[ale] Open Source Test Bank Oriented Test/Exam Generator

[Jim Kinney]

I've been (very slowly) working on such a thing off and on for a while.
It's nowhere ready for anything but a heavy coding session. I've looked at
pdfexam (rather nice but relies on php which I don't like) and really not
seen anything that's usable and open.

I lost the link that has the common core grade/subject breakdown by code. I
was planning to use that as a way to categorize the test questions (Teacher
Sue wants 3rd grade earth science question set while teacher Joe wants 9th
grade literature, etc). So far I have a raw schema for a few topics and
even that's not usable yet. I _really_ want to displace that reader tool
the schools all got suckered into - it only uses the books they sell, the
questions are crap and schools can't add their own questions.

a giant, 'no possible way any student can memorize all the questions and
answers' test bank that's readily available for all teachers is needed.

<sigh> So many ideas and so little time </sigh>


On Fri, Sep 5, 2014 at 5:19 PM, Tom Freeman <tfreeman at intel.digichem.net>
wrote:

>
> I've been futzing around for the past two weeks or so looking for
> something that can maintain a test bank data base, generate and format at
> least semiprofessionally random tests and quizzes, figure point values with
> minimal hints, that an adjunct can afford to use and take to the next
> school (I know adjuncts working 4 different schools at the same time - lets
> not get close to licensing issues!) By vast desire, fully open source even
> if they expect a minimal support fee.
>
> I've somewhat looked at "Respondus" (sp?), which appears to do everything
> needed. And lisenced up the wazoo best I can figure (I can cheat on one
> school I'm associated with but...) For the equivelent of 6 contact hours of
> pay, there is a private lisence under Windows <<shudder>>
>
> Lets not talk about vendor supplied test generators or their free to use
> while you use our book test bank. The test questions (at least for
> chemistry) suck at near black hole intensities. There are nice things to
> say about multiple guess - but I don't believe in lying to say them. In
> fact, I hate them.
>
> (IF you wonder about US education, take a look at how dependent the
> schools are on the textbook vendors for a possible large negative
> influence. IMHO of course, and IANAL etc etc. But I'd love to see a
> physicist/chemist/biologist apply the standards of their fields to
> investigating the publishers.)
>
> Is there such a beast available (Exam generator, open source, good
> formating at least - I can contribute test questions)? I'm suspecting not,
> so do any of the list members associated with academia know of a resource
> who might fall in love with creating such a thing? Windows is probably a
> needed platform, but if it ain't Linux I for one will try to look further.
>
> I've had two supervisors tell me I'm writing pretty decent tests, but they
> take too long to write in batches of 3-4 (one per section, one for outside
> testing, and a space just in case). I need a better way, and I don't think
> I'm alone in this.
>
> Thanks as always for a stimulating list, and the use of your bandwidth.
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-- 
-- 
James P. Kinney III

Every time you stop a school, you will have to build a jail. What you gain
at one end you lose at the other. It's like feeding a dog on his own tail.
It won't fatten the dog.
- Speech 11/23/1900 Mark Twain


*http://heretothereideas.blogspot.com/
<http://heretothereideas.blogspot.com/>*
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