Adaptive marking with Numbas

Christian Lawson-Perfect, Newcastle University. @NclNumbas

Hi

Christian Lawson-Perfect,
School of Mathematics and Statistics,
Newcastle University.

I've been working on Numbas as its lead developer since 2011.

What is Numbas?

Numbas is an open-source system developed by the e-Learning Unit of Newcastle University's School of Maths and Stats, based on many years of use, experience and research into e-assessment.

It's aimed at numerate disciplines.

It creates SCORM-compliant exams which run entirely in the browser, compatible with VLEs such as Blackboard and Moodle.

History

Numbas follows the CALM model.

At Newcastle, we used the commercial system i-assess for six years before switching to Numbas.

Development began in 2011 with the aim of replacing i-assess.

Design goals

Scalable, reliable and accessible to a broad range of users.
Good at maths, but usable for other subjects too.
Good-looking and easy for students to use.
Used by question authors who aren't experts.
Emphasis on creating rich formative e-assessment and learning materials.
Feedback an important part of the design and implementation.

Usability

For students

The interface is clean, and accessible by screen readers. Feedback is immediate.

Tests run on any device - desktop, tablet, mobile - with a responsive design.

Over several years, and based on student feedback, the interface has improved.

Usability

For authors

Using the graphical editor, you can create a simple question with no previous knowledge.

Gradually add more complicated elements, such as LaTeX maths notation.

Can test run questions immediately.

Template questions make customising existing material easier.

Integration with a VLE

Numbas uses the SCORM 2004 standard to integrate with compliant VLEs, such as Moodle and Blackboard.

Or you can use it without a VLE.

Customisation

A large driver for Numbas was the lack of customisability in previous systems.

Interface and logic are completely separated in Numbas - custom themes can change the look of tests, or reimagine how they're run.

Extensions allow the addition of new functions, data types, and resources.

Formative vs summative use

Computer-aided assessment is great for formative assessment.

Students can try randomised questions over and over until they're happy.

Summative assessment poses problems:

How to prevent cheating?
Can you ask the right sort of questions for a high-stakes summative exam?

Open access

Compiled Numbas tests are SCORM packages: they're completely self-contained. Perfect for open access resources.

We want to establish a community of authors and users producing quality open-access material.

Complexity of questions

Most high school or undergrad maths questions are easily implemented in Numbas.

Randomising questions can be hard, and marking can be hard - but Numbas makes it easier.

Variable generation

Variables are generated declaratively; variables can build on other variables.

The definition interface allows you to work interactively: see generated values immediately, and test for properties.