QUESTOURnament module

This documentation page is for the QUESTOURnament additional module. It will help teacher to install, configure and use this module in Moodle.

Description

Activity for engaging the students into a game of questions (named as challenges). The students can be authors of challenges. A competitive scoring scheme is used to foster motivation.

Introduction

The competitive techniques have been traditionally deemed unprofitable, especially in comparison with cooperative or constructivist approaches. However, many studies have shown that not only this technique should not be categorically rejected, but also it provides important educational advantages.

And to prove all the above, we (at the e-Learning Laboratory of the University of Valladolid) have developed an installable module in the well-known e-learning platform Moodle, which lets you organize competitive activities in any of the courses of this platform. The system is called QUESTOURnament and consists of an individual or team working environment where a number of intellectual "challenges" are provided. The students have to solve them in a time limit.

Once evaluated, the work carried out is rewarded through a mechanism of variable remuneration, The workshop is based on competitiveness, collaboration and social recognition as mechanisms for motivation.

Module description

To this end, the work sessions are organized as a contest, where a ranking is set according to the results achieved by the participants.

• • Add Figure 1. Variation of the score in QUESTOURnament **

One of the main functions of QUESTOURnament consists of a system of participation, where students can propose challenges to their fellows and be rewarded for that, and then enriching the system and the learning process. All of these challenges are previously checked by the lecturer.

The evaluation of every challenge answer is made under the lecturer criteria which must be previously set. So, during the creation and design of the contest features, the lecturer must define an evaluation form specifying all the criteria and percentages, which will be used by any of the challenge author to evaluate the answers sent by the students. An evaluation form must be also defined specifying all the corresponding criteria and percentages which will be used for evaluating the challenges proposed by the students.

Responding a challenge, the student can get the reward points from the question at the moment he gives the answer (the reward depends on the moment). This calls for a evaluation of the proposed solution by the author of the question. In the challenges proposed by the students, they are themselves responsible of evaluating the answers. In this case, part of the evaluation of the student-author depends on his good work as evaluator of the challenges he has posed, with the aim of promoting fairness and objectivity.The task of the tutor is essential for the general control of the process and the resolution of any conflict that can arise during the course of the evaluation between equals.

Download

From the Moodle plugins database entry.

Install

As any other module...

Server configuration

You may/may not create a new role for the students that will be able to add challenges. If you do create a new role, give it a meaninful name (e.g, challenge-making student).

Role overrides

You NEED to make role overrrides in order for the students to be able to add/edit challenges. The plugin authors suggest you to start by:

... making these role overrrides .. (to be written soon)

One step-by-step example of a working QUESTOURnament

This tutorial will guide to all the necessary steps to make one easy QUESTOURnament with a couple of challenges.

Under construction...