Canvas Autoquiz

Online learning management platforms such as Canvas are thriving and quickly replacing traditional classrooms, especially during these pandemic-struck times. As more and more quizzes are administered online, we need tools that make the quiz creation process easier and faster. Canvas Autoquiz is a command-line tool that allows instructors to automatically create and upload quizzes of varying difficulty levels. It also allows instructors to export quizzes from one LMS platform to another. This project explores the need, design, and implementation of the tool, and prospective future work

Adaptive Scaffolding in Block-Based Programming via Synthesizing New Tasks as Pop Quizzes

Block-based programming environments are increasingly used to introduce computing concepts to beginners. However, novice students often struggle in these environments, given the conceptual and open-ended nature of programming tasks. To effectively support a student struggling to solve a given task, it is important to provide adaptive scaffolding that guides the student towards a solution. We introduce a scaffolding framework based on pop quizzes presented as multi-choice programming tasks. To automatically generate these pop quizzes, we propose a novel algorithm, PQuizSyn. More formally, given a reference task with a solution code and the student's current attempt, PQuizSyn synthesizes new tasks for pop quizzes with the following features: (a) Adaptive (i.e., individualized to the student's current attempt), (b) Comprehensible (i.e., easy to comprehend and solve), and (c) Concealing (i.e., do not reveal the solution code). Our algorithm synthesizes these tasks using techniques based on symbolic reasoning and graph-based code representations. We show that our algorithm can generate hundreds of pop quizzes for different student attempts on reference tasks from Hour of Code: Maze Challenge and Karel. We assess the quality of these pop quizzes through expert ratings using an evaluation rubric. Further, we have built an online platform for practicing block-based programming tasks empowered via pop quiz based feedback, and report results from an initial user study.Comment: Preprint. Accepted as a paper at the AIED'22 conferenc

Interoperability Between ELearning Systems

Online assessments are an integral part of eLearning systems that enhance both distance and continuous education. Although over two-hundred and fifty eLearning applications exist, most educational institutions are trapped with a particular vendor primarily due to lack of in test-question sharing features. This paper highlights the evolution of eLearning systems whilst detailing the two most prominent objective test question standards, namely, QML and QTI. An analysis conducted amongst software houses which are involved in the development of eLearning systems confirms the fact that most applications make use of proprietary formats and clearly shows a lack of import and export options amongst other features

The Relationship between Testing Frequency and Student Achievement in Eighth-Grade Mathematics: An International Comparative Study Based on TIMSS 2011

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between quiz frequency and student achievement in eighth-grade mathematics as measured by TIMSS. The more specific goal of the study was determining the best quiz frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, no quizzes) and student achievement relationship for an eighth-grade mathematics course. The study investigated the above-mentioned relationship in all of the eighth-grade of participant countries combined, as well as in four specific countries: Korea, Singapore, Turkey, and the United States. Another goal of the study was to determine high performing and low performing countries’ quizzing practices, and to determine the best relationship of quiz frequency and student achievement in these countries. The study obtained data from the TIMSS 2011 exam and from student, teacher, and school questionnaires. In addition to quiz practices, students’ and schools’ SES data were also used in this study as control variables. Quiz frequency data (independent variable) were retrieved from teacher questionnaires, socioeconomic status (SES) data (control variables) were retrieved from student and school questionnaires, and student achievement data were retrieved from the TIMSS 2011 exam. Several multiple linear regressions were performed to determine whether quiz frequency is a significant predictor of student achievement in all countries combined, as well as in individual countries. Regression results indicated that quizzing frequency is not a significant contributor to student achievement in eighth-grade mathematics, either in all countries combined or in individual countries after controlling for SES variables. Furthermore, regression results indicated that weekly quizzes had the best relationship in all countries, monthly quizzes in the top two performing countries (Korea and Singapore), and daily quizzes in Turkey and the United States. Results also indicated that almost all teachers use quizzes. Moreover, the study also found that SES status is a significant contributor to student achievement, and that student achievement significantly and constantly increased as student SES status improve