Guide to the Drag and Drop Problem

Guide to the Drag and Drop Problem#

The background image for a drag and drop problem is the surface that learners drag items onto.

A target zone is a rectangular area on the background image. You can show or hide the borders of a zone for learners. You can add titles for zones or leave the Title field empty. However, you must fill in the Description field for each zone. The description is only exposed to screen readers. The description must describe the content of the zone for visually impaired learners. For example, a zone that includes an apple might have a description that says “A round, red fruit with a stem.”

A background image must fit within the course screen. The LMS automatically scales images that are too wide. If you choose a background image that is extremely large, you should consider how it appears to learners after scaling. The width of the course screen depends on the device and browsing software that a learner uses.

You define a target zone by specifying its width, height, horizontal offset (x), and vertical offset (y). Each specification is in pixels. The horizontal offset is the distance between the left side of the background image and the left side of the target zone. The vertical offset is the distance between the top of the background image and the top of the target zone.

The following image shows a background image and target zones in the drag and drop problem editing dialog box. For more information about editing drag and drop problems, see Create a Drag and Drop Problem.

A background image and target zones shown in the drag and drop problem editing dialog box.

Note

The pixel coordinates that you use to specify the size and location of target zones are also used by common image editing software. You can open a background image in an image editing program to find the pixel coordinates of a target zone.

Understanding Draggable Items#

A draggable item is a rectangle that contains either a label or an image. Learners grab draggable items from the top of a drag and drop problem and drag them to targets on the background image.

You can set the size of the rectangle for a draggable item as a percentage of the width of the problem. If you do not specify the size, the LMS sets it based on the length of the text in the label or the size of the image in it. You can set the background color and the label text color for the items in a problem.

Each draggable item can match one target zone on the background image, multiple target zones, or no target zones.

Each item must have a text label to identify it in the drag and drop problem. If you include only a text label, that label appears in the draggable item. If you include both a text label and an image for an item, the image appears as its label.

Using Draggable Items with Images#

The following image shows draggable items with images. For examples of items with text, see Overview of Drag and Drop Problems.

Draggable items with image labels in the item area of a drag and drop problem.

Images for draggable items have alternative image descriptions. The alternative description explains the image content in text. If a learner cannot access the visual image content, the text description helps that learner to complete the problem.

Images for draggable items must fit within the top section of the problem. The LMS automatically scales large images to fit. If you use a large image in a draggable item, you should consider how that image appears after scaling.

Note

If an image file is unavailable, or cannot be displayed, the LMS displays the text description as the button label.

Choosing a Drag and Drop Problem Mode#

You can configure drag and drop problems to allow learners to experiment with matching draggable items to target zones until all items are matched correctly, or to require that learners match all items to target zones without any input and then submit their attempts for grading. You can choose either Standard Mode or Assessment Mode to control the behavior of the problem.

In standard mode, learners have unlimited attempts to match items and the problem provides immediate feedback to indicate whether an item is matched correctly.
In assessment mode, learners must match all of the draggable items to target zones and then choose to submit the problem. The problem does not reveal whether items are matched correctly until the learner submits the problem. You can limit the number of attempts a learner is allowed, or allow unlimited attempts.

Using Standard Mode#

Standard mode configures a drag and drop problem to give learners unlimited attempts to match draggable items with target zones until all of the items are matched to the correct targets. Each time a learner drops an item on a target zone, the problem reports whether the match is correct. If the match is not correct, the draggable item is returned to the item bank for a new attempt.

A learner completes a drag and drop problem in standard mode when all of the items are matched to target zones correctly. Learners receive the maximum score for the problem when the problem is complete.

Using Assessment Mode#

Assessment mode configures a drag and drop problem to behave like a test. In assessment mode, learners must match all of the draggable items to target zones before the problem reveals whether the items are matched correctly.

Learners select Submit when they believe that they have completed the problem. If all items are matched correctly, the problem is complete. If any items are not matched correctly, and the maximum number of attempts has not been reached, the learner can correct items and select Submit again. When the learner reaches the maximum number of attempts, the problem is complete.

The score for the problem is calculated by dividing the maximum score based on the percent of draggable items that are matched correctly. If a learner attempts the problem multiple times, the score for the best attempt is the final score for the problem.

In assessment mode, you can specify the number of times that learners can submit a drag and drop problem. If you allow more than one attempt, the problem reveals which items are correctly matched and gives learners an opportunity to move items that are not correct. If you do not specify a limit, learners have unlimited attempts.

