Essay question - richer text editor

Submitted by Beatriz Rojo on Wed, 10/30/2019 - 11:32
Beatriz Rojo's picture
Forums: 
Feature requests

I find the essay question really good, much better than the one from Moodle. What I miss is a richer editor, where pictures and links can be inserted in either the introduction text, the question text, the help text, or the sample text. In my scenarios, sometimes the sample solution is a screenshot of a interface, so that learners can compare it with what they got. Changing the editor would then completely fit my needs!

Thanks for the awesome tool!

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BV52's picture

BV52

Wed, 10/30/2019 - 17:14

Hi Beatriz,

Thank you for your suggestion.

This content was contributed by Otacke and although he frequents the forum it is best to post requests for this content type in it's Github repository.

Beatriz Rojo's picture

Beatriz Rojo

Thu, 10/31/2019 - 08:59

Thanks BV52, he contacted me :)

otacke's picture

otacke

Wed, 10/30/2019 - 17:56

Hi Beatriz!

I definitely won't extend the editor beyond the capabilities that the core of H5P offers (it is not supporting images for example). But if you describe the use case some more, we could figure out if there's a solution that makes sense for a lot of people. The editor of Essay is quite bloated already (the version in review has some more options than you see right now) and I don't want to push it down this road further.

Best,

Oliver 

Beatriz Rojo's picture

Beatriz Rojo

Thu, 10/31/2019 - 09:08

Hi Oliver, thanks for contacting me so quickly :)

My scenario is the following: the sample solution is not only a pure written text, but it includes (also or exclusively) an image of the interface of the tool we are testing on, or a video portraying the steps to perform some specific functions. Or a video showing how to manipulate the back-end version of a tool.

Ideally, it'd be a file embedded in the sample solution field. I have been reflecting on it and a link would also suffice. I'd then link to a hidden but available resource in the Moodle course. I can do that in the Introduction field of the Sample solution field, but not on the Sample solution field. Why is it not possible to use the same editor in both fields? I know nothing about programming or the like, but I suppose that it's about using the same editor in one section and in the other.

Thanks for your thoughts!

Attachments: 
Image icon Screenshot 2019-10-31 at 09.04.21.png
Image icon Screenshot 2019-10-31 at 09.04.14.png
otacke's picture

otacke

Thu, 10/31/2019 - 18:34

Hi Beatriz!

It is not a technical question. The text that the students enter can't contain links, so in general there's no direct necessity for the sample solution text to contain links. If it's just about that: Support for links was added to that field 10 months ago, but it's still in Joubel's release process.

I still don't understand, however, how an image or even a video within the sample solution would help with giving feedback on the text that the students wrote.

Best,
Oliver

Cheers,
Oliver

Beatriz Rojo's picture

Beatriz Rojo

Tue, 11/12/2019 - 13:30

Hi Oliver,

thanks for the information regarding support for links, great to know! Regarding your last question, you pointed at the features of my scenario with the words "text that the students wrote". In some cases, the outcome/the artifact that students need to produce is not a text in the traditional form that we think of, but rather different ways to reach a solution. While it's true that such ill-defined questions might not be optimal for an essay question type, we would like to give the students some automatic feedback on their performance.

I think I need some workarounds for that or simply thinking of different task design. 

Thanks a lot!

otacke's picture

otacke

Tue, 11/12/2019 - 16:07

Hi Beatriz!

"In some cases, the outcome/the artifact that students need to produce is not a text in the traditional form that we think of, but rather different ways to reach a solution."

So, how would a solution look like? What input is expected by the students?

Best,
Oliver

Beatriz Rojo's picture

Beatriz Rojo

Tue, 11/12/2019 - 17:32

Hi Oliver,

in some cases, it will be manipulating a network. This implies accessing the hosts, and/or also the firewalls, by writing different commands so that the requested change or fix or debug is performed. In such cases, a super feature would be that the students can submit their answer as a video file (a screencast) and compare it with the sample solution, which would be also a video file. This is possible in the Moodle essay question type, but, unfortunately, the Moodle essay question type doesn't allow (yet) to display a sample solution.

Another scenario would include the trainers manipulating the interface to perform a specific function or to access specific information. The recording of their performance would be more efficient than their describing the steps.

Does it help you to understand better the learning settings?

Best,

Beatriz

otacke's picture

otacke

Tue, 11/12/2019 - 18:25

Hi Beatriz!

I am getting more and more confused :-D So essentially, you're suggesting to create a new content type? Essay is meant to accept text (an essay) and analyze it. Hence the name. I definitely won't add image/video/audio uploads. Sorry.

Cheers,
Oliver

Beatriz Rojo's picture

Beatriz Rojo

Tue, 11/12/2019 - 13:45

Hi Oliver,

thanks for the update about the link functionality, great to know!

Regarding your last question, it's about the scenarios: the outcome/the artifact that learners need to produce it's not a coherent and consistent written academical text, but a possible way to solve a problem. This can be produced with a video or taking a screenshot in a faster and simpler way than writing a text explaining the steps to get to the solution. That's why it'd be very practical to have the possibility of inserting or embedding a video file in the sample solution field. Probably for such ill-defined questions, the essay question with automatic feedback or sample solution is not the best choice, but our students need some feedback on their performance before doing the final test. 

I think I can find some workarounds to use the essay question, which has by now some better features than the Moodle one!

Thanks,

Beatriz

Beatriz Rojo's picture

Beatriz Rojo

Wed, 11/13/2019 - 08:14

Hi Oliver,

sorry, it was not my intention to confuse you :). I understand that you don't see the need to consider my request. My suggestion was to change the editor of the activity so that it can include multimedia, but as you say, it's a text essay question. I was trying to use an activity for a different goal for which it was created. I'll find a workaround or re-design the tasks.

Thanks for your time!

otacke's picture

otacke

Wed, 11/13/2019 - 23:34

Hi Beatriz!

If it's just about students creating some content that should be compared against a sample solution, you may not require some extra content type at all, right?

Best,

Oliver 

Beatriz Rojo's picture

Beatriz Rojo

Thu, 11/14/2019 - 08:23

Hi Oliver,

exactly, that's it. Nicely summarized :).

Best,

Beatriz

rachel.heyes

Fri, 02/25/2022 - 13:05

We use the Essay question as an open response question and would like to include images within the sample response or feedback