Are you familiar with iQuiz? How about the iPod Quiz game that comes with the latest versions of the iPod Classic and the iPod Nano? Well, they are actually one and the same. Apple recently changed the name "iQuiz" to "iPod Quiz" and is bundling the game with new versions of the iPod Nano and the iPod Classic. If you have an iPod Video, 5th generation, you can purchase the original "iQuiz" game from the Apple iTunes store for the same cost as a song (99 cents in the United States).

So why are we telling you about iPod Quiz? Because iPod Quiz lets you turn a simple self-test activity into a hand-held game show, complete with high-quality images, animation, countdown timers, audio buzzers and more. When a quiz is made available in the iPod Quiz format, it can be copied to the appropriate folder in iTunes and then synchronized with an iPod. To learn how to create quizzes for iPod Quiz using StudyMate Author or Respondus, continue reading.

Create iPod Quiz files with StudyMate Author or Respondus
The latest versions of StudyMate Author (Version 2.0.3) and Respondus (Version 3.5.4a) allow you to generate files in the iPod Quiz format. The iPod Quiz game only supports multiple choice and true/false questions, so Respondus and StudyMate Author automatically filter out other types of questions when generating an iPod Quiz file. Another limit to the iPod Quiz game is that it displays a maximum of four answer choice fields for multiple choice questions. So if the answer choices for a question exceed that limit, you have the choice of either dropping the question altogether, or having StudyMate Author or Respondus randomly drop incorrect distractors so that the question only displays a total of four answer choices.

Doesn’t StudyMate Author already support iPods?
Yes, StudyMate Author already lets you create activities for iPods and other "small screen devices" such as the Sony PSP. Those features are still available and actually allow a greater range of materials to be generated for iPods. For example, StudyMate Author will create “Flash Card” activities for use on iPods, thus letting students review glossary terms or any material that lends itself to a flash card approach. Put simply, the main benefit of the iPod Quiz game is that it offers more glitz -- such as a game show host, an animated “X” symbol when questions are answered incorrectly, a countdown clock, audio buzzers, music, and so on. So if this appeals to you (or, more likely, your students) then it’s an option that you can add to your publishing output from StudyMate Author. And that’s the beauty of StudyMate Author, it takes no extra effort to publish questions in a variety of formats, whether it is the iPod Quiz format, the standard Flash format for use on computers, or the "small screen device" format that was already available in StudyMate Author.

Some Practical Tips
Our staff has played with iPod Quiz and they’ve come up with a few authoring tips, caveats, and general advice:

• If you have a choice of using either StudyMate Author or Respondus to create iPod Quiz files, we suggest using StudyMate Author because the final publishing step is more automated, as explained below.
• Don’t use images, equations or media objects in your questions. iPod Quiz can’t display these items so the questions are automatically dropped when the files are generated from Respondus and StudyMate Author
• Keep your questions short. Long question wordings or answer choices automatically scroll in the iPod Quiz game. If one part of the question is scrolling, it can be annoying. But when multiple parts of the question are scrolling, it’s nearly impossible to read.
• Keep your questions simple. Part of the fun of iPod Quiz game is the timer, which limits you to 20 seconds for each question. So if the question can’t be read quickly or if it requires a calculation, then students won’t be able to answer it in the allotted time.
• The fastest way to create iPod Quiz files is to use one of the 1500 test banks from the Respondus Test Bank Network. These test banks are freely available to faculty who adopt a participating textbook from a higher education publisher.
• Remember that iPod Quiz is only included with the newest versions of the iPod Classic and iPod Nano. If students are using the iPod Video (5th generation), they will need to purchase the “iQuiz” game from the Apple iTunes Store for a small fee (99 cents in the United States). iPod Quiz is not available for older versions of the iPod Nano or iPod Video.
• While the iPod Quiz may appeal to students who want a hip, mobile experience, it doesn’t really compare to the full range of Flash activities that StudyMate Author can generate for regular computers. We recommend offering iPod Quiz files as an additional option, not as a replacement for the computer-based version of StudyMate Author activities.

How to Create iPod Quiz Files with StudyMate Author
These are the steps for creating an iPod Quiz file using StudyMate Author:

1. Make sure you are running StudyMate Author 2.0.3 or higher. (To get the latest version, start StudyMate Author, select Help from the menu bar, select Check for Update, and follow the prompts.)
2. Create a StudyMate Author file as you would do normally, or use a publisher test bank from the Respondus Test Bank Network.
3. From the Settings menu, select “Small Screen Devices” and review the settings for the iPod Quiz game.
4. Go to the Preview and Publish menu, select the “Publish” tab, start the Publish Wizard, and then select the last box on the first page of the wizard: “iPod Quiz”.

How to Create iPod Quizzes with Respondus
These are the steps for creating an iPod Quiz file using Respondus:

1. Make sure you are running Respondus 3.5.4a or higher. (To get the latest version, start Respondus, select Help from the menu bar, select Check for Update, and follow the prompts.)
2. Create a Respondus file as you would do normally, or use a publisher test bank from the Respondus Test Bank Network.
3. Select “File” from the menu bar and then “Save as iPod Quiz”.
4. Choose your settings and then save the .zip file to your hard drive.
5. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen for uploading the iPod Quiz files to a web server. Also provided are sample instructions and HTML code that can be added to a web page.

Related Articles
Using Publisher Question Banks to Create Flash Activities with StudyMate Author
Training Made Fun with StudyMate Author
StudyMate Author Wins “Gold Excellence Award for Innovation”
Can exam questions in an online course be used with StudyMate Author?
Tips for Choosing an Authoring Tool
Importing Respondus Files with StudyMate Author
Creating StudyMate Author Activities from Existing Content
StudyMate Author’s Matching Activity

Source: Respondus, Inc. (www.respondus.com)
Originally Published: October 29, 2007

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