HI Gerd, For my part I consider working in the Edit XML environment much more efficient than using the colorful editor. I do not mind the psychedelic colors but making choices and reloading the page over and over again is not nearly as efficient as working directly in the text-based code. Whatever else comes along, I hope that the option of directly editing the code is not removed. Even with AJAX so that the whole colorful editor page does not have to reload again and again, it's still far less efficient, I feel, to put text in distinct boxes. When I have used the colorful editor, it's been when I was learning or when I'm checking parameter names or syntax -- doing a quick sample problem, setting the features or parameters I want and then copying the relevant xml to work with.
I *do* see the need for what you are asking about -- a user-friendly fill-in-the box, select-the-options type of interface that will help people intimidated by code take the step of engaging with Lon-Capa. Not reloading the page for every change is essential for that I think. Also perhaps streamlining. I know or am pretty sure that right now you can do everything in the colorful editor that you can do just editing xml. Would it be possible to identify the problem types and options that would meet the needs of 80% of the users who come to the colorful editor and then include other options under an "Advanced Options" tab or something? If I look at the "Insert" drop-down list, for example, it has a raft-load of possibilities but I'd guess that most are not relevant to the average user using the colorful editor and add to confusion/intimidation especially for beginners. Gerd, I'm always very impressed at your facility with the colorful editor and can see that you quickly and efficiently can accomplish anything from there. You're obviously not an average user :-) The text there perhaps could provide more guidance -- if I'm using the colorful editor, I don't need to know that I'm adding a "Block for After Solved" -- I need, perhaps under the Advanced tab, an option to add messages before the problem has been attempted, when it's been attempted but wrong, when it's been answered correctly, any time before the due date and after the due date. Maybe that's all grouped in a Messages category where I click a checkbox for which type of message or messages I want to add, a text box appears beneath, and I type in my message for each type I'm adding. Things like that I think would make it more user-friendly for those who want that type of interface. Usability study: you want to create a multiple choice question with additional notes for after it's been answered correctly. How would you do it? You want to create a math problem that provides a range of random values for the diameter of a circle and asks students to provide the area of the circle within a tolerance of 2% and gives a reminder of the appropriate formula to use after 2 incorrect attempts. How would you do it? OR better yet, using data you may already have or results of a user survey, identifying which tasks colorful editor users (or potential users) or most apt to want to do and work from there. Doug Douglas Mills Director of Instructional Technologies Department of Chemistry University of Illinois dmi...@illinois.edu (217) 244-5739 On 10/9/14, 12:09 PM, "Gerd Kortemeyer" <ko...@lite.msu.edu> wrote: >Hi, > >We are trying to figure out how the next generation content/problem >editor should work, and we really need input. > >1) We notice that the colorful editor is not used very often. Apart from >the psychedelic colors, why is that? What¹s the problem with it? > >2) Is there anything good about the colorful editor? > >3) We always hear ³WYSIWYG,² but when you really think about it, that¹s >quite impossible: LON-CAPA problems have deep structure, and there is a >lot that ³you do not see,² but that¹s important: parameters, scripts, Š >how would ³WYSIWYG" look in this scenario? > >4) Think about the whole workflow of authoring problems: What is >important? What do you need? How can the whole process of authoring be >streamlined? > >5) Do you know of any editor on the web that is approximately doing what >we need? Some good design examples for us to look at? > >Anyway, please discuss on the list now. We do not have the developer >capacity to allow us the luxury of going down the wrong track. > >- Gerd. >_______________________________________________ >LON-CAPA-users mailing list >LON-CAPA-users@mail.lon-capa.org >http://mail.lon-capa.org/mailman/listinfo/lon-capa-users _______________________________________________ LON-CAPA-users mailing list LON-CAPA-users@mail.lon-capa.org http://mail.lon-capa.org/mailman/listinfo/lon-capa-users
