JuliaBlackBoard

Write BlackBoard questions for tests of question pools using Julia scripts.

The basic workflow is a Julia script is used to generate questions in a tab-separated-values file to upload into BlackBoard. Both tests and pools (for randomizing test questions) provide "upload questions" for this format.

Supports the question types of BlackBoard (except QUIZ_BOWL)
Can use markdown or LaTeX to author the questions. Markdown with LaTeX markup can be rendered (somewhat) as HTML by tth. Questions specified in LaTeX can also be presented as png files created from the pdf output of running LaTeX (first page only).
Random pools can be created through the use of Mustache templates to author questions to faciliate the randomization.

For example, a basic "quiz", (with just two non-randomized questions) might be produced with this script:

using JuliaBlackBoard
OPEN = JuliaBlackBoard.OPEN(@__FILE__)

OPEN() do io

    ## --- first question ---
    q = mt"""
# Times tables:

What is 7 * 8
"""

    answer = 7 * 8
    question(io, NUM, q, answer)

    ## --- second question ---
    q = mt"""
# Division

What is ${{:x}} / {{:y}}$?
"""

    x, y = 56, 8
    answer = x/y
    question(io, NUM, q(x=x, y=y), answer)
end

If saved in /tmp/test.jl, say, and included into Julia with include("/tmp/test.jl"), a file /tmp/test.txt will be generated for upload into BlackBoard.

After the first three lines, which are used to open a file with the same name as the script (with an extension .txt), a script just holds a series of questions. Each question needs a question (q above), a type (NUM above), and optionally an answer (e.g., answer above). The io that appears is just a way to write to the opened file.

In the above, the first question is straightforward. It uses a mix of Markdown with LaTeX used for math markup only. The second is similar, but uses templated variables to fill in values for x and y in the question. This pattern is used for creating randomized pools.

The question command pieces together the entry for a question. As given here, the LaTeX markup is converted into HTML by tth. This is suitable for simple markup.

For the inclusion of an image of rendered LaTeX instead of HTML, use mdltx""" in place of mt""" to author the questions. If the question markup is in LaTeX, use ltx""" in place of mt""" to author the questions and the question will render as an image,

   q = ltx"""
\section{Times Tables}

What is 7 * 8
"""
   question(io, NUM, q, 7*8)

For more control over the LaTeX conversion, such as using additional packages, see ?LaTeX.

A basic pool of randomized questions can be generated through looping and templating. Though this particular example might be better done using the Formula Question type directly in BlackBoard, the increased flexibility of computing the answer can be exploited in more complicated questions:

using JuliaBlackBoard
OPEN = JuliaBlackBoard.OPEN(@__FILE__)

OPEN() do io

  q = mdltx"""
# Times tables

What is ${{:a}} * {{:b}}$?
"""

  for a in 2:3, b in 2:3
    question(io, NUM, q(a=a,b=b), a*b)
  end
  
end

The example script example-pool.jl shows how to mix the creation of a test and pools from the same file for merging together through the BlackBoard interface.

A kitchen-sink-type example showing the different question types is in the examples directory.

michiexile/JuliaBlackBoard.jl

JuliaBlackBoard