eGrade Info

On this page: overview: an overview of how eGrade thinks about the world classes and testbanks: an overview of what eGrades' classes and testbanks look like, and what options are available in their configuration system setup: a look at the directory structure and configuration files in the eGrade distribution. For the Unixly inclined.

Also available: eGrade@Umich: a look at eGrade specifically for the UMich Gateway program. students' view of eGrade: a look at the steps by which students may use eGrade. eGrade use analysis: a tutorial-like how-to-use eGrade page. eGrade files page: a list of the formats of different eGrade configuration and definition files.

overview

eGrade is configured around classes, which may have one or more assignment(s), of varying types, which are drawn from at most one testbank (that is, one testbank per assignment). For each assignment one or more problems are selected, at random, from each topic in a predetermined list. Thus each time an assignment is done there will be a problem or problems from each of the topics, but the problems themselves will be different. The testbanks may be global (that is, accessible to all classes) or private (only available to the one class).

Administration of eGrade is accomplished through the eGrade Web interface by a system administrator, who can create classes (with associated instructors) and global testbanks, and create global proctors (who are able to proctor any proctored assignment), instructors, who can edit classes, add and edit private testbanks, add and edit assignments, examine results for students taking the assignments, and create class proctors, and proctors, who can log in to allow a student to take a proctored assignment and have their score counted. In addition to being able to create testbanks through the Web interface, there is a Perl script provided with eGrade that converts appropriately formatted LaTeX files into eGrade testbanks.

class/testbank options

class and assignment options

Classes may be (un)locked (open/closed), meaning that students may/may not register themselves for the course, and may be visible/hidden, meaning that they do/do not appear in the drop-down list on the eGrade front page.

They are characterized by assignments, may have local proctors, and have an associated gradebook.

Assignments may allow zero or more of the administration types shown in table 1. (If none are allowed, the assignment is not available.) Each assignment consists of some number of questions taken from each of the topics in the testbank the assignment uses.

Practice, homework, and proctored types have a defined passing score; homework and proctored types may have a time limit. All assignments may be graded to show final grade, final grade and the problem solutions, or neither, and practice, homework and proctored assignments can send e-mail to the instructor with students' result(s) on the assignment. Finally, assignments may be restricted so that only students completing earlier assignments may do them.

testbank options

Testbank questions are organized by topics, with some number of problems from each topic being selected for an assignment that uses the testbank. Each topic has some number of questions, which are the problems put into the assignments. Testbank questions can be any of the types shown in table 2.

Each question may have a defined solution, comment (which is displayed to the student instead of the solution if it is defined), hint (or hints), which are only used for tutorial assignments, and detailed solution, which is only used for tutorial assignments.

system setup

The eGrade system installs in a hierarchy as shown in figure 2. The eGrade files page gives formatting information for some of the configuration and definition files indicated in the figure.