Issue No. 16 -------- May 2000 -------- Question Mark Computing ================================================ Quod Vide - the education users' newsletter ================================================ Question Mark Computing - http://www.qmark.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Editor: Martin Belton ­ martin.belton@qmark.co.uk ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CONTENTS 1. Perception for Windows beta released 2. Perception to have essay grading tool 3. Sign up for a free Roadshow 4. Learnframe users link made easy 5. Training courses still available 6. Knowledge Base solutions add variables to questions 7. New tests added to web site 8. More information 9. Unsubscribe ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. PERCEPTION FOR WINDOWS BETA RELEASED Perception is to be extended so it can also be used to deliver data over Windows networks and CDs. A beta version of the new software is now available on Question Mark's website. The new software retains the existing online solution's authoring applications, but will add a new Presenter tool to enable tests to be delivered in static environments. There will also be a new easy-to-use reporting tool. Explained UK Sales Manager Philippa Bean: "Perception for Windows will extend the number of ways that users can deliver tests, without changing the structure of questions. Educationalists will now have a new tool to conduct self-paced learning or diagnostic testing over a network, CD or even floppy disk. It will also provide a summative testing tool for invigilated environments where many candidates are simultaneously opening the same test. We believe that this is a major step forward towards providing our users with the complete CAA solution." For more information go to: http://www.qmark.com/perception/help/pfwbeta or call Philippa Bean, tel: (020) 7263 7575, email: philippa.bean@qmark.co.uk. ____________________ 2. PERCEPTION TO HAVE ESSAY GRADING TOOL Perception will soon have a new tool to enable users to manually grade essays. It will enable essays or text answers to be incorporated within tests, which can then contribute to the overall score. Control of the Essay Grading tool is assigned to the test administrator, who will be able to grade essays, create and edit criteria to grade an essay question, review scores assigned by other graders and re-grade an answer. This addition is the first of a number of initiatives that Question Mark is now taking in this area. In the future, Question Mark hopes that Perception users will be able to chose from a range of essay marking solutions. A beta version of the manual grading system can be found at: http://www.qmark.com/perception/help/downloadsv2.html#betamanualgrader _____________________________________ 3. SIGN UP FOR A FREE ROADSHOW Question Mark Computing is looking for further dates for its Roadshow. The free presentations enable lecturers to discover how the web or intranet can be used to create a complete online education system. If you would like to book a Roadshow to visit your college or university, call Philippa Bean, tel: (020) 7263 7575 or email: philippa.bean@qmark.co.uk. _________________________________________________ 4. LEARNFRAME USERS LINK MADE EASY A new document has been added to Question Mark's web site that will help users interface Pinnacle Learning Manager (PLM) with Perception. It explains how to install the PLM / Perception interface and how to set up a Perception session as a course in PLM Online. The interface enables PLM to launch a session and retrieve the data when the session is complete. The connection can track participant progress from multiple workstations and any web browser that supports JavaScript. The article can be found on: http://www.qmark.com/perception/help/interface/interface_learnframe.html For further information on Pinnacle Learning Manager, visit the new Learnframe Pinnacle Learning Manager home page: http://www.learnframe.com/enterprise/plm/ ________________________________ 5. TRAINING COURSES STILL AVAILABLE Some places are still available on Question Mark Computing's new range of structured one-day training courses. The first of these will be an introduction to authoring questions, tests and publishing them to the web using Perception. Completing the course will enable users to author a full range of question types in a variety of flexible test formats. Dates still available include 31 May and 13 June. Anybody wishing to attend should contact Philippa Bean, telephone: (020) 7263 7575, or email: philippa.bean@qmark.co.uk _________________________________ 6. KNOWLEDGE BASE SOLUTIONS ADD VARIABLES TO QUESTIONS Several new questions have been added to the Perception Knowledge Base, Question Mark's resource to enable its users to get the most from Perception. Amongst the new questions answered, there are instructions to enable Perception users to incorporate variables in their questions: The new questions can be viewed at http://www.qmark.com/perception/help/kbase/newkbs.html Access to the complete knowledge base can be found at: http://www.qmark.com/perception/help/kbase/index.html ____________________________ 7. NEW TESTS ADDED TO WEB SITE Several new tests have been added to Question Mark's international web site. These have been created using Question Mark Perception and demonstrate the kinds of questions and sessions that can be easily produced by its users. To take a test, go to: http://www.qmark.com/perception/online_examples.html _____________________ 8. MORE INFORMATION For more information about Question Mark products, go to Question Mark's web site: Question Mark Perception, the future of web/intranet assessments and surveys. http://www.qmark.com/perception/ Question Mark for Windows, the world's most popular software for conducting computerising tests: http://www.qmark.com/products/windows.html _________________ 9. UNSUBSCRIBE If you do not wish to receive further issues of Quod Vide, send an email to: info@qmark.co.uk with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. _______________________________________________ Quod Vide is published by Question Mark Computing for information purposes only. Text may be copied without modification from the Quod Vide, or Question Mark's web site. This document may not be distributed for profit. To speak to a human about any other issue: info@qmark.co.uk, or telephone Question Mark at 020 7263 7575