WebRespond: Future Enhancements

This is only the first phase of a much larger project. I could list a wide variety of enhancements and a suite of programs which would support WebRespond; however, I would like to focus on functionality which may possibly appear in the next version of WebRespond. At this point it is anticipated that the next version will be a commercial product. This will make it possible to accelerate the development process and provide better support for the program. If you have any suggestions about future enhancements, please contact the author at gollmers@cedarville.edu

Technical Enhancements

The following enhancements will not expand the functionality of WebRespond; however, they will improve the performance and robustness of the applet.

• Rewrite the code to Java v1.1 - WebRespond is currently written to the Java v1.02 specification. The v1.1 specification changes the messaging system within Java to improve program performance. The new specification also provides additional classes which will allow for cleaner code.
• Incorporate Threading - Threading was not used in this version of WebRespond. Threading should improve performance by loading in the next question file while the student is reading and answering the current question file.

Increased Functionality

The following enhancements will improve the functionality and options available in WebRespond.

• Placing WebRespond within a Frame - Currently WebRespond is displayed within a web document. Although there are times when this is favorable, by placing the applet in a separate frame users are able to resize it to their own preferences.
• Non-sequential access to questions - Currently you must navigate a quiz from the first question to the last. If you return to answer unanswered questions, you must still start at question #1. A scrolling list will be provided so the student can jump to a particular question directly. The scrolling list will be color coded to indicate which questions are answered and which are not. This will also apply to the review of questions where the color coding will indicate right and wrong answers.
• Enabling of Links - When the web address for tutorial information is made available for a particular question, the link is not hot. This web address should be made hot by catching a click on the text and sending a message to the web browser to display the specified document.
• Add an Image to a Question - This would allow an image to be placed in the question panel along with the text of the question. This should expand the way many question can be asked.
• Add a Sound Clip to a Question - This would allow a sound clip to be placed in the question panel along with the text of the question. The sound can be played by clicking on a specified button.
• Encryption of master files and quiz files - Each licensed copy of WebRespond would have a unique encryption code. This would improve password and question security.

New Question Types

The following are some new question types which would be useful.

• Entry Field - This question type would allow a word or phase to be entered. It would be checked against a series of words or phrases for correctness.
• Text Panel - Although it would be loaded as a question it would not be counted as a question. This makes it possible to place separators between different sections of the quiz. These separators could provide additional information.
• Computation Entry - This type is the most challenging and yet the most useful to math and physics. This question type would randomly generate numerical values within predetermined bounds and use a formula to calculate an answer. This answer can be compared with a students entry for correctness.

Support Programs

The following are support applications which will make quiz development easier.

• Quiz Verifier - This application would automatically run through the master file and verify that each question can be loaded and that a sufficient amount of information is made available by each question. This verifier could then encrypt the master file and question files before they are submitted to the network.