Quandary

Quandary is a free software from the same stable as Hot Potatoes. Quandary is an application for creating Web-based Action Mazes, A form of model or scenario; the user is presented with a situation, and a number of choices as to a course of action to deal with it. On choosing one of the options, the resulting situation is then presented, again with a set of options. Working through this branching tree is like negotiating a maze, hence the name "Action Maze".

Like Hot Potatoes, it is simple to use and the resulting maze can be a simple modelling program like having a set number of pounds and a choice of items to buy.

It is based around Decision Points where a series of actions are possible and depending upon which action is taken depends upon which next decision point you are taken to. It is saved in XHTML format, again like Hot Potatoes which means that the only thing you need to utilise the finished Maze is a web browser. the Maze could be run interactively on a whiteboard using the class as participants and the nice thing about that format is that it could be used to generate discussion at each of the decision points. This would be advantageous in checking overall understanding, especially of a difficult concept.

The other thing that you can do is link events to the action taken. these events are called transactions. For example if you were creating a quest and e.g. on the hunt for the mystical database, then when they get to the point of Handling Data - they must have already created a table. If they haven't created a table then they can go no further until they have gone back and created a table. Or if shopping and modelling you can link the transaction so that they reduce money when they buy certain Objects.

Visually you have a certain power to alter the appearance - colours, fonts - insert pictures directly from the web, and also locally. Also there is the ability to embed or insert sound and video.

Finally there is also the ability to add multi-choice options to your actions.

All in all I like it and I think it has many uses within education, from a series of case studies linked to form a concept, to quick games to reinforce learning.
FAB!!