QuizComposer is an IT-system the purpose of which is to contribute to
the improvement of general knowledge by letting any person having access
to the Internet learn by solving problems (assignments)
via programmed dialogs.
It is also possible to arrange tests and questionnaire surveys.
The assignments are created using a word processor,
e. g. LibreOffice.
Problems can be in hard fact subjects like mathematics, physics and
grammar where an answer to a question can be evaluated by a computer to be
correct or not.
It is, however, also possible to program "pro et contra" dialogs where an
answer is not necessarily right or wrong but where an answer to a question
determines which question to pose next, i. e. dialogs inviting or
provoking the answerer to reason.
A dialog may specify that an incorrect answer to a question should result
in the question being repeated or, alternatively, that another question is
to be presented, in either case possibly with a hint in the form of a text,
an image, a link to a document, etc.
It is also possible to specify that an incorrect answer should result in
the presentation of a simpler problem the answer of which might inspire
the answerer to a correct solution to the original problem.
Correspondingly, a correct answer to a problem may result in the presentation
of a new problem building upon the experience achieved
while solving the previous problem.
The effect of an incorrect answer, e. g. which question to present next, may
depend on the answer.
For answers taking the form of a word or word sequence piecemeal automatic
correction may be specified.
See the examples in
www.student.dtu.dk/~qzcmpsr/html.d/examples-en.htm.
QuizComposer handles many built-in types of answers beyond "multiple-choice"
buttons, for example algebraic formulas.
This permits the creation of problems on any level of mathematics
and science.
One important implication is that assignments to be answered with
numbers become, generally speaking, irrelevant.
Instead the system encourages presenting theory
through problems which motivate an answerer to be inventive or, at least,
to test their ability to guess a solution.
In the future this could result in books on theory being replaced by
collections of problems the solution of which requires a serious effort from
the answerer acquiring of knowledge.
One advantage of these features is that learning may occur autonomously,
at least in part.
Much may be learned independently of access to a teacher and at times and in
the pace suiting the learner best.
This could eliminate a lot of time otherwise wasted in education.
An advantage for teachers is that they are relieved from the work of
correcting assignments, from going over the solutions and from answering
the same answers over and over.
Instead they can concentrate on motivating and inspiring their students.
To this aim teachers are given the possibility of letting the dialogs
be executed in a mode in which all answers are collected.
At any time the teacher can have the answers presented
in a convenient form.
The resources thus saved can be utilized on students needing
extraordinary support.
One advantage for society in general is that access to learning
becomes universal since dialog problems can be made accessible
to anybody over the Internet.
Furthermore, it becomes easier for any experienced person to assist a
less experienced, for example for parents to assist their children
with their homework.
Independence and flexibility is assured by the possibility for
authors of compiling problems and questionnaires into packages for transfer
to other authors and teachers who can then modify the contents to their
need and preference.
A package can be specified to be publicly accessible and to have a short
description attached in order to be search-able.
Collections of packages may constitute libraries of problem dialogs.
QuizComposer is free (gratis), open source, modular and programmed in
easy-to-read languages, which adhere to Internet standards.
The system of programs is structured for use with different national
languages (present messages and examples are in English and danish only).
Any person or institution possessing a suitable Internet server can
relatively easily install a quiz server and register authors who can then
create (or from the Internet load and modify) quizzes and questionnaires.
A QuizComposer server can be set up such that teachers, students and
administrators at an educational institution can use the system
via their "Learning Management System" only.
QuizComposer may be regarded as a supplement to the well-known Wikipedia
project which presents knowledge on static pages.
In comparison QuizComposer gives the reader/learner the possibility of
measuring - and augmenting - her/his level of experience via interaction
with a knowledge base.
In accordance with the aim of being a platform benefiting society
QuizComposer, like Wikipedia, is a non-commercial project the further
development of which must reply on voluntary contributions from those
wishing to advance education and general knowledge in concurrency with
technical progress and with the greatest possible democratic influence
for everybody.
Like all other tools in information technology QuizComposer must be
adapted to progress.
Since it is open source any person is welcome to contribute with
programming, documentation, proposals for new answer types, examples etc.
Guest accounts, with which QuizComposer
can be tried out may be reserved at
this quiz server.
