QUEST: CAlDl Programs to Set Up and Use Question-and-AnswerExercises William F. Wood and Craig D. Kent Humboldt State University Arcata, CA 95521 The QUEST uackaee of computer-aided instruction nrograms sets up ~ i e s t i o n - a n d - ~ n i wexercises er to aid studknts in organic chemistry. With these programs we have developed exercises on organic chemical n o k e h a t u r e , reaction m& anisms, and organic reactions. However, the QUEST package will lend itself to any Question-and-Answer exercise in almost any field. Design of the system was done so little or no knowledge of computer programming is needed to set up exercises and have students use the system. Exercises for the QUEST package are constructed by SETUP, a program that creates a virtual file to store the exercise together with instructions on how the computer is to use the exercise. T o use this program, the operator names each exercise and adds up to 50 questions and answers to the file following the program's directions. Files created by SETUP have the followina. options: introductorv. or auestion-askine . . phrase.; ro inrroduce the question (tlr answer when quesrion : n ~ danswrr are inrtrchanaed~;UD to 5U lines of informational text to introduce and describe kach exercise; optional random-order presentation of the questions, and an interchangeability of questions and answers. Program SETUP can also he used to chanae any of the auestions and answers, edit the introductory text or question1asking phrases, and list or delete the file. A student, using a CRT terminal, gains access to each exercise through QUEST, a program that opens an exercise file and nresents the ouestions to the student. The oroeram . " checks the student's answer and gives the correct answer. I t also keeps track of each student's progress and gives the student a score a t the end of each series of problems. Quest gives students the options of reviewing the introductory material and choosing the number of problems they wish to work. QUEST accepts answers in upper or lower case. We have uied these programs to develop a comprehensive set of exercises on organic - chemical nomenclature. In these ext~tiset,the nmputer presents the student with a structural fimnula nnrl asks rhe student tor the compound's name. Aiter answering, the student is given the correct answer. A portion of a student-computer interaction using QUEST is shown below, with student inputs in italics: WHAT IS T H E NAME OF CH3-CHZ-CHZ-OH? J-butonol NO YOU ARE WRONG, I T IS I-PROPANOL WHAT IS T H E NAME OF CH3-CH=CH-CHO? 2-bu t e n d CORRECT~2-BUTENAL
At oresent we are usine 12 exercises on oreanic chemical nomenclature. These exercises include the naming of comoounds of the followine . erouns: . . alkanes: alkenes and alkvnes: hnld~ydnaarbons;ethers !radicofunctional nomenclature^; ethers t1.UP.A.C. nomenclature): . . amines: alcohols and ohenols; aldehydes and ketones; carboxylic acids; common derivatives of carboxylic acids: compounds with multiple functional groups and i n exercise on.some common suifur-containing nanpo~lndn. rhtmical rractions lend themselves w the QVEST package when the name of the product is used as the answer: WHAT IS T H E PRODUCT'S NAME? CH3-CH=CH-CH3 H 2 P t -? butane CORRECT-BUTANE WHAT IS T H E PRODUCT'S NAME? CH3-CH-CH2 HC1-? J-chloroprapone WRONG, I T IS 2-CHLOROPROPANE
+
+
what il the name o? this molecule? l r 3 - U I C H L O R O R E N Z E N arrect! he name of
this molecule i s
Ir3-DICHLOROBENZENE
Figure 1. Excerpt from a sample student run of ORGNOM. Student's input underlined.
Programs QUEST and SETUP were written in DEC BASIC-PLUS with a minimum of exotic system functions to allow easy transportability and maintenance of these pro-
versity, Arcata, CA 95521.
Computerized Organic Nomenclature Drill John K. Estell 517 Meadow Spring Road Maumee, OH 43537
A computer program has been developed to assist students with oreanic chemistrv " hv -~.r o v i d i n edrill in IUPAC nomenclature for a variety of organic compounds. The program ORGNOM is desimed to provide the user with practice in the naming of alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, alcohols, aldehydes, amines, henzvl derivatives. carhoxvlic acids.. cvcloalkanes. . esters, ethers; alkyl halides', ketones, nitroalkanes, and hy: drocarhon radicals. This allows the nrogram to he used durine any part of the beginning organic chemistry course. he compounds are shown to the user in their structural forms. This helps the student to learn both the nomenclature and the structure of organic compounds. Figure 1showsan example of what a user might encounter when running the program. ORGNOM is designed for use on either the Digital Equipment Corp. PDP-11140or PDP-11/70 timesharing computer systems operating under RSTS/E versions 6 or 7. Special terminals are not necessary to run the program. It is written in BASIC-PLUS and consists of 1,067 lines with 74 comments. Execution requires 15 K words (30 K hytes), with a BASICPLUS text occupying 32 K bytes of storage. Computer program listings and sample runs are available. Copies of ORGNOM can also be supplied on your 9-track, ASCII or EBCDIC (please specify), magnetic tape a t 800 BPI with any blocking factor specified. No labels preferred or Digital DOS format, please. A remittance of $3.50 payable in checkor monev order to the author is necessary to G e r the expense of duplkation and mailing. Versions of ORGNOM are available on tape cassette for the Commodore P E T 8K (old or new ROMs) and on 9-track mag tape in Dec-10 Basic. The author would like to thank Mr. Robert Tadsen, Maumee High School, and Dr. Gordon A. Parker, Dr. H. Bradford Thompson, and Dr. Deane Horne, The University of Toledo, for their assistance and suggestions. w
Volume 58, Number 1, January 1981
1 47
