You can transform part or all of a multi-part or multi-mode question into a scored
tutorial that guides your students step by step through the solution of a problem.
Scored
tutorial questions are shown in the assignment itself and count toward the assignment
score.
In the Assignment Editor, you can set the point value for the entire tutorial or for
each
question part.
Do not use the <accordion> and
<tutorial> tags in the same question. The one
exception to this rule is that in a question that uses the
<accordion> tag, you can create a popup
tutorial.
For scored tutorial questions to work correctly, you must allow question
part submission in your assignment.
Your tutorial might be the entire question or only part of the question. You can
create more than one tutorial in a single question, and you can mix scored and popup
tutorials in the same question.
Skipping and Points
For scored tutorials, the decision about whether to allow students to skip tutorial
steps affects not only your students' learning experience, but also the points that
they can earn for the tutorial.
By default, your students are allowed to skip tutorial steps, but they cannot go back
later to complete the skipped steps. This means that students who skip a step
permanently forgo any points they could have earned on the step, but they have an
opportunity to earn points on any remaining steps in the tutorial.
If you disallow skipping, your students must either answer each step correctly or
use
all of their submissions for the step before going on to the next step.
Each method has its merits. Skipping steps gives your students an opportunity to move
through the tutorial more quickly if they do not understand a step. Disallowing
skipping encourages your students to attempt each step, even if only by guessing.
Tip If you disallow skipping, the number of allowed submissions for the
tutorial question is very important. Too many submissions might cause students to
give up on a step that they do not understand; too few submissions might not give
students enough opportunity to figure out a step for themselves before showing the
correct answer.
If needed, open your question in the Question
Editor.
Some questions are not searchable because of their Permission
settings.
If
Do this
You know the question ID or name
In the search box at the top of the page, select
Question.
Type the question name or ID and press Enter.
You own the question
Click Questions > My Questions.
Click the question name.
You organize your questions in folders
Click Assignments > Folders and navigate to the folder with the
question.
Click the question name.
You want to use advanced search
Click Questions > Search Questions.
Enter the search criteria you want to use.
To view only your
questions, click me next to
Author.
Click Search.
If you own the question, click Edit next
to your question.
If you do not own the question, click
View, then click Open
in Editor under Previewer
Tools.
In Question, add the <tutorial>
tag at the beginning of your tutorial.
You can set several attributes to change the way your tutorial behaves.
Attribute
Description
order="ascending"
Shows steps in ascending order with the current step at the
bottom. (By default, steps are displayed in ascending order with
the current step at the top.)
order="descending"
Shows steps in descending order with the current step at the top.
(By default, steps are displayed in ascending order with the
current step at the top.)
skip="no"
Requires students to answer each step correctly or use all their
submissions before going on to the next step. (By default,
students can skip tutorial steps.)
skip_text="text"
Renames the Skip button to
text (if you allow students to skip
tutorial steps.)
For example:
<tutorial order="ascending" skip_text="Show the answer (no points
earned) and move to the next step">
After the <tutorial> tag, use the
<premise> tag to set a title for the tutorial and
display the overall problem or concept the tutorial addresses. You must use the
closing </premise> tag at the end of the premise.
Note
You must specify a title attribute for the
<premise> tag.
Do not include any answer boxes in the premise.
The premise is always displayed at the top of the tutorial.
The premise is optional, but strongly recommended.
For example:
<premise title="Multiplying Fractions">
When you multiply fractions, you multiply the numerators and you
multiply the denominators.<br><br>
<watex>\[ \frac{3}{4} * \frac{13}{16} = \]</watex>
</premise>
Enclose each tutorial step with the <step> tag. You must
use the closing </step> tag at the end of each step.
You can set several attributes to change the way each step is displayed.
Attribute
Description
button="text"
Requires students to click a button with the specified text in
order to see the step. (By default, each step is displayed as
soon as the student either correctly answers or skips the
previous step.)
label="text"
Replaces the default label
Step n of m
with the specified text.
title="text"
Displays the specified text after the step label.
skip_text="text"
Renames the Skip button to
text (if you allow students to skip
tutorial steps.)
Note The <step> and <SECTION>
tags are not interchangeable. You must specify the
<SECTION> tag wherever the question mode
changes.
Optionally, add tutorial hints in any step with the
<hint> tag. You must end each hint with the closing
</hint> tag.
Tutorial hints are shown as a lightbulb icon and display either Hint or a label that you
specify with the label attribute. When your student clicks
the icon, the contents of the <hint> tag are
displayed in place of the label.
Note
The <hint> tag can be used only in
<step>.
Each step can contain only one <hint> tag.
The <hint> and <HINT>
tags are not interchangeable.
For example:
<hint label="Show hint">Use the Pythagorean Theorem.</hint>
Optionally, use the <conclusion> tag to display
information after your students complete or skip the last step.
You must end the conclusion with the closing
</conclusion> tag.
Note You must specify a
title attribute for the
<conclusion> tag.
For example:
<conclusion title="Conclusion">You have finished the
tutorial.</conclusion>
End the tutorial with the closing </tutorial> tag.
Click Test/Preview to test the appearance and behavior
of the question. See Test Questions.
When your question displays and functions correctly, click
Save.
WebAssign assigns it a unique question ID (QID), which is displayed in
parentheses after the question name.
You can use your question in an assignment and see it in your
My Questions list only after it is saved.
Example Tutorial Question
The following table summarizes an actual
question.
<tutorial skip="no" order="ascending">
<premise title="Using the Substitution Method">
<watex>For simple systems of equations, you can often use the substitution method to
solve for \[x\] and \[y\].\vspace{1em}\[ x + y = 6 \\ x - y = 2
\]</watex></premise>
<step><watex>Solve for \[x\] in terms of \[y\].\vspace{1em}
\[ x + y = 6 \\ x = <_> \]</watex></step>
<step><watex>Rewrite the second equation, substituting \[ 6-y \] for \[ x \].
\vspace{1em}\[ x - y = 2 \\ <_> = 2 \]</watex></step>
<SECTION><step><watex>Solve for \[y\].\vspace{1em}\[ 6 - y - y = 2 \\ y = <_>
\]</watex></step>
<step><watex>Substitute 2 for \[y\] in either equation and solve for
\[x\].\vspace{1em}
\[ x + 2 = 6 \\x - 2 = 2 \\ x = <_> \]</watex></step>
</tutorial>