WebRespond: Future Enhancements
This is only the first phase of a much larger project. I could list a wide
variety of enhancements and a suite of programs which would support WebRespond;
however, I would like to focus on functionality which may possibly appear
in the next version of WebRespond. At this point it is anticipated that
the next version will be a commercial product. This will make it possible
to accelerate the development process and provide better support for the
program. If you have any suggestions about future enhancements, please
contact the author at gollmers@cedarville.edu
Technical Enhancements
The following enhancements will not expand the functionality of WebRespond;
however, they will improve the performance and robustness of the applet.
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Incorporate Threading - Threading was not used in this version of
WebRespond. Threading should improve performance by loading in the next
question file while the student is reading and answering the current question
file. (Added in Version 2.1)
Increased Functionality
The following enhancements will improve the functionality and options available
in WebRespond.
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Enabling of Links - When the web address for tutorial information
is made available for a particular question, the link is not hot. This
web address should be made hot by catching a click on the text and sending
a message to the web browser to display the specified document.
-
Add a Sound Clip to a Question - This would allow a sound clip to
be placed in the question panel along with the text of the question. The
sound can be played by clicking on a specified button.
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Encryption of master files and quiz files - Each licensed copy of
WebRespond would have a unique encryption code. This would improve password
and question security.
New Question Types and Options
The following are some new question types and optionswhich would be useful.
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Computation Entry - This type is the most challenging and yet the
most useful for math and physics. This question type would randomly generate
numerical values within predetermined bounds and use a formula to calculate
an answer. This answer can be compared with a students entry for correctness.
(Added in Version 2.1)
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Variable Point Values - Currently each question has a point value
of 1. By making each question of an arbitrary point value it will
be possible to assign one point for each textfield in the short answer
question and multiple points for essay questions that contain some, but
not all of the key words or phrases. Currently information pages
can be inserted by using the true/false or multiple choice questions without
any specified correct or incorrect answers. With this option available
these pages could be assigned a zero value.
Support Programs
The following are support applications which will make quiz development
easier.
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Quiz Verifier - This application would automatically run through
the master file and verify that each question can be loaded and that a
sufficient amount of information is made available by each question. This
verifier could then encrypt the master file and question files before they
are submitted to the network.