Exercises & Activities

Exercise System Architecture

How Exercises Work

Exercise Container (ExerciseNode):

• Wraps all exercise content
• Provides structure and formatting
• Handles submission and scoring
• Tracks student progress

Answer Nodes:

• AnswerComboNode: Multiple choice questions
• AnswerInputNode: Text input and fill-in-blank
• EssayNode: Long-form writing
• AudioNode: Recording exercises

Exercise Flow

Student Experience:

1. View exercise prompt
2. Interact with answer elements
3. Submit response
4. Receive feedback (immediate or delayed)
5. Progress tracked automatically

Creating Exercises

Basic Exercise Creation

Insert Exercise Container:

1. In Lex Editor, place cursor where you want exercise
2. Type /exercise or use Insert menu
3. Exercise container appears
4. Container has:
   • Title area
   • Prompt/instructions area
   • Answer area
   • Feedback area (optional)

Add Exercise Content:

1. Title (optional): Click title area, enter exercise name (e.g., "Exercise 1: Present Tense")
2. Instructions: Click prompt area, type clear instructions explaining what student should do
3. Add Answer Element: Click in answer area, type /answer or use insert menu, choose answer type

Exercise Types

1. Multiple Choice Questions

Use For:

• Grammar concepts
• Vocabulary recognition
• Reading comprehension
• Quick assessments

Create Multiple Choice:

Example:

Question: Choose the correct form of the verb:
"She _____ to school every day."

Options:
A) go
B) goes  [correct]
C) going
D) gone

[Feedback: "Goes" is correct because...]

Advanced Options:

• Images as Options: Upload images for each choice. Great for visual vocabulary and cultural identification.
• Audio Questions: Record or upload question audio. Students listen and select answer. Tests listening comprehension.
• Scoring: Points per correct answer, partial credit options, penalty for wrong answers (optional).

2. Fill-in-the-Blank

Use For:

• Grammar application
• Vocabulary in context
• Spelling practice
• Sentence completion

Create Fill-in-Blank:

1. Add AnswerInputNode: Type /answerinput
2. Write Sentence with Blanks: Type complete sentence, place cursor where blank should be, click "Insert Blank" or type [[blank]], blank appears as input field
3. Set Correct Answers: Click on blank field, enter correct answer(s), can have multiple acceptable answers, case sensitivity option
4. Add Context (optional): Before/after text, instructions, hints

Example:

Complete the sentence with the correct verb form:

Yesterday, I _____ (to go) to the market and _____ (to buy)
some fresh vegetables.

Answers: went, bought
Acceptable variations: visited (for went), purchased (for bought)

Configuration Options:

• Multiple Blanks: Add multiple blanks in one exercise, each blank scored separately
• Hint Options: First letter hint, word length hint, definition hint, no hints (hardest)
• Scoring: Per blank scoring, all-or-nothing option, partial credit for close answers

3. Matching Activities

Use For:

• Vocabulary pairs
• Word-definition matching
• Question-answer pairing
• Cause-effect relationships

Create Matching Exercise:

1. Insert Matching Node: Type /matching or find in menu. Two-column layout appears.
2. Add Items: Left column: Items to match (vocabulary, questions). Right column: Matches (definitions, answers). Add pairs one by one.
3. Configure:
   • Shuffle order (recommended)
   • Include distractors toggle -- adds extra wrong options to increase difficulty (recommended for B1+). This toggle appears when matching or sentence-builder exercises are selected, and applies to both widget types.
   • Scoring method
4. Student Interface: Drag and drop to match, or click to select pairs, visual feedback on completion.

Example:

Match the vocabulary word with its definition:

Left Column:          Right Column:
1. Ephemeral     ->   A) Lasting forever
2. Perpetual     ->   B) Short-lived
3. Obsolete      ->   C) No longer used
4. Ubiquitous    ->   D) Present everywhere

Advanced Features:

• Images: Images in either column for visual matching exercises
• Audio: Audio in left column, match to text in right for listening comprehension

4. Essay/Writing Tasks

Use For:

• Long-form writing
• Creative expression
• Argumentative essays
• Email writing practice
• Open-ended responses

Create Essay Exercise:

1. Add EssayNode: Type /essay or select from menu. Large text area appears.
2. Write Prompt: Clear instructions, topic or question, requirements (word count, format), rubric or criteria (optional)
3. Configure Submission: Minimum/maximum word count, formatting options (rich text, plain), attachments allowed, time limit (optional)
4. Grading Setup: Rubric creation, points allocation, criteria definition

Example:

Writing Task: Formal Email

You need to write an email to your company's HR department
requesting time off for a family event.

