Chapter 3 Public Questions

Public Question Checks are designed to give students constructive and dynamic feedback that help them to improve their answer and progress toward the solution.

To achieve this, Public Questions will require multiple Checks that test for particular answer properties and generate tailored feedback.

There are two categories of Checks: General and Special Checks.

WHAT IS A GENERAL CHECK?

A General Check tests for a common answer property that applies across many, if not all, questions.

For example, all questions require the student to label their variable a specific name. Accordingly, for any Public (or Private) Question, a General Check should alert the student if their variable name does not match the name specified in the instructions (this is the Name Check).

We implement General Checks for all Public Questions.

WHAT IS A SPECIAL CHECK?

A Special Check tests for an answer property unique to the given question.

For example, if a Public Question asks the student to multiply a column by a certain number, a Special Check should alert them if they use a specific, improper scale (this is the Calculation Check). Note that this Check is specific to this question and is not a general answer property.

We implement Special Checks on a question-by-question basis.

Note:

General Checks are denoted with a “(G)” and Special Checks with an “(S)”.