IPAC Documentation

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IPAC Software: Overview and Quick Run

See the full process in the video, or the step-by-step explanation below.

A 32bit Java runtime environment - jre-8u281-windows-i586-iftw.exe - is required for the IPAC software. If this is not already on your PC, start by installing a java virtual machine. This can be downloaded from https://www.java.com/en/download/ .

Navigate to the folder containing the IPAC software.

Directory containing the folder with IPAC software Folder containing the IPAC software Executable IPAC software file with jar extension

Double left-click on the ipac-tool-4.7.3.jar file to open the IPAC software in a new window.

IPAC software main screen

The first ‘Input’ section is used for choosing the Questionnaire File which will be processed.
The second section ‘Summary’ is automatically updated once the ‘Input’ file is uploaded.
The Help button can be used to check the software version and licence expiration date (‘About’) as well as access the full documentation for the software (‘Documentation’).
The tool settings can be modified by clicking File -> Settings (or Ctrl+S). Here, the analysis of the file containing the raw data can be customised.

IPAC software settings

The ‘Settings’ page has four sections. ‘File Settings’ determines the type of input file being processed, as well as the location where the files are saved. By default, the files are saved in the same location as the IPAC software. There are several options to choose from regarding the input file type, depending on whether an ‘LTI Questionnaire’ was used, or a ‘Moodle Questionnaire’, as well as an option for re-processing a previous file (‘Contributions Summary’).

IPAC software File Settings

In the following section, ‘Calculation Settings’, the IPAC method can be chosen, as well as the option for ‘Allowing for self-assessment’ and using ‘Unequal criteria weightings’. For differences between these methods and what the two additional options mean, see Menu > Data analysis with IPAC software > Settings > Calculation settings tabs on this webpage.

IPAC software Calculation Settings

In the ‘Moderation Settings’, the students’ comments will always be checked for profanity, while the tutor can decide whether to exclude certain ratings and see if the students complied with the submission deadline. For more information, see Menu > Data analysis with IPAC software > Settings > Moderation Settings tab on this webpage.

IPAC software Moderation Settings

The final section, ‘Elements Included in the Student Feedback’, determines which elements are included in the student feedback.

IPAC software Feedback elements

Once you are happy with the settings, click ‘Done’ to return to the main screen.

IPAC software Return to main screen

Next, from the main screen choose a file you want to process by clicking on ‘Questionnaire File’. An example file can be found in IPAC_software_and_documentation_v4.7.3 -> Example_data -> IPAC_LTI -> input_ipacLTI-submissions-file.csv

IPAC software Example file

This automatically updates the Summary section and enables the tutor to check whether this is the file they want to process. If so, click ‘Run.’

IPAC software Run software

A window pops out indicating the process has been successfully completed and that two files have been generated: ‘student contributions summary.csv’ and ‘scores and comments.csv’. The files can be previewed within the IPAC software (‘Preview’), saved in a specific directory (‘Save as’), or showed in the directory defined in the Settings (‘Show in explorer’).

IPAC software Show in Explorer