European Chemistry Thematic Network

Core Chemistry Evaluation

Information Bulletin
June 25, 2000

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Dear All,

The critical period is here ! end of the year, examination, marking session, congresses, holidays (for our scandinavian colleagues + midsommarfest as well) ... anyway, I wish all of you to enjoy your sunny and restfull holiday.

A brief bulletin will be issued approximately by mid July - no bulletin in August - and then see all of you back in September ... ;-)

1 FILE ATTACHED TO THIS MAIL

1. Demo CD-Rom

European Chemistry Test 2000 / version 3.5.1 eu

2. Demo Internet on the Internet !

Version 2.1 and Webserver

The Perception Authoring tools + Server was installed on the CPE Webserver. The version 2.1 is fully working on a Windows NT 4 server, the temporary "working" website is not open to the public. We checked with the technical CPE staff, the soft for compatibility, and could run some sample QM tests. The UNI1 English test was first published for training - I need to go around the parameter controls on how to deliver, to check, to keep answer, ... I will keep you inform when Step 1 will be completed (full english version open on the Web).

New upgrade 2.2

I also downloaded the free upgrade version 2.2, allowing to use of mutiple hotspot (click on or, drag and drop), also possible to make variation with the traditionnal Multiple choice / Matching questions (from the standard format, aligning boxes on the right hand side, to : including boxes within the text) ... I need to go deeper in the control and parameter aspects in order to setup a standard ECTN format. A session of test could incorporate a time limitation like it was in the Windows version - also we could incorporate video, movies, sounds and more generally speaking Java applets.

Demo Test

I played around with Perception and prepare the structure of the demo version + some tests (uni1, uni2, analytical, inorganic, physical) already imported within Perception. The organic test need more care. The only one limitation I face at the present time is : the time of preparation to ...
- cleanup the orignal QM Windows questions imported and setup the format (not
visible characters and format or duplicates sentences originally typed in QM Windows),
- setup, save and reaffect the graphics as .jpg format (in order to not using 16 different files, but only 16 times the same file), and
- to reaffect the Hot Spot scoring (there is a more accurate control of the sensitive area, as well as use of absolute coordinates within the graphic, allowing to draw non regular polygonal area as well as multiple scoring area).

Foreign languages

From the first set of trial test, the conversion of foreign languages from QM Windows to QM Perception works quite well, and convert the special characters (with accent) in a fully encoded HTML - apparently, no problem for displaying the following languages : English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish. So, at the moment, there is no need to circulate any document, we will check it right away while running the test on a client machine.

Last technical point : to be fully functionnal, Internet Explorer is highly recommended by QM (minimal version : IE 4.0) - but I will be really interested to have the feedback while using Netscape x.x. Also, as much as I can I will try to use the Unicode set of characters (but this is still not a standard at the moment, and not widely used). Under Win 95, a special package was required for a multilingual environment (as well as with IE 3.5) ; Win 98 and 2000 should normally incorporate such a functionality, at least in the American release (I would be interested in having back the information about foreign version of Windows). The Office pack also run multilingual environment (normally). My only hope is that all versions and releases available worldwide would be compatible ... !! but I'm afraid it won't be as easy ... thanks Billy >:-/

3. Demo Internet on Windows platform

Last week, I downloaded the beta version of the stand alone add-on module / runtime of Perception allowing to publish session of tests on a CDRom instead of on a Webserver - there is no need anywmore to have an Internet connexion. I need to test it.

I guess that the full commercial version could be expected by the end of the year 2000.

4. Testing "Test" ... continuing (still !!)

Feedbacks, comments, answer files should be send directly to the following people :

- Pre-univ. tests Level 1 and 2 : to Kristiina Wähälä(kristiina.wahala@helsinki.fi
- Analytical test Level 3 : to Pascal Mimero .pascal.mimero@wanadoo.fr
- Inorganic test Level 3 : to David Cardin d.j.cardin@reading.ac.uk
- Organic test Level 3 : to Tapio Hase hase@cc.helsinki.fi
- Physical test Level 3 : to Juan Antonio Rodriguez Renuncio renuncio@eucmax.sim.ucm.es

for general comments, not focusing on the tests themselves :
to Anthony Smith smith@cpe.fr
for technical problems independant of the test contents :
to Pascal Mimero .pascal.mimero@wanadoo.fr

5. Database Libraries

No evolution.

6. Miscellaneous :

European "Umbrella" association

Richard presented this association of the 16 European Projects during the Krakow
meeting. I am in charge of supervising the IT work, and creating the initial website - now under construction - will be first open for technical maintenance, and then officially open by mid july.

Chemistry present a short overview of the "Objective 1" project, and a direct link to the actual official ECTN website. This page is actually presented in French and in English. It might be interesting to have a translation available in a couple of languages such as Italian, German, Spanish, ... and more if possible ...

And guess what ?? I was just thinking that before starting a holiday period, you would appreciate training yourself in translating some English into your national languages .....

The synthetical (very short content) webpage "european_chemistry_test.htm" is attached to this email, just in case ...

If you plan to participate - thank you very much - please let me know asap, and possibly you could send me the translated material within this week (not after July 2nd).

The official ECTN website is : http://www.ectn.net

Thanks for taking time to read this Bulletin.

Sincerely,
Pascal Mimero

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