Blackboard 8 - Embedding media in quizzes at SU
A colleague approached me this week with a question about Blackboard (currently v8.0.307.0) and assessments. He's a music prof and wants to put music in his quizzes and tests. One can imagine questions along the lines of "Which of the following selections is Hip Hop?" followed by three or four audio selections.
Bb currently lacks an easy way to add audio (or video) to questions, even with the <HTML> option active. Among other issues, Bb does a yeoman's job of tearing up old-school embeds.
Here's what we came up with, after mixing and matching bits of code from various sites (Bb shredded several other solutions):
<p>Text before the audio</p>
<object type="audio/mpeg" data="http://www.music-webclass.com/MULTsnds/Q1Ex1.mp3" width="200" height="30">
<param name="src" value="http://www.music-webclass.com/MULTsnds/Q1Ex1.mp3">
<param name="autoplay" value="false">
<param name="autoStart" value="0">
alt : <a href="http://www.music-webclass.com/MULTsnds/Q1Ex1.mp3">Text to display if the audio code fails</a>
</object>
<p>Text after the audio</p>
Here's the result (I'll put it in a <div> box for clarity):
Text before the audio
Text after the audio
Text after the audio
IE users may need to give permission for ActiveX, which could cause the quiz to reset; so, if you're considering using this XHTML, please keep that in mind. It's an IE thing.
A variation on the code should be usable for video. Just remember to change the object type from audio/mpeg (which works for MP3s) to something appropriate for your media.
We tested this solution with the latest Firefox 3, Safari 3.2 and a fairly recent IE that we found on a student's laptop (perhaps not the most rigorous method of testing). My colleague and I both run Macs -- in the Conservatory Mac lab -- so IE isn't a top priority.
Coders may wonder about the 30-pixel height of the object. A bit tall for an audio controller, eh? That's what I thought until I noticed the oversized play button on my IE-using student's Windows Media Player. Oy.
Good luck with the code. I'm happy to take suggestions for upgrades, but please -- they must run in Blackboard assessments (questions, answers and feedback). Thanks.
posted by Unknown at
8:54 AM
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