Math Syntax

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Fill-in-the-blank math syntax problems

All of the CLASS™ math courses had fill-in-the-blank questions. Initially in CLASS™, the idea was that forcing a student to generate an answer and input this answer using a keyboard might, in some cases, be more educationally sound than giving a list of answers to choose from. The fill-in-the-blank answers, however, inherently cause problems with computer-graded exams and self-checks. For example, a student who types in "two," "2.0," "2.01," or "1.999" instead of just "2" may score an incorrect answer, while he or she may technically be correct. Alternatively, a student typing in "b + a = c" or "c = a + b", instead of "a + b = c," may score an incorrect answer, while he or she may be technically correct. Programming a computer to accept a large range of possible answers on an exam or self-check is not only time consuming, but nearly impossible to do.

Furthermore, an algebraic answer of can yield innumerable and quite impossible keyboard entries.

Generally, when specific directions and examples of correct/incorrect answer entries were given for fill-in-the-blank questions, syntax errors were often avoided. However, many students found the fill-in-the-blank questions to be a source of frustration, despite clear directions and examples.

There is now a general consensus that fill-in-the blank questions for any on-line math course should be avoided. The only alternative for a math course to contain numerous fill-in-the-blank questions would be for the course to have a software program that allows the student to input a mathematical answer via keyboard and then converts this entry into mathematical form. For example, the student might enter x(2x^2-3/4y-|16) and then click

on a math syntax button which displays this input as . If this is the

answer that the student had intended to give, he or she would have the choice of accepting it or altering it until it was correct. One math syntax software program in existence, E-grade™ , was developed at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

If fill-in-the-blank questions are used, it is recommended these questions are used sparingly with clear directions and specific examples of keyboard input because of the unique math syntax involved.

Spanish Courses – The Accent Dilemma

Hypertext markup language (HTML) code is not very adept at portraying unusual markings, such as language accents. Accents have to be written into the HTML code, and they can be misread by different browsers or by computers whose preferred font varies from the one we are using. Most of the problems with the use of accents in the CLASS™ Spanish course were due to the commitment to using all browsers and all platforms. To combat the problem, CLASS™ developers spent several months trying to create a dynamic window that would allow students to easily copy the accents into their answers. The cross-platform cross-browser solution was a simple HTML code that gave students a box of Spanish markings they could copy and paste.

Unfortunately, this solution was not without problems either. Students had to be careful not to include any spaces in the material they copied and pasted from the box as the computer would count the extra spaces wrong. Students using a Mac could even get thrown out of the exam trying to copy and paste accent marks if they held the mouse down too long. An extra note had to be added to the exam warning Mac users of that.

There was another unpleasant surprise that occurred also! By accident it was discovered that, when the HTML code for markings was in an exam or a notebook, every major alteration to the databases could cause a change in the code. For example, when the computer-graded assessments were transferred to a new server, all the marking code was lost and had to be redone!

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