AnswerHints

Answer Hints

This PG code shows how to include two different kinds of answer hints:

• General answer hints that help students get started on a problem and are made available after a student has submitted an answer at least once (a "Show hints" checkbox appears near the "Submit Answers" button).
• Specific, customized answer hints that appear in the answer feedback messages box after a student submits a particular answer that activates a pre-programmed hint.

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Problem Techniques Index

PG problem file	Explanation
DOCUMENT(); loadMacros( "PGstandard.pl", "MathObjects.pl", "answerHints.pl", ); TEXT(beginproblem());	Initialization: We need to include the macros file MathObjects.pl and answerHints.pl, which only works with MathObjects answer checkers (not old answer checkers). General answer hints only require the standard macros, but specific (customized) answer hints require the answerHints.pl macro.
Context("Numeric"); Context()->variables->are(t=>"Real",u=>"Real"); $f = Formula("2 t"); $answer = Formula("6 u");	Setup: We restrict the variables to t and u
Context()->texStrings; BEGIN_TEXT If \( f(t) = $f \), then \( f(3u) \) = \{ ans_rule(10) \} END_TEXT Context()->normalStrings; HINT(EV3(<<'END_HINT')); ${PAR}${BBOLD}Hint:${EBOLD} Substitute \( 3u \) wherever you see \( t \) in the formula for \( f \). END_HINT	Main Text: We include a general answer hint in the block of text between HINT(EV3(<<'END_HINT')); ${PAR}${BBOLD}Hint:${EBOLD} and END_HINT.
$showPartialCorrectAnswers = 1; ANS($answer->cmp() ->withPostFilter(AnswerHints( Formula("6 t") => "Are you using the correct variable?", Formula("6 u") => "Good work!", )) );	Answer Evaluation: To generate specific, customized answer hints for particular answers, we use the AnswerHints postfilter provided by answerHints.pl. The answer hints should be provided by a particular answer, followed by the hash table association operator =>, followed by a string that will show up in the messages portion of the answer preview and feedback box when students submit their answers. You may include as many answer and hint pairs as you like, and even use subroutines in them (see answerHints.pl for more on this).

Problem Techniques Index

• POD documentation: answerHints.pl
• PG macro code: answerHints.pl