What's New.
- (08/06/11) This latest version of eqexam features the fortextbook option, an option designed to support authors of (U.S.) textbooks. fortextbook.pdf is the demo file and documentation on the new eqexam package. This new version allows eqexam to be incorporated into another document more easily. In particular, a textbook author can use eqexam to write textbook problems. Eqexam supports all the usual features a modern textbook requires (at least in the U.S.). If you are interested, read the document give me your feedback/feature requests via email ( dpstory at uakron dot edu). There is a series of blog articles on this new feature, the articles are listed using the fortextbook tag. Follow the thread on the AcroTeX Blog.
All articles on the eqexam package may be found at the AcroTeX Blog web site:
http://www.acrotex.net/blog/?tag=eqexam-package
eqExam is a LaTeX package for writing exams, tests, quizzes, homework assignments,
etc. It is a stand alone package, yet is tightly integrated with the AcroTeX
eDucation Bundle, so much so, it is also part of the AcroTeX Bundle
distribution. Highlights of this package are as follows:
- Can create exams (tests, quizzes, homework
assignments) for paper, with points in the left or right margins (or
both), totals for each page optionally shown at the bottom corner of each
page. Questions can be objective, fill-in, true false, or multiple choice.
- Solutions can optionally be included in the source
file, and by changing options, can be displayed (for an answer key), in a
couple of different ways.
- Can create mutli-part exams, as I often do for final
exams, these multiple exams are meant to be graded individually.
- The one thing that distinguishes this package from the
other exam package is its support for PDF, and this is where the AcroTeX
Bundle comes in. When you have said Bundle installed, and you select any
of several options (pdf, links, online or email), a variety of things can happen. For example, in the
case of the online or email options, white space for solutions is converted into
multiline text field, spaces to fill in answers are converted to text
fields,multiple choice questions are converted into radio button fields,
etc. When the email option is used, a
"Submit" button is automatically created at the top of the first
page of the test. The student can take the test online (perhaps in a
testing lab) then submit responses to the instructor. The email that is
generated to the instructor attaches the FDF file of form data, so the
instructor gets a copy of all responses. She/He can then open the file and
view the responses of the student.
- (08/06/11) Version 3.0 of eqexam has a major option, fortextbook,
designed to support (U.S.) textbook authors. Documentation for
this option is found in the doc/fortextbook folder.
Please contact me at dpstory@uakron.edu should you encounter any problems, or have suggestions (features) to make.
Demo Files:
- test01.pdf : A routine
example of the eqExam package, a test!
This test was compiled with the online option, which makes the exam
interactive.
· The TeX/LaTeX Survey : This is an ongoing
survey of your TeX/LaTeX usage. If you haven't filled in the survey, please do,
if you are so inclined. The file demonatrates the ability of the eqExam package to create surveys, questionaires, etc. Here are
the most recent results, tex_survey_responses.pdf, as of 01/18/10 in the form of a PDF
Portfolio, download to your own computer and view in Adobe Reader 9.0 (or
later).
The Package files and
Documentation:
Place the following files, the components of the eqExam package in a
folder where LaTeX looks for package files:
- eqexam.zip: This
zip files contains all packages, documentation, installation files, and
source files for the example files.
- eqexam_pack.zip The package files and documentation, without example files.
The manual of usage for the eqExam package:
Important: eqExam is a stand alone package, but if you want to use the pdf, links, online or email options, you need the AcroTeX
Bundle, the latest version. (Exerquiz dated 2005/1/23 v6.03 or later). Download acrotex_pack.zip here, or go to the AcroTeX home page
What's New
(02/21/10) AeB Exam Builder utility is now in
beta testing. AeB Exam Builder is an application designed to process one or more eqexam files by
converting them to PDF files. Used for converting a whole collection of tests,
quizzes, homeworks, or other assignments. The Exam Builder can automatically create up to four different output
files: problems only, problems with solutions at end, problems with solutions
after, and solutions only. The Exam
Builder also supports the production of multiple versions (or renditions) from
the same source file.
Publications on the Web:
I've recently published two articles in the PracTeX Journal about eqExam and the
TeX/LaTeX online survey. The titles of the articles are Creating Online Tests
with eqExam and Producing
a TeX/LaTeX Online Survey with the eqExam Package.
The article The Methodology used for
Summarizing the TeX/LaTeX Usage Survey consists of material that did not
make it into the Online
Survey article. As the title suggests, the technical details of extracting
the data from the database and putting it into summary form. The article
references tex_survey_rep.pdf and longresp.pdf which contain the survey data.
These two files are be downloaded from the page where the Online Survey article resides. I'll update these two files and make them available from this
page at a later time.