Requirements:
- Use formal business English
- 150-200 words
- Include appropriate greeting and closing
- State your request clearly
- Provide necessary details

Grading Criteria:
- Format and structure (25%)
- Language and tone (25%)
- Clarity of request (25%)
- Grammar and vocabulary (25%)

Features:

• Rich Text Editor: Formatting tools available to students (bold, italic, lists, paragraph structure)
• Word Count: Real-time counter with minimum/maximum indicators
• Autosave: Drafts saved automatically, students can resume later

5. Audio Recording Exercises

Use For:

• Speaking practice
• Pronunciation assessment
• Conversation simulation
• Presentation skills
• Oral exams

Create Audio Exercise:

1. Insert Audio Recording Node: Type /audiorecord or find in menu
2. Set Prompt: What student should record, topic or questions to answer, time limit, number of attempts allowed
3. Configure Recording: Maximum duration, number of retries, save all attempts or final only, transcript required (optional)

Student Experience:

1. Read Instructions
2. Allow Microphone Access (first time)
3. Click Record Button
4. Speak Response
5. Review Recording (play back)
6. Re-record if Needed (within limit)
7. Submit Final Version

6. Ordering/Sequencing

Use For:

• Story sequencing
• Process steps
• Timeline events
• Logical ordering

Create Ordering Exercise:

1. Add Ordering Node: Type /ordering or select
2. Add Items: Enter each item in sequence. System stores correct order. Items shuffle for students.
3. Student Task: Drag items to correct order, or use up/down arrows, submit when arranged.

7. True/False Questions

Use For:

• Quick concept checks
• Fact verification
• Myth busting
• Reading comprehension

Create True/False:

1. Simple implementation using AnswerComboNode
2. Two options: True / False
3. Mark correct answer
4. Add explanation for feedback

8. Dropdown/Select Questions

Use For:

• Grammar cloze tests
• Vocabulary in context
• Sentence completion
• Conjugation practice

Create Dropdown Exercise:

1. Use AnswerComboNode with "Dropdown" style
2. Embed in sentence text
3. Multiple dropdowns per sentence
4. Configure options per dropdown

Example:

Yesterday, I [dropdown: went/go/going] to the store and
[dropdown: buy/bought/buying] some milk.

Exercise Configuration

Feedback Options

Immediate Feedback:

• Show correct/incorrect immediately
• Display explanation
• Allow retry
• Good for practice exercises

Delayed Feedback:

• Submit without showing answer
• Teacher reviews later
• Used for assessments
• Prevents cheating

No Feedback:

• Just record answer
• No indication of correctness
• Diagnostic purposes

Scoring Configuration

Points System:

• Points per correct answer
• Partial credit options
• Negative marking (optional)
• Total exercise points

Grading Methods:

• Automatic: System grades instantly
• Manual: Teacher reviews and grades
• Hybrid: Auto-grade with manual override

Attempts:

• Unlimited attempts
• Limited retries (1, 2, 3...)
• One attempt only
• Penalty per wrong attempt

Hints and Help

Hint System:

• Text Hints: Written clues
• Image Hints: Visual aids
• Audio Hints: Spoken clues
• Progressive Hints: Increasing help

Configuration:

• Show after X seconds
• Show on request (costs points)
• Always visible
• Progressive reveal

Advanced Exercise Features

Conditional Logic

Show/Hide Based on Answers:

• Reveal follow-up questions
• Branch to different content
• Adaptive learning paths

Example:

Q1: Have you studied Spanish before?
If YES -> Q2: What level?
If NO -> Skip to Beginner Introduction

Time Limits

Set Exercise Timer:

• Per-question timing
• Total exercise time
• Warning at X seconds remaining
• Auto-submit when time expires

Randomization

Shuffle Elements:

• Question order
• Answer choices
• Matching pairs
• Prevents memorization

Multimedia Integration

Audio Questions: Record prompt, upload audio file, embed from external source

Video Context: Embed video, ask comprehension questions, pause for responses

Image-Based: Use images as stimuli, image-based answers, visual comprehension

Exercise Templates

Save Templates

Create Reusable Templates:

1. Build exercise
2. Configure settings
3. Click "Save as Template"
4. Name and categorize
5. Use in future lessons

Template Library

Access Templates:

• Personal templates
• Organization templates (OrgAdmin)
• Platform templates (if available)

Troubleshooting

Exercise Not Working

Check:

• Answer configured correctly
• All required fields filled
• No JavaScript errors
• Student has proper permissions

Answers Not Saving

Solutions:

• Check connection
• Refresh page
• Ensure exercise properly inserted
• Verify no validation errors

Scoring Incorrect

Verify:

• Correct answer marked
• Scoring settings configured
• No conflicting rules
• Student answer format matches

Next Steps

Now that you can create exercises:

• AI Lesson Generation - Speed up content creation
• Homework Management - Assign and grade exercises
• Creating Courses - Build complete learning experiences

Q&A

Can I mix different exercise types in one lesson?

Absolutely. Mixing exercise types is encouraged. A single lesson can contain multiple choice, fill-in-blank, matching, essay, and audio exercises to keep students engaged.

How does auto-grading work for fill-in-blank exercises?

The system compares student input against your specified correct answers. You can set case sensitivity, accept multiple variations, and allow partial credit for close matches.

Can students retake exercises?

Yes, if you configure the exercise to allow multiple attempts. You can set unlimited retries, a fixed number of attempts, or one-attempt-only mode.

How do I see analytics on exercise performance?

Navigate to the course analytics page to see per-exercise completion rates, average scores, and common wrong answers. This helps you identify topics that need more instruction.