[LON-CAPA-users] Re: formatting hardcopy of Homework sets

[Steven Pollock]

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	charset=US-ASCII;
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> So first off, why not let the students do the printing?

'Cause it costs them money, which they (sometimes) have less of than we 
do.
'Cause we printed last semester when we used CAPA, and wanted to make 
the transition as seamless as possible.
'Cause we strongly encourage our students to work AWAY from the 
terminal, and having a printout helps. If they have to print it at 
their expense, many won't, and instead will sit at their terminal. 
Students sitting at a terminal are more likely to try "working the 
problem in the margins", rather than doing it neatly, drawing figures, 
talking to friends, thinking about it...

Not sure if any of these are the greatest reasons, but it seemed enough 
to us to continue, at least for the time being


> <definetag name="textline">
>     <render>
>        <tex> \strut </tex>
>     </render>
> </definetag>
> <definetag name="/textline">
>     <render>
>        <tex> \strut </tex>
>     </render>
> </definetag>

Tried this out. It does get rid of the textbox, but replaces it with 
blank space of the same height as the box (!) In the end, the vertical 
spacing is completely identical to before, so alas this doesn't seem to 
help us with our problem of trying to chop space...

> I notice that in the PARM Set Course Environment there is an option:
> "Suppress number of tries in printing(yes if supress)"
> I have never tried this.  Does it work?
Thanks Ray, it does work. Every little bit helps!



> > But ironically, the printout still says
> > "Computer's answer now shown above."
> >
> > Which it isn't.
>
> http://bugs.loncapa.org/show_bug.cgi?id=3306
>
> Already reported and fixed.

Hmmm.... We're running 1.2, and the printout does still say "Your are 
correct. Computer's answer now shown above. Receipt number is ..." Is 
there something I have to actively do to suppress that line?
(Can't quite understand what the bug report solution means)  Not that 
this impacts our printout problem, really, since we print before 
they've started.

On the question of forcing page breaks:
>
> you can include a resource that does nothing but cause a page break.

Not quite sure how exactly I'd do this... Sorry, I know it sounds 
simple, but then so am I :-(

And, one last new question. At the start of the printout, their name 
appears. It is in the order First Middle Last. Since we have 100's of 
students, we like to distribute them in alphabetized boxes to help them 
find their set more quickly. So it would be much easier for us if the 
name appeared Last, First Middle. (Just makes sorting easier for our 
undergrad helpers who distribute.)  Do we have any control over that?
Thanks as always, everyone, for your help!

Cheers,
Steve P.





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<excerpt><fontfamily><param>Courier</param><x-tad-bigger>So first off,
why not let the students do the printing?

</x-tad-bigger></fontfamily></excerpt>

'Cause it costs them money, which they (sometimes) have less of than
we do.

'Cause we printed last semester when we used CAPA, and wanted to make
the transition as seamless as possible.

'Cause we strongly encourage our students to work AWAY from the
terminal, and having a printout helps. If they have to print it at
their expense, many won't, and instead will sit at their terminal.
Students sitting at a terminal are more likely to try "working the
problem in the margins", rather than doing it neatly, drawing figures,
talking to friends, thinking about it... 


Not sure if any of these are the greatest reasons, but it seemed
enough to us to continue, at least for the time being



<excerpt><fontfamily><param>Courier</param><x-tad-bigger><<definetag
name="textline">

    <<render>

       <<tex> \strut <</tex>

    <</render>

<</definetag>

<<definetag name="/textline">

    <<render>

       <<tex> \strut <</tex>

    <</render>

<</definetag></x-tad-bigger></fontfamily>

</excerpt>

Tried this out. It does get rid of the textbox, but replaces it with
blank space of the same height as the box (!) In the end, the vertical
spacing is completely identical to before, so alas this doesn't seem
to help us with our problem of trying to chop space...


<excerpt><fontfamily><param>Courier</param><x-tad-bigger>I notice that
in the PARM Set Course Environment there is an option:

"Suppress number of tries in printing(yes if supress)"

I have never tried this.  Does it work?

</x-tad-bigger></fontfamily></excerpt>Thanks Ray, it does work. Every
little bit helps!




<excerpt><fontfamily><param>Courier</param><x-tad-bigger>></x-tad-bigger><italic><x-tad-bigger>
But ironically, the printout still says

</x-tad-bigger></italic><x-tad-bigger>></x-tad-bigger><italic><x-tad-bigger>
"Computer's answer now shown above."

</x-tad-bigger></italic><x-tad-bigger>></x-tad-bigger><italic><x-tad-bigger> 

</x-tad-bigger></italic><x-tad-bigger>></x-tad-bigger><italic><x-tad-bigger>
Which it isn't.

</x-tad-bigger></italic><x-tad-bigger>

</x-tad-bigger><color><param>5555,1A1A,8B8B</param><x-tad-bigger>http://bugs.loncapa.org/show_bug.cgi?id=3306</x-tad-bigger></color><x-tad-bigger>


Already reported and fixed.

</x-tad-bigger></fontfamily></excerpt>

Hmmm.... We're running 1.2, and the printout does still say "Your are
correct. Computer's answer now shown above. Receipt number is ..." Is
there something I have to actively do to suppress that line?

(Can't quite understand what the bug report solution means)  Not that
this impacts our printout problem, really, since we print before
they've started. 


On the question of forcing page breaks:

<excerpt>

<fontfamily><param>Courier</param><x-tad-bigger>you can include a
resource that does nothing but cause a page break.

</x-tad-bigger></fontfamily></excerpt><fontfamily><param>Courier</param><x-tad-bigger>

</x-tad-bigger></fontfamily>Not quite sure how exactly I'd do this...
Sorry, I know it sounds simple, but then so am I :-(  <fontfamily><param>Courier</param><x-tad-bigger>

</x-tad-bigger></fontfamily>

And, one last new question. At the start of the printout, their name
appears. It is in the order First Middle Last. Since we have 100's of
students, we like to distribute them in alphabetized boxes to help
them find their set more quickly. So it would be much easier for us if
the name appeared Last, First Middle. (Just makes sorting easier for
our undergrad helpers who distribute.)  Do we have any control over
that?

Thanks as always, everyone, for your help!


Cheers,

Steve P.<fontfamily><param>Courier</param><x-tad-bigger>

</x-tad-bigger></fontfamily>





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