[LON-CAPA-users] disabling PRT

[Todd Ruskell]

Ray,

On Thu, 2004-09-09 at 15:52, Ray Batchelor wrote:
> Hi Todd,
>                The endgame is this:
> 
> Running online quizzes; only one try each question;  
But here students could still use the browser print function or do a
screen capture.

> for some problems there 
> are always issues with the PRT and therefore I just don't want to be bothered 
> with it (for example problems with multiple in-line textline boxes inside a 
> table and with images).  In this particular instance we are already 
> discouraging the students from printing.  Hiding the PRT option would simplfy 
> this and make problem creation less tedious.  A possible practical solution 
> is to hard code in a "No PRT" argument to the <problem>?  The reason I say 
> this is because if they really are unprintable then we don't really want 
> anyone printing them.

I can certainly see this argument.  Apparently I haven't created
fancy-enough problems :/.  

> The question is: "Should all resources be functional wrt to PRT? or is there a 
> category of resources which could be intended as web-only."
>   Which makes me realize that I could have coded everything inside <web> 
> </web>tags, but it was not obvious to me at the time that this is what I 
> would always want (nor is it now).
> 
> On the other hand allowing people to switch off PRT from within PARM would 
> allow all users to decide whether they want PRT available in their course 
> resources.
> 
> Comments?
Given your arguments, I'd go with author control, so each cc wouldn't
have to determine whether or not a resource would blow up when printed. 
Can resources like movies be PRTed?  What happens?  I've never tried.

But being of two minds, I would argue that a truly compliant resource
would be both web and print compatible.  Just how compatible, I'm not
sure.  ie:  In print mode a simple message "Cool video clip here" or
some such would, I suppose, technically be compatible.

Or maybe a compromise.  Stuff that looks "printable", ie: problems, web
pages, graphics, really should be print compatible, while other
resources, like movies, shouldn't.

I'll stop rambling now.

Todd


-- 
Dr. Todd Ruskell			
Lecturer, Department of Physics		Office: Meyer Hall 326
Colorado School of Mines		Phone: 303-384-2080
1523 Illinois Street			Fax: 303-273-3919
Golden, CO 80401