Adapt Framework 2.0

Adapt Framework v2.0 release – 3 August 2015

We are pleased to announce the latest update to the Adapt framework. Adapt v2.0 is a major release offering both performance improvements to existing features as well as delivering significant new functionality. Greatly improved assessments, accessibility, theming and plugins are now included in the core bundle.

To accompany the release, documentation is also greatly improved with every plugin now having a more detailed readme file to provide the necessary technical information. These are accompanied by a wiki providing advice more focussed on design, sharing tips and ideas on how plugins can be used to best effect.

V2.0 greatly enhances the scope of what it is now possible to create with the Adapt framework and addresses many of the outstanding features we would have ideally liked to include in earlier releases. Having addressed these outstanding issues, we envisage future releases to be more regular, providing smaller more incremental enhancements. Look out for an updated roadmap for proposed new functionality and timelines in the near future.

The Adapt Framework v2.0 has also been thoroughly tested against our standards and system specification.

We’ve provided an overview of some of the major new improvements and features below.

 

Key Improvements

General performance enhancements across all browsers (but particularly for IE8/9) achieved by:

• updating of 3rd party libraries and how they are used
• the removal of redundant code
• a complete rewrite of the inview library
• improvements to code syntax

New global question component functionality which now provides:

• the ability to review previously viewed question feedback
• the ability to display an overall mark (tick or cross) in addition to individual option marking
• the ability to toggle between ‘my answer’ and ‘model answer’
• randomisation of the order in which options are presented

A new theme provides several improvements:

• Novice users are provided with self-descriptive variables make it easier for those new to theming
• As before, those more familiar with theming can use Less.js to create highly custom courses
• A theme-extras.less file containing more classes
• New attributes allow you to do more, for example:
  • _classes allows you to target specific menu items and page elements and apply styles
  • _backgroundColor makes it easier to style individual block backgrounds
• Improvements to font management

 

New functionality

Enhanced assessment functionality offering:

• multiple question banks offering configuration options such as:
  • number of questions to be taken from a given bank
  • randomisation of presentation sequence
• improved results feature providing configurable scoring bands, each with accompanying feedback text
• scoring based on either a percentage or points based system
• multiple assessments within a single course (SCO) offering the ability to offer a summed assessment score

Accessibility which complies with the WAI guidelines to Level AA. Please note for full compliance creation of an appropriate theme and addition of appropriate information such as ALT text by the content creator would be necessary. The detailed description of how the Adapt Framework v2 meets the WAI AA accessibility requirements can be seen here.

Right to Left language support to now allow for content creation/localisation in languages such as Arabic and Hebrew.

Two new plugins are offered as part of the core bundle:

• Bookmarking records the point at which an individual leaves an Adapt course so that, upon their return, they can be given the option to return to their last location
• Trickle controls how page content is presented to a learner, offering multiple configuration options such as:
  • Reveal next block via continue button selection
  • Reveal continue button only upon completion of current block
  • Auto-scroll next block into view upon completion of current block

The ability to carry out a ‘soft reset’ on a previously completed page, allowing for components to be restored to a pre-attempted state without impacting underlying tracking data.

 

Definition of the core Adapt Framework version 2.0

Brief descriptions of each of the core plug-ins are provided in the table below:

Feature / Plugin	Description
Framework core	This is the core of the Adapt Framework.
Adapt command line interface (CLI)	Command line interface for developers working directly with the framework (as opposed to the authoring tool).
Accordion	An interactive component that presents selectable headings that reveal further text.
Assessment	An extension which attaches to an ‘article’ object to group various question components and provide a score with feedback.
Assessment Results	An extension which is used to display a single assessment’s results.
Blank	A simple blank component.
Bookmarking	An extension which provides returning learner with the option of jumping straight back to the same block they were in when they last left the course.
Box Menu	A flexible menu based upon a grid system.
Graphical Multiple Choice Question (GMCQ)	A question component that invites learners to select one or more images from a range of options.
Graphic	A component that dynamically displays images of different resolutions based upon device width.
Hot Graphic	A component that enables a user to click on hot spots over an image and displays a detailed popup that includes an image with text.
Matching	A question component that allows the learner to match the options to question stems.
Multiple Choice Question (MCQ)	A question component that invites learners to select one or more answers from a range of options.
Media	A component that displays video and audio using the HTML5 video and audio specification, with a flash fallback for browsers that don’t support HTML5.
Narrative	A component that displays images with corresponding text and left and right navigation controls to progress through the narrative.
Page Level Progress	An extension to show a user’s progress through a page.
Resources	An extension to allow learners to view resources such as PDFs and links.
Slider	A question component that allows the learner to position a slider on scale
Spoor	A SCORM tracking plugin.
Text	A component that is used to present text.
Text Input	A question component that allows the learner to input text based upon a question stem.
Trickle	A vertical locking extension that controls how page content is presented to a learner.
Tutor	A feedback overlay for question components.
Vanilla	This is the core theme bundled with the Adapt Framework.