can choose another one of the available languages.

If you change the CalcMe language, then any existing algorithm will be automatically translated. This is very useful if you have algorithms in other languages, like the ones in the STEM collection.

Those are the basics of how variables function inside of WirisQuizzes Studio works. What's very important, though, is to know how to use these variables outside of Studio.

To include a variable anywhere within a question type, write a pound symbol # followed by the name of the variable (e.g. #a). So we could include the above polynomial in a question just like this:

This would appear to the student as:

Perhaps the most important use of variables is introducing randomness in a question. There is a simple instruction in CalcMe that generates random numbers, random(). For example,

Generates a random number between -10 and 10. This could then be used in the question text, as we have seen. The result is that each time the question is opened, a random value for a is used. So, students viewing the same question will see potentially different values.

Different countries, education levels, or textbooks use different notations. You can configure some output options in the Application settings section inside CalcMe to better match the notation you use.

These options apply only to the values generated in the Algorithm field, i.e. the variables. All generated values will be in the same notation; you can not create values in different notations.

Imaginary unit

Choose between i and j (often used in electrical engineering).

Times operator

Choose between middle dot · and cross x. Set Implicit to hide all non-necessary products, that is, implicit products.

Precision

Precision must be an integer between 1 and 15 included, and it can be set as Significant figures or Decimal places. By default, it is Precision = 4 significant figures.

All notations usually imply a rounding. When rounding, the rule used for tie-breaking is half-up.

Tip

Visit our dedicated page for complete detailed information about tolerance, precision, and notation.

Notation

These notations apply only to decimal numbers. Numbers and expressions without a decimal point are exact, so these notations don't apply to them. You can always convert an explicit expression to decimal by multiplying by 1.0 , for instance.

Tip

Visit our dedicated page for complete detailed information about tolerance, precision, and notation.

Decimal

Choose the symbol for the decimal mark. Available options depend on the Validation options section symbols in Options... > Separators marked as Decimal digits. Trailing decimal points of integer numbers are never shown.

Thousands

Choose the symbol for the digit groups separator, that is, thousands separator. Available options depend on the Validation options section symbols in Options... > Separators marked as Digit groups.

List items

Choose the symbol for the list items separator. Available options depend on the Validation options section symbols in Options... > Separators marked as List items.