Questionnaires: A Framework using Mobile Code for Component-Based Tele-Exams

Applications for computer supported cooperative work can gain from component models and frameworks. The framework for “questionnaires”, which is described in this paper, offers a pattern to distribute artifacts to a group of receivers. We use mobile code to ensure highest flexibility and provide hooks to be able to collaborate with local applications on the receiver side. The questionnaire framework is not only interesting for tele-exams, which are described in detail in this paper, but can also be used to pass artifacts around in a workflow system. Our approach supports the whole life-cycle of questionnaires. Standard tools support the design of the questions and their assembling into a questionnaire using components. A questionnaire is distributed to all students in an exam and recollected at the end of the exam. The application for the teacher comprises a component to automatically evaluate the answered questionnaires and to store them persistently.