AMC and multi-lingual exams

Version 4 (Pieter Van den Hombergh, 04/06/2014 05:34 pm) → Version 5/6 (Pieter Van den Hombergh, 04/06/2014 05:34 pm)

h1. AMC and multi-lingual exams

At our institute (Fontys Hogeschool voor techniek en logistiek in Venlo NL) we teach Dutch and German students.
In the first two semesters we teach in Dutch and ans German, the exams are accordingly.

The lessons and exams that the students receive in these lessons should be the same, content wise.
That is why I create my lecture sheets in LaTeX-Beamer, with multiple languages in the same file. I do the same with my exams.

By keeping the content in one file, it is much easier to keep the content the same, provided you know the languages used to some degree.
It also help correcting the content of such files languages wise. While you are working on one file someone else (a colleague, maybe better at one of the languages
can correct you files in the mean time. This is especially advantageous if you teach in one language and the other in another and you share sheets and exam questions.

h1. The trick is trivial.

Define a set of macros each with one argument, one for each language. The macro for the active language simply passes its contents, the
macro for the inactive language(s) drops its content.

Example adapted to the AMC doc.
<pre>
\newcommand\DE[1]{#1} % active
\newcommand\NL[1]{#1} % active
\newcommand\EN[1]{#3} % active

In the production file I i deactivate the inactive languages like this:
\renewcommand\DE[1]{} % inactive
\renewcommand\NL[1]{} % inactive
\renewcommand\EN[1]{#1} % active

\begin{questionmult}{test}\scoring{haut=2}
\EN{Please select the correct assertions.}
\DE{Bitte wählen Sie die korrekte Behauptungen.}
\NL{Kies de correcte beweringen.}
\begin{choices}
\wrongchoice{\EN{Merkozy is the current president of the European Union.}
\DE{Merkozy ist der Jetzige President der Europäische Union.}
\NL{Merkozy is de huidige president van de Europese Unie.}
}
\wrongchoice{\EN{The UK just entered the EURO zone.}
\DE{Das vereinigte Königreich hat gerade die EURO zone zugetreten.}
\NL{Het verenigd koninkrijk ist zojuist bij de EURO zone toegetreden.}
}
\end{choices}
\end{questionmult}
</pre>