Understanding the Drag and Drop Editing Controls#

The following table explains the controls in the Editing dialog box.

Control	Explanation
Problem title	The heading that appears above the drag and drop problem. For an example, see Overview of Drag and Drop Problems.
Show title	Controls whether the problem title appears above the problem in the LMS.
Problem mode	Controls whether the problem allows learners to experiment with matching draggable items to target zones (standard mode) or requires learners to match all items before providing feedback and optionally restricts the number of attempts (assessment mode). For more information, see Choosing a Drag and Drop Problem Mode.
Maximum attempts (assessment mode only)	Controls the number of times that learners can match items to target zones and submit the problem for grading. If you do not enter a maximum number, learners have unlimited attempts. For more information, see Choosing a Drag and Drop Problem Mode.
Maximum score	The total number of points that learners receive for completing the problem. For more information about scores and grading, see Manage Learner Grades.
Problem text	Text that appears above the problem in the LMS. You can use this text to provide instructions or explain the problem. For an example, see Overview of Drag and Drop Problems.
Show “Problem” heading	Controls whether the word Problem appears above the problem text.
Introductory Feedback	The text that appears in the feedback section of the problem before a learner begins.
Final Feedback	The text that appears in the feedback section of the problem after a learner matches all items to their target zones.
Background URL	The URL of the image that contains target zones for the problem. The URL can be relative to a file you add to your course or to a file on the web. For more information, see Guide to the Drag and Drop Problem. You must select Change background when you enter a new URL in this field. If you do not select Change background, the new value will not be saved when you save other changes in the Editing dialog box.
Background description	A description of the background image. This description is used by learners who cannot access the visual image.
Display label names on the image	Controls whether the text for target zones appears on the background image in the LMS.
Display zone borders on the image	Controls whether the outlines of target zones appear on the background image in the LMS.
Zone Text	A name for a target zone. You select the name of a target zone in the configuration for draggable items.
Zone Description	Text that describes a target zone. This description is available to learners who cannot access the target zone visually.
Zone width	The horizontal size of a target zone in pixels.
Zone height	The vertical size of a target zone in pixels.
Zone X	The horizontal distance (in pixels) between the left edge of the background image and the left edge of a target zone.
Zone Y	The vertical distance (in pixels) between the top edge of the background image and the top edge of a target zone.
Zone Alignment	Controls the way that the problem aligns draggable items after learners drop them on a target zone. Available options are “left”, “center”, and “right”.
Add a zone	Adds a set of controls for a new zone to the Editing dialog box.
Background color	The color that appears behind the text or image label of a draggable item. You can specify the color using a hexadecimal color code (including the `#` character) or any other valid CSS color specification. For more information, see the W3C CSS color specification. This is an optional configuration. If you do not set the background color, the LMS will apply the default color to your draggable items.
Text color	The color of the text label for a draggable item. You can specify the color using a hexadecimal color code (including the `#` character) or any other valid CSS color specification. For more information, see the W3C CSS color specification. This is an optional configuration. If you do not set the background color, the LMS will apply the default color to your text.
Item Text	Controls the text that appears on the draggable item in the problem.
Item Zones	Controls the target zones that match the draggable item. Learners must drag the item to any one of the target zones that you select.
Item Image URL	(Optional) the URL of an image that appears on a draggable item. The image appears on the draggable item in the problem. The URL can be relative to a file you add to your course or to a file on the web.
Item Image description	Text that describes the image label for a draggable item. The description is used by learners who cannot access the visual image label.
Item Success Feedback	The text message that appears above the background image when a learner places a draggable item on its matching target zone. For an example, see Overview of Drag and Drop Problems. This is an optional configuration. If you do not enter a success feedback message, the LMS will not display one.
Item Error Feedback	The text message that appears above the background image when a learner places a draggable item on an incorrect matching target zone. For an example, see Overview of Drag and Drop Problems. This is an optional configuration. If you do not enter an error feedback message, the LMS will not display one.
Item Show advanced settings	Opens additional controls for configuring a draggable item.
Item Preferred width	The horizontal size of a draggable item as a percent of the problem width. The percent value must be a whole number between 0 and 100.
Add an item	Adds a set of controls for a new draggable item to the Editing

Review Date	Working Group Reviewer	Release	Test situation