Blackboard 9 Spacing Issues (Multiple Choice Questions)

[msal...@gmail.com]

I'm using MathJax to author multiple-choice questions in Blackboard 9. After encountering some spacing issues involving equations being vertically cut off, I found that the solution of adding a hard <BR> return at the top of each prompt worked for me. So, each prompt and each multiple-choice answer begins with

<script =...></script><br/>
Math \(text\),etc.

However, while this solves the spacing issue for the question prompt, my multiple-choice answer choices still appear as though they're being shoved in too-small bounding boxes. On this screenshot, you can see that each answer choice is clipped and has absurd little scroll-bars:

It's probably a Blackboard issue – my Bb administrator has been very willing to help troubleshoot – but before I go that route, has anyone else encountered this issue or, better yet, encountered it and found a solution or a workaround?

[Peter Krautzberger]

Hi,

I'm afraid it's not really possible to help you debug such problems without a live sample that exhibits it. If you can share an example, that would be best. See also the group's user guidelines for other tips.

Regards,

Peter.

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[Murray]

Hi

I'm surprised your Blackboard administrators allow you to include your own javascript in your quizzes. (My experience is they set all scripts to be swallowed in both content areas and quizzes.)

As such, I gave up on Blackboard and used David Lippman's iMathAS + MathJax (not the original ASCIIMathML) for a course I recently designed. It worked well. The downside, of course, is that you need a separate server and separate account systems, which is a deal breaker for most people.

But it was very sweet not having to fight with Blackboard's multiple javascript, HTML and CSS errors.

Back to your issue. You mention "absurd little scroll bars". It's not clear whether they are from an iframe, or a div. I would suggest getting your technical people to setting the width and height of that object to (say) 300px x 250px in the CSS (with an "important!" so Blackboard doesn't overwrite it.) If that allows you to see all of the quiz choices without scroll bars, you are on your way to solving it.  

Regards

Murray

[Christian Perfect]

I've done some investigating, and it looks like blackboard sets "overflow-x: auto" on the content areas, which brings the scrollbars into existence because MathJax output is very slightly bigger than it says it is. Adding ".questionShell .inlineVtbegenerated { padding:  1px !important; }" to the CSS looks like it fixes the problem. However, I can't find a sure-fire way of adding custom css! Odd that remote javascript is allowed through but not css. I think the only solution is to get your blackboard admins to add that to the sitewide css.

Or, give up on Blackboard Quiz entirely. An alternative to Murray's suggestion of iMathAS is Numbas (www.numbas.org.uk) which produces standalone SCORM packages and integrates with Blackboard very easily.

cp

[Davide P. Cervone]

> Adding ".questionShell .inlineVtbegenerated { padding: 1px !important; }" to the CSS looks like it fixes the problem. However, I can't find a sure-fire way of adding custom css!

Well, if you can add MathJax configuration, you can ask MathJax to set the CSS. Something like

<script type="text/x-mathjax-config">
MathJax.Hub.Config({
styles: {".questionShell .inlineVtbegenerated": {padding: "1px!important"}}
});
</script>

should do the trick. (I didn't actually test it, though.)

Davide

[Christian Perfect]

I don't think you can configure mathjax - blackboard's content filter comments out the contents of any script tags.

[Davide P. Cervone]

The OP seemed to be able to add a script.  The original example included one, at least, and the implication was that the quiz allowed him/her to add the script that loaded MathJax.  But if not, then of course this won't work.

Davide

[Matt Salomone]

OP here. Yes, fortunately my Bb configuration seems okay with the <script>’ing, which means configuring with an additional <script> seems to do the trick.

Strangely (happily, I guess), it appears that I only need this configuration tag once per question – placing it in the question prompt field also fixes the issue for the associated multiple-choice responses. Go figure. Anyway, this looks like a great workaround for me. Thanks everyone!

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[Davide P. Cervone]

Yes, you should only need one configuration script and one script that loads MathJax per page.  And the configuration script should appear BEFORE the script that loads MathJax.

I'm glad it has worked out for you.

Davide

[Christian Perfect]

Check that the script tag stays after you edit the question a couple of times! I thought it had worked for me but when I went back to edit the question again it stopped working.