Table of Contents
Interactivity > Timeline/Matching Pairs
A page that requires the learner to either put items in the correct sequence (Timeline), or match pairs of items (Matching Pairs). The learner is presented with a number of boxes, and then drags items into the correct boxes. Items can be dragged from one box to another, before or after checking.
In the Timeline format, the boxes include arrows to emphasise representation of a sequence or timeline (see the example in the demo below); these arrows are absent in the Matching Pairs format. In both formats you have the option of including some text in each of the boxes, and this is how the Matching Pairs format works - the learner is matching a draggable object with text in a box.
Example demo
or view at Xerte Page Types > Interactivity: Timeline/Matching Pairs (opens in new tab).
Editor Interface
Top Level: Core Properties
| Property | Description | Type | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Page Title | Text that appears in header of published page | Text | |
| Page Text | Content that appears at the top of the page | Text+ (Toolbar) | Use this to give the context or instructions for the task. Other content (e.g. images, audio, video) can be embedded here. |
| Interactivity | Choose between {Timeline/Matching Pairs formats} | Drop-down | Note that these are different task types, rather than variations on the same task type |
| Feedback | Feedback revealed after hitting Check Answers button. | Text+ (Toolbar) |
Top Level: Optional Properties
Page-specific
| Property | Description | Type | Tooltip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tracking Score Weight | Allows the task on the page to be weighted relative to other scored pages in the project. | Text | See the Tracking and Weighting page for more information on weighting. |
General
Top Level: Language Options
| Property | Description | Type | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Check Button Label | Text on button for checking matches. | Text | Default - “Submit” |
| All Wrong Text | Text which appears if all matches are incorrect. | Text | Default -“You have not placed any labels correctly. Try again.” |
| {i} out of {n} Text | Gives score for page | Text | Default - “You have scored {i} out of {n}. Try again.” |
| All Wrong Text Tracking | Text if all labels are incorrectly placed, which appears if the project is deployed as SCORM/xAPI | Text | Default - “You have not placed any labels correctly.” |
| {i} out of {n} Text Tracking | Text giving score, which appears if the project is deployed as SCORM/xAPI | Text | Default - “You have scored {i} out of {n}.” |
| Incomplete Text | Text which appears if one or more matches remain to be attempted. | Text | Default - “Complete the exercise.” |
Add New Item for each step in the process or timeline, or for each match you need.
Item: Core Properties
| Property | Description | Type | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Text which appears in the drop zone (i.e. the box into which the learner drops the draggable objects) | Text | You can choose to leave this blank for tasks in the Timeline format, but clearly you need to enter text here for Matching Pairs |
| Description | Text which appears in the draggable object. | Text+ | Can be text or an image. |
There are no Optional Properties or Language Options for items.
Further information
This page can be tracked.
It should be stressed that this is one page type that can be used for two different task types; you will have to decide which task type you have in mind before making a decision on the format to use. There are other Interactivity page types (e.g. Sortable Grid, Matching Texts) which may provide a better way to design your task.
Drag and drop is fiddly for learners if they have to scroll up and down to access all drop zones. Dragging and scrolling at the same time does not work consistently. Items can be dropped temporarily into any drop zone and then re-dragged after scrolling, but this adds an additional layer of complication, and may not work consistently. Zooming out may solve the problem, but may impact on readability.