Exportable technologies: MathML and SVG objects for CAA and web content

The aim of this short paper is to provide an update on our experiences with using Mathematical Mark-up Language (MathML) and Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) within “Mathletics” – a suite of mathematics and statistics objective question styles written within Perception’s QML language/Javascript. We refer here to question style to stress that we author according to the pedagogic and algebraic structure of a questions’ content; random parameters are chosen at runtime and included within all elements of the question and feedback, including the plain text source for MathML and SVG. This results in each style having thousands, or even millions, of realisations seen by the users. Much of what we have developed exists in template files that contain functions called by any question style within the database; such functions are therefore independent of any particular web-based system (we user Perception), indeed, ordinary web pages. We reported on some of these functions at the last CAA Conference (Baruah, Ellis, Gill and Greenhow 2005) whilst basic concepts and terminology for MathML and SVG are introduced by Ellis (2005). It should also be noted that the user’s choice of font colours & sizes, and background colour, are all incorporated within the MathML and SVG content. This means that equations and diagrams will be accessible to those requiring larger/differently-coloured versions of the content’s default options.