Feature Question: What are printing needs for Assessments?
Hello all,
We have received a number of requests to provide a means for teachers to be able to create a printed copy from their online assessments, in case they have students that need to take the assessment offline.
We have a number of different options on how to implement this, but the route we take depends on your responses to this question.
When printing out the assessment, do you care about where the page breaks happen?
The options:
1) Generate Printable HTML option: This option is easiest for us to implement, and requires little teacher intervention but it has the least control as to where page breaks happen. Do you care if the page break is drawn whenever the printed test runs out of room (i.e. in the middle of a question)?
2) Generate .RTF/.DOC option: We could generate a Microsoft Word-friendly file that could be downloaded and edited by the teacher to make it print appropriately. This gives the teacher the most control, but it could require that the teacher review the test doc before printing to make sure it will print with page breaks in the right places.
3) Generate PDF options: We would be able to try to make guesses via an algorithm as to where page breaks should be drawn (for example it should never split a question in two, etc). This could work well in most cases, but in special cases where the test has long questions it could result in many pages and lots of wasted space or split questions. With this option we can make page breaks work most of the time, but we can't guarantee the results will be pretty in all cases.
So are any of these options adequate, or do you require more than one solution depending on the situation?
Your feedback is appreciated!
-Bryan
We have received a number of requests to provide a means for teachers to be able to create a printed copy from their online assessments, in case they have students that need to take the assessment offline.
We have a number of different options on how to implement this, but the route we take depends on your responses to this question.
When printing out the assessment, do you care about where the page breaks happen?
The options:
1) Generate Printable HTML option: This option is easiest for us to implement, and requires little teacher intervention but it has the least control as to where page breaks happen. Do you care if the page break is drawn whenever the printed test runs out of room (i.e. in the middle of a question)?
2) Generate .RTF/.DOC option: We could generate a Microsoft Word-friendly file that could be downloaded and edited by the teacher to make it print appropriately. This gives the teacher the most control, but it could require that the teacher review the test doc before printing to make sure it will print with page breaks in the right places.
3) Generate PDF options: We would be able to try to make guesses via an algorithm as to where page breaks should be drawn (for example it should never split a question in two, etc). This could work well in most cases, but in special cases where the test has long questions it could result in many pages and lots of wasted space or split questions. With this option we can make page breaks work most of the time, but we can't guarantee the results will be pretty in all cases.
So are any of these options adequate, or do you require more than one solution depending on the situation?
Your feedback is appreciated!
-Bryan
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Maddie on
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I would have to say that option 2 is my choice. I think teachers are now very comfortable with Word and how to manipulate what they see. Number 2 gets my vote!!
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Permalink Reply by Bruce Nelson on
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After the brew-ha-ha with printing report cards from Snap-Grades here in Lawrence, I would suggest option 2. If you go with Option 1 or 3 you'll get teachers complaining about having to cut and paste and (like we have to do with Time For Kids) manage page breaks at the copy machine with scissors and tape.
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Permalink Reply by Kathi on
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I think #2 would work best for the majority of our folks. Teachers would really go for the flexability of using Word. If teachers are printing the assessment out, there is a good chance it is for a student who needs special adaptations, like larger print, etc.
#3 gets my vote for runner-up--or if you would consider offer 2 options, because it would be the down and dirty, quick and easy way. -
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Permalink Reply by Rick Stevens on
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I agree with my MSDLT buddies, a Microsoft Word-friendly file is what they would want!
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Permalink Reply by Barb on
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The key for teachers will be to never have to split a question in two. Word would be the best route not only because teachers could easily manipulate the page breaks, but....if they wanted to change the font size to eliminate the problem caused by too much white space or too many pages, they could do so.
Speaking of font size, having the ability to enlarger the font size or have additional spacing between questions...for kids that have other vision problems....may be a nice perk! -
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