InQuizitor Editor WalkThrough

First Impressions

Unlike the game-styled InQuizitor Player, the Editor looks and behaves like the familiar applications we use very day.

The front page of the Editor is divided into two main sections; Question Banks and Quizzes.

Working With Question Banks

We have complete access to the contents of any Question Bank - whether it was purchased from 3MRT or obtained from another establishment.

When we first get a new Question Bank, it's a good idea to "clone" it so we are working with a copy and the original is always safe. Then click on "Edit", select the Question Bank we want and it is loaded into the Editor.

Editing Existing Content

Highlight any question and we can see the question text, illustration (if it has one), the correct answer and all the distractors. Everything is editable, just as if we had created it ourself.

If the question uses terminology our learners wouldn't be familiar with, we can simply change it and "update" that question so any future Quizzes will use our words.

In this way we can edit every aspect of the question and its options, including the associated illustration.

Having this degree of access to content is invaluable in some subjects where facts change from time to time - current affairs, or how many planets there are in the solar system for example. Your InQuizitor content never goes out of date!

Creating New Content

When creating our own content, we start with a "clean sheet". We can cut and paste from existing quizzes, or type directly into the Editor. One of the tips in the User Guide shows you how you can quickly produce multiple questions with a little planning - and you only need 10 questions as the basis of a Quiz.

We can easily add illustrations to our questions by browsing our PC, network or clip art CDs for the appropriate image - and we have access to a wide range of characters for specialist subjects including subscript and superscript, foreign language accented characters and a number of alternative alphabets.

It's all very straightforward and easy to use ... but on-screen help is only ever a click away.

Working With Quizzes

The Quiz Editor leads us step by step through the process of creating a Quiz.

At each stage we can just accept the default value the system suggests and click "next" to quickly create a Quiz with sensible settings, but we'll look here at each of the options offered to us.

Selecting Questions

The only step we have to do for ourselves is choose which questions might appear in the Quiz. We start by picking a Question Bank containing questions we want and they are loaded into the left side of the Editor, with our (initially empty) Quiz on the right.

Questions can be moved into the Quiz by double-clicking, or highlighting and using the "move" arrow - and we can do all the usual Windows keyboard things like use Shift and Ctrl keys to highlight more than one question before moving them across.

If we want to find questions on a specific sub-topic, we can use the filter box to identify them - indeed, we can "filter" either side of the Editor to track down specific questions.

... and we're not restricted to questions from one Question Bank. We can change the Question Bank we are working with to create a Quiz that draws its material from many different sources.

Once we have finalised our question pool, we can choose to have the questions asked in fixed or random order. Most Quizzes use random mode to keep every attempt fresh - and because it can help memorise the content - but you might want to ensure that a Quiz on historical events for example are always asked in chronological order. If so, this screen lets you move individual questions around to ensure they are in the order you want them asked.

Quiz Settings

Although game-playing is at the heart of InQuizitor, you can turn it off - perhaps to create a baseline Quiz for assessment purposes or to target a cohort who are motivated by competing on academic performance without the game element.

Duration

Next, we can choose the length of the Quiz - by number of questions, lives available, or time limit. If we switch off the "lives" option, all the questions will be presented on each attempt, no matter how many the student gets wrong. The timed option is a great way to finish a period with "who can get the highest score before the bell rings?"

Levels

We can also control the start and finish levels (how many of the distractors are displayed) for the Quiz, and how the student moves up through the levels. For example, a Quiz might begin with the correct answer and two distractors being shown (Level 2) and potentially go all the way up to Level 5 where all distractors are used.

Your choice of level-up parameters could even tailor a Quiz where learners who are struggling with the material will only ever be shown one or two distractors while those who demonstrate ability will quickly be challenged by all five distractors being displayed.

Speed

Finally, we can adjust the speed at which the Quiz runs, allowing extra time for some to read and answer the questions - or setting a challenging pace for others.

After saving a Quiz, we can easily clone it and change a parameter or two to create an additional Quiz that uses the same base content but behaves differently to target a different group of students, or to support a different mode of learning. One version for use on the whiteboard as a class starter, one for a class session in the computer lab, yet another for self-directed study.

Next Steps

• See the InQuizitor Player walkthrough to find out how learners will use the content we have created
• Browse the curriculum content available "off the shelf"
• Download a demo version of InQuizitor that includes a fully functional copy of the Editor so you can try it out with your own content
• Find out how to buy InQuizitor