Using EZauthor
EZauthor is the easiest to use. EZauthor is designed primarily for creating tutorials wherein the problem domain consists of a set of more or less discrete test items (e.g., as in the SAT, summary classroom material, end of term tests, etc.).
As shown in the second screen shot below, an author can put just one problem/question and one solution on each page or can have multiple questions and/or multiple answers on each page.
In the simplest, most common case, the author will want (or need) only problem (input) and one output on each screen. In all cases, questions (e.g., select the correct answer), instruction (e.g., select what you believe is the correct answers) and feedback (e.g., correct or incorrect) should be phrased to cover all questions (inputs) and outputs on a page. Generally speaking it is better to have only one input on each page, but there may be more than one answer required (e.g., multiple blanks to be filled in in a sentence). A hint screen (on the left below) provides contextual guidance for the author. This hint corresponds to the highlighted sentence (in this case the first and only problem) in the middle of the Blackboard.
One advantage of EZauthor is that the author can put multiple questions and answers on a single page. Each answer will be graded individually. When answers are submitted, incorrect answers will show up in red, correct ones in green. The student, in turn, can click on incorrect answers and the correct answers will show up (in green).
Creating and Maintaining EZauthor Tutorials on the Web
To create a new EZauthor tutorial, log in and select AuthorIT. From there, go to the EZauthor tab and Select the Package pulldown. Either select a New Package or a skill in a previously constructed package that the author has created. Newly created content is saved in a package directory under CUSTOM CONTENT.
Authors are able to see and select from the TutorIT tutorials they have created (with EZauthor or the other TutorIT tutorials they have created with Customizer, AuthorIT and/or Scope & Sequence.
Although tutorials are organized in Packages (e.g., Algorithms, Fractions), Packages are directories set up for convenience and have no impact in creating individual tutorials.
NOTE: Packages are a holdover from an original packaging scheme wherein groups of tutorials were compiled as groups for use on the desktop.
Selecting a TutorIT tutorial automatically brings up an interface for selecting a tutorial for a specific skill. If you wish to continue with a tutorial that you have already started, find the package name under Select Package and then choose the skill under Select Skill.The selected tutorial should load automatically.
Once you have opened your tutorial, the first thing you should do is save it. To do this go to the top of the properties panel and click rename and then you can name the package and skill with whatever you want. You can also set the background color or import an image to make the background.
The “Intro/Final Screens” tab is used to create pages for the Title, Prerequisites, Objectives, and Final Congrats screens.
Next, the author must enter and layout the format for each screen/page. There are six kinds of entries. Most important the Problem input and the Solution/Answer or output. Other information used by TutorIT during the tutoring process includes: Question (Q), Instructions (I), Feedback (for correct answers) (F), coRrective feedback for incorrect answers (R).
You can click on each of these six elements on the Blackboard to enter text and/or associated media. First, you will want to enter the Problem and the Answer. The input is the problem to be solved (or equivalently the input for which the student is to provide the appropriate output). This input can be in the form of text, picture, video, flash file, sound, rectangle or ellipse. The output pertains to the answers. TutorIT supports text, multiple choice, clicks, moves and self-evaluation and allows for expansion.
Actually, you can enter the correct and alternative responses to wrong answers in multiple choice questions.
Click on following buttons to add supplemental Questions, Instruction, Feedback (on correct answers) and corrective feedback for incorrect student answers. This information is optional but obviously helpful to the student while learning. This information is automatically presented by TutorIT at the appropriate time while working with the student.
TutorIT presents and/or displays the Q, I, F or R at the appropriate time during the tutoring process – i.e., when a student is being tutored.Authors have the option of introducing their own sound (.wav) files and/or to add supplemental media files. To enter Q, I, F or R, the author should click on the yellow area in the Properties dialog. You may also activate this area by clicking on the corresponding box on the Blackboard (actually white board). To type the Question, for example, click on the box that says “Click to ask the student a Question” and enter the desired text in the properties window.
By default, unless there is a corresponding sound (.wav) file, text associated with each of the above will be read aloud at the appropriate time during tutoring using Text-to-Speech (TTS).
- The Question is designated by Q.
