[kde-edu]: Multiple choice program

[jalal]

I noticed the thread on Flashcards and thought it was time I introduced an 
idea I have been working on.

I've been monitoring kde-edu for a while, as I have been working on a program 
that I hope will one day fit in with kde edu apps. I haven't had much time 
recently, so its not really at the point of showing to people, hence my 
quietly listening in to the chatter :)

Anyway, its a flashcard program and is the result of an orphaned Windows 
program from a couple of years ago. It consists of a library and a front end 
and the app was designed from the beginning that the library would compile 
and run under both Windows and *nix systems (it is GPL and written in 
standard cross platform C++). The library has no connection to how the data 
is displayed. The front end could be KDE or Gnome or whatever. The data is 
stored in XML files. 

The library supplies multiple choice questions with answers, 
fixed/variable/none flash times, keeps track of scores, has histories for 
each student and can advance the flashtime for students. It will also handle 
workplans, where a teacher can design a series of lessons that will advance 
lesson by lesson as the student improves.

The original idea for the program was flash cards for improving reading skills 
for dyslexics. Flashing a word improves the eye scan rate and increasing 
flash rates slowly will improve the reading speeds. The program was also 
found to be useful for anyone who needed to learn word recognition patterns, 
including teaching foreign languages.

For this later version of the program I made the interface more generic so 
that any kind of multiple choice question could be handled, whether flashed 
or not. For complex displays HTML, images, video or sound clips could be 
used.

So, the reason I'm mentioning it is that it seems like it could be something 
useful for kde-edu but I'm not sure how it would fit in. It is not KDE 
specific (except the front end) and it probably uses a different layout for 
the XML files than what is currently in use (if there is anything).

But if there is interest, I can tell you how I've laid out the XML to handle 
the multiple choice questions, student records and workplans. Maybe it is 
something that kde-edu can make use of and therefore the library might fit in 
with other programs.

If there is an interest in making use of the library, then it would free up 
other talents for designing multiple front ends, whether it be for maths 
questions, general knowledge or spelling practise. The work on the library is 
90% finished, there have been some porting things to tie up and I need to 
rearrange the directory layout and turn it into a KDevelop project. I also 
want to tidy up the API a little. Otherwise it is fully functioning back end 
library for providing questions and answers and keeping track of the 
feedback.

cheers
jalal

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