[Contrib: Evaluation System] block items

[Silverio, Gonzalo]

Hi,

Many thanks for the feedback on the previous email on vertical and
horizontal display of multiple choice and multiple answer items.

This email is requesting feedback to some proposed changes to block items
(colored and not colored).

Please see (with FF 3.5, working on oddities in other browsers later):

    http://www.umich.edu/~gsilver/evalsys-work/block/

The suggested changes attempt to address the following issues:

1. General alignment of items, and item selection controls

2. Clarifying visually the relationship of item label, item controls, and
item control labels:

a. what question am answering (item row is highlighted)
b. what are the choices (choice headers are highlighted on hover)
c. what choice am considering (choice label is displayed as a tooltip and a
halo is added around the choice on hover)
d. what choice I have selected (halo surrounds selected control)

3. Making the view more accessible. An onload script rearranges parts of the
DOM of the block item so that a label with a value copied from the choice
control header is added to each control. Additionally each control gets a
title attribute with the same value. This is not perfect but represents an
improvement for screen reader users since each control now has a descriptor.

-----------------

I am aware that placement of the NA (as in the MC and MA item types) is a
matter of importance to different institutions. Does it come after or before
the choices? This is by way of an informal straw poll to see if we should
put an effort into making this settable.

Long term it may be a good idea to rewrite parts of the producer so that
there is a logical relationship between the DOM and the semantics of the
item list. This would make the rendering more robust, maintainable and
extensible. If there is any interest I can supply the ideal response markup
if needed, taking into account all the permutations.

Thanks,

    -Gonzalo