- The Instruction is designated by I.
- Feedback for a correct answer is designated by the F. This is presented when a student gets an answer correct.
- Corrective (coRrective) feedback for an incorrect answer is designated by the R. It shows up when a student answers incorrectly
The above must be done for each problem to be learned
The output is designated by output and is the answer to the input. This can be in the form of a textbox where the response must exactly match the correct answer, a drop down menu with multiple choices, a click where you click on the answer.
- It is also possible to have multiple input or output boxes. To do this go to advanced view at the bottom of the properties panel and you can add or delete input or output boxes
- With the question, instructions, and feedback you are also able to add audio or visual media to help the student. This can be found under the text box. To add media just click the Select button and a window will appear where you can select your media file.
Each of these has their own default format which you can change using the “Set Font” button. You can also add symbols using the Symbol Lookup. To relocate the text boxes you just need to drag and drop them on the screen. To resize just go to the bottom left part of the text box and when the arrow appears just drag it to make it the appropriate size.
Individual Problems are added by simply clicking and assigning a name. It may be as simple as the defaults names: Problem 1, Problem 2, …
You can easily rename problems by clicking in the box and editing it. To create a new problem click on the box that says Add Problem. You can also Delete problems or change their order.
The “Options” tab is used by the author to specify how the tutorial is to be delivered to the student. These options include:
- whether problems are to be delivered sequentially or in random order,
- the maximum time to be allowed for student response,
- whether to send learner responses immediately (without hitting the Return button),
- whether to show the correct answer when the student clicks on a an edit box with the wrong answer (use this only when the information is factual in nature and you don’t mind the student remembering the answer as opposed to figuring out how to do this – as when the goal is to teach the student a solution process) and
- whether to show the correct answer when the student clicks on a an edit box with the wrong answer (use this only when the information is factual in nature and you don’t mind the student remembering the answer as opposed to figuring out how to do this – as when the goal is to teach the student a solution process) and
- whether to bypass Game Rewards (not appropriate for older students.
Click Save once done with the options. You may also test the EZauthor tutorial you have just created.
Using and maintaining AuthorIT
Essentially almost all TutorIT tutorials to date have been constructed using the Desktop version of AuthorIT/AutoBuilder
NOTE: AutoBuilder was originally designed to support building software systematically from the top down using virtual statements and conditions in HLD syntax
operation_name (INPUT1, … : Input-Output1, … ; OUTPUT1, …)
Any changes to that interface (e.g., adding or removing parameters had to be updated in all functions that called that interface.
AuthorIT is a copy of the original desktop AutoBuilder. The current version of AuthorIT is a start in simplifying AutoBuilder. Hence, we will keep the original AutoBuilder as is and focus on simplifying AuthorIT (started as a full copy of the original AutoBuilder).
Accordingly, AutoBuilder was designed to support large systems. One feature that was unnecessary in AuthorIT was changing parameters in the top level node in the procedural Flexform. When the Flexform was part of a larger system, it was important to ensure that all functions that called that Flexform (all representing different functions) were updated accordingly.
AuthorIT is a copy of the original AutoBuilder code from which we have made a start in eliminating unnecessary steps. The result is an HLD hierarchy of nodes in which terminal nodes are executable in our HLD language interpreter.
Following are necessary steps in AuthorIT. These are to be tested and refined as we gain more experience.
Create a .dsn or a .prj under AuthorIT. Once a .prj is created, you can insert any number of .dsn in that .prj. This is necessary in creating tutorials for complex content (best example is Word Problem tutorials). Use Insert New design in Project to create a .dsn under AuthorIT (example uses default names). We should get:
WARNING: Do not change the rename to the .prj file as this will change the name of the .prj file (not the .dsn) and mess things up.
Go to AuthorIT pulldown and Display Defining Flexform. This contains all information in the .dsn. Changes to INPUT or OUTPUT data sections, or to INPUT or OUTPUT parameters in the procedure section must be kept in sync.
NOTE: UNDO STACK does not work so forget it. BTW you can also insert existing .dsn in a .prjj with the Insert Existing pulldown option.
