It seems that a user can attempt a quiz question, hit the submit button, and if incorrect, can just close the browser and relaunch the course. Storyline appears not to store the quiz page status until the next page is visited. So if the browser is closed before advancing to the next page, a user can exploit this loophole.
Once the next page is visited, SL does remember that the previous quiz question was attempted and does not allow it to be changed.
Surely the question should be locked immediately on clicking Submit rather than deferring this until the user leaves the page by navigation? Or am I missing something.
I am attaching simple test files, and we tested the course on SCORM Cloud.
One of my clients has expressed the same concern a while ago. I did not have time, so I improvised. I enforced "Resume saved state" on the question base layer and inserted the button with the initial hidden state that would take me to the next question when it's "Normal". I attached the trigger "Change state of button to Normal when the timeline starts on this slide if the state of any radio button is Selected". Now, when a user attempts a quiz question, selects the wrong answer, and hits the submit button, the incorrect layer will show. If a user closes the browser and relaunches the course, a quiz question cannot be changed but a user is still able to navigate to the next question by pressing the button that was initially hidden. However, I totally agree with you. Articulate should address this issue and prevent it from happening.
Is this an Articulate issue? Or is this an HR issue? People have been probing for ways to circumvent how software is supposed work since the first software program was written, by employing technological means, social engineering means, or both.
It's the source for several webcomics on TheNewID, as the testing organization employs more and more-sophisticated technological means to prevent cheating on the part of the test-taker.
I appeciate your response. I did try enforcing "Resume saved state" (revised version attached) but this doesn't seem to work. If you select an incorrect response and click Submit, you get the incorrect layer. But if you immediately close the browser before clicking the continue button and relaunch the quiz, SL does *not* resume the saved state but reopens with none of the quiz buttons selected, allowing a reattempt. It seems that SL does not send the page status to the LMS until you move to the next page. I get the idea of the hidden button, but I'm not sure that fixes the fundamental problem.
It shouldn't really be necessary for users to figure out workarounds - the easy fix is for SL to update the LMS with the page status immediately after the submit button is pressed.
Your file works just fine when tested on SCORM Cloud. See the attached recording. When relaunched, the quiz will resume the saved state not allowing a reattempt.
Thanks for trying this! But when I do what I think is exactly the same, I *do not* get the Resume option when relaunching the course, and the previous state is not saved. Only when I click the Continue button after submitting the quiz does the system give me the Resume option on relaunch. Any idea why we seem to be experiencing a different behavior for the same course file?
That's odd. I swear I used the same file you attached earlier. As you know, importing to SCORMCloud is a very straightforward process. I have no clue what may have gone wrong. Try renaming your story file, publish it, and import it back to SCORM Cloud library as a new item. I tried a few more times and everything works as expected. I'm sorry you are having trouble with this.
I can see from your .zip file that this content was published using Build 3.50.24668.0 which is from March 2021. This may explain why we're seeing different results.
We released a fix for a few quizzing bugs in Build 3.52.25156.0:
Fixed: We fixed some quizzing issues. Answer choices could overlap during quiz review. Results were calculated incorrectly after rapidly clicking the Next button through a quiz. Refreshing the browser tab or exiting and resuming the course after submitting a question and displaying its feedback allowed learners to retake the question.
We are currently on Build 3.56.26219.0 of Storyline 360. You can read all of the details here.
8 Replies
One of my clients has expressed the same concern a while ago. I did not have time, so I improvised. I enforced "Resume saved state" on the question base layer and inserted the button with the initial hidden state that would take me to the next question when it's "Normal". I attached the trigger "Change state of button to Normal when the timeline starts on this slide if the state of any radio button is Selected". Now, when a user attempts a quiz question, selects the wrong answer, and hits the submit button, the incorrect layer will show. If a user closes the browser and relaunches the course, a quiz question cannot be changed but a user is still able to navigate to the next question by pressing the button that was initially hidden. However, I totally agree with you. Articulate should address this issue and prevent it from happening.
Is this an Articulate issue? Or is this an HR issue? People have been probing for ways to circumvent how software is supposed work since the first software program was written, by employing technological means, social engineering means, or both.
It's the source for several webcomics on TheNewID, as the testing organization employs more and more-sophisticated technological means to prevent cheating on the part of the test-taker.
I appeciate your response. I did try enforcing "Resume saved state" (revised version attached) but this doesn't seem to work. If you select an incorrect response and click Submit, you get the incorrect layer. But if you immediately close the browser before clicking the continue button and relaunch the quiz, SL does *not* resume the saved state but reopens with none of the quiz buttons selected, allowing a reattempt. It seems that SL does not send the page status to the LMS until you move to the next page. I get the idea of the hidden button, but I'm not sure that fixes the fundamental problem.
It shouldn't really be necessary for users to figure out workarounds - the easy fix is for SL to update the LMS with the page status immediately after the submit button is pressed.
You could always go the other route, that of delayed feedback.
Your file works just fine when tested on SCORM Cloud. See the attached recording. When relaunched, the quiz will resume the saved state not allowing a reattempt.
Thanks for trying this! But when I do what I think is exactly the same, I *do not* get the Resume option when relaunching the course, and the previous state is not saved. Only when I click the Continue button after submitting the quiz does the system give me the Resume option on relaunch. Any idea why we seem to be experiencing a different behavior for the same course file?
That's odd. I swear I used the same file you attached earlier. As you know, importing to SCORMCloud is a very straightforward process. I have no clue what may have gone wrong. Try renaming your story file, publish it, and import it back to SCORM Cloud library as a new item. I tried a few more times and everything works as expected. I'm sorry you are having trouble with this.
Hi Lawrence,
I can see from your .zip file that this content was published using Build 3.50.24668.0 which is from March 2021. This may explain why we're seeing different results.
We released a fix for a few quizzing bugs in Build 3.52.25156.0:
Fixed: We fixed some quizzing issues. Answer choices could overlap during quiz review. Results were calculated incorrectly after rapidly clicking the Next button through a quiz. Refreshing the browser tab or exiting and resuming the course after submitting a question and displaying its feedback allowed learners to retake the question.
We are currently on Build 3.56.26219.0 of Storyline 360. You can read all of the details here.