Within the Self-tests module, Hot Potatoes quizzes cannot be used for true online testing. JBC (multiple-choice) and JQZ ( short answer) exams CAN be used that way within the Assignments module - see The Assignments Module. Here's just three reasons why Self-tests are not a substitute for true online testing:
The answers to the quizzes are stored within the file you are distributing to your students. Computer-savvy students can view the source code for the web page and figure out the answers.
The scoring for Hot Potatoes quizzes is different than you might expect.
The quiz results are not submitted until the student gets ALL of the questions correct. A student can deliberately stop short of getting all of them correct, and thus get one or more previews of the quiz before finally submitting a perfect score.
The scoring system for Hot Potatoes quizzes requires some explanation. Here's how the scoring for JBC, the program that's used to create multiple-choice quizzes, is explained in the Help system for Hot Potatoes version 5.2:
Many users have asked how the percentage score is calculated in JBC, and whether it is possible to change this system. Here is a brief explanation:
On each question, one "wrong try" is recorded for each time you make a guess, until you hit the correct answer. Thus for Q1, if you hit a wrong answer once, then a right answer, you have one wrong try. Once you get the correct answer for any given question, a score for that question is calculated and stored; that score is based on the number of possible wrong answers and the number of wrong tries. The score overall is calculated by totaling the scores for all the questions that have been answered so far, and turning the result into a percentage.
Once you get a question right, you're at liberty to hit all the wrong answers without any tries being recorded, so that you can investigate other answers without penalty. This can be the source of some confusion; if you get a right answer first time on any question, no more tries are recorded for that question, and therefore no "marks" appear when you click on an answer; however, the correct feedback is shown.
This seemed to us, after much thought, to be the fairest system (although it certainly isn't easy to explain!). However, if you'd like to use a different one, if you're registered, you can "Edit Raw HTML" to change the scoring system by editing the JavaScript code which calculates it.
As explained in the above quote, it is possible for an advanced JavaScript programmer to modify the underlying template to change the scoring system, although you must be careful not to disturb the JavaScript code that enables Manhattan to track student activities.
The purpose of including Hot Potatoes quizzes and other styles of Self-tests within your Manhattan classroom is simply to help your students learn, not to securely assess their learning. Manhattan's Assignments module does support the use of JQZ and JBC files created by Hot Potatoes for online testing - see The Assignments Module.