Create a .dsn or a .prj under AuthorIT. Once a .prj is created, you can insert any number of .dsn in that .prj. This is necessary in creating tutorials for complex content (best example is Word Problem tutorials). Use Insert New design in Project to create a .dsn under AuthorIT (example uses default names). We should get:
WARNING: Do not change the rename to the .prj file as this will change the name of the .prj file (not the .dsn) and mess things up.
Go to AuthorIT pulldown and Display Defining Flexform. This contains all information in the .dsn. Changes to INPUT or OUTPUT data sections, or to INPUT or OUTPUT parameters in the procedure section must be kept in sync.
NOTE: UNDO STACK does not work so forget it. BTW you can also insert existing .dsn in a .prjj with the Insert Existing pulldown option.
If you choose to only simple display to see the procedure only (in the F window), you also automatically bring up the Data Structures window where you define the INPUT and OUTPUT parameters. Most important in the command bar on the right are Edit, Refine, Add First, Next, Embed, Delete, Copy, Paste, Make Terminal. When you “Add First”, etc. you can simply rename (edit) the names but can safely ignore the “Possible Abstract Values”. These have to do with consistency in a hierarchy and can be ignored for our purposes. Note that changes in INPUT and OUTPUT must be reflected in procedure parameters.
NOTE: Supposed simplification changes made to AuthorIT copy does not bring this up, and gives error messages.
When you close the Data Structures window, any information you add is stored in the INPUT and OUTPUT sections of the Flexform. You also should be able to edit the INPUT and OUTPUT sections in the .dsn directly. WARNING: The system is not robust enough to allow you to change the Flexform when the Data Structures is open – even though ALL info is stored in the Flexform.
After you have defined the Data Structures, go to the procedure section in the .dsn section and start working on that. First you must modify the parameters in the top level of the procedure. These parameters must be consistent with those in the INPUT and OUTPUT sections. The names given to operations in the procedure section can be changed at will to reflect desired semantics.
If you introduce new (local) variables in the course of defining the procedure, they will be put in the Intermediate section – I believe both under the DATA SPECS and in the executable Intermediate section below DOMAIN And RANGE.
Terminal operations and conditions in the resulting procedure section in the Flexform operate on INPUT variables and generate OUTPUT variables. One can follow the flow of control and test the terminals in the Scan debugger.
NOTE: The nice thing about this HLD debugger is that it can be run even before the terminals are all (or even partly) written in executable HLD statements. We also need to follow in debugger to understand the flow so we can make adjustments as may be necessary.
USING Scope & Sequence (S&S)
TutorIT comes with a large set of tutorials. Moreover, these tutorials may be supplemented with tutorials made by others, including the teacher him or herself.
Authors (e.g., teachers, curriculum designers, etc.) use patented methods inherent in S&S to hierarchically arrange any combination of official TutorIT tutorials and custom TutorIT tutorials they create. Each S&S provides an automated road map controlling the way TutorIT tutorials are used. Tutorials in these hierarchies can be used for either quick diagnostic or instructional purposes.
Run in TutorIT mode, S&S hierarchies provide a highly efficient (patented) method for quickly diagnosing and/or providing dynamically adaptive instruction on entire curricula. Run in diagnostic mode, any given S&S can be used by students (or teachers) to quickly determine which TutorIT tutorials a student has mastered and which not.
Run in instruction or curriculum mode, S&S automatically guides students through tutorials in an entire curriculum (or a portion thereof). Building on our patented methods, S&S does this in the most efficient way possible.
Based on performance, S&S quickly infers success of failure on other tutorials. The patented methods used quickly pinpoint which tutorials may be skipped (because the student has directly or indirectly) demonstrated mastery and which should be used next. Upon completion, teachers, trainers and/or curriculum specialists may be sure that students will have mastered the content in the curriculum covered by the included tutorials.
In short, Scope & Sequence hierarchies may be used for either diagnostic purposes or for ensuring mastery of entire curricula. These hierarchies may be created using any combination of professionally developed and/or custom tutorials developed by teachers or curriculum specialists. If the wish, students (independently and/or with teachers advice) may choose to begin an entire curriculum set up by teachers.