New taxonomy filters to use taxonomies in the question selection for fixed tests

To view the previous version of this article under the title "Create tests with fixed questions based on taxonomies", please call up the timestamp 16:35 on 08. Jan 2024.

1 Initial Problem

It is not possible to create a test of the type "Fixed Questions" and use the additional value of taxonomies of questions.

When selecting questions, you can currently only select one ore more of all questions from all pools to which you have access. Various filters can be used, but no taxonomies. 

Viewing one question pool makes the display much easier, as it is then clear exactly which taxonomies are available in just this one pool. 
For the process of adding questions from pool to test, we have realised that we do not want a pre-selection of a pool to narrow down the selection. This has too many other implications for comprehensibility and findability.

A specific selection of [1 ... n] taxonomies is also not practical. The selection of one or more taxonomy values is based on a known set of these taxonomy values – an additional complication is that a taxonomy tree in pool A, which has exactly the same name and structure in pool B, is basically disjunctive. When displaying all pools, this cannot be provided in a predictable manner.

2 Conceptual Summary

It should be possible to select questions for fixed tests based on their assigned taxonomies.
The filter options should be expanded. 
Two new taxonomy filters should be created for the use of taxonomies when selecting questions for fixed tests:

1. Free text filter for the title of taxonomies
2. Free text filter for the title of taxonomy nodes

All questions are displayed for which a match was found in the title of the taxonomy or in the title of the node.

To enable the correct questions to be identified, the two columns "Question Pool" and "Taxonomies" should be placed next to each other in the "Questions" table. 

3 User Interface Modifications

3.1 List of Affected Views

•  process "Add Question from Pool" »  Tab "Add from Pool"

3.2 User Interface Details

As part of this feature request, new data table implementation and new KS filters must of course be used.

In consultation with the maintainer, a proposal for table columns and filters is therefore also made directly.

Filter set  (Renaming to Titles of Columns)

• New Filters in Table: 
• Filter order: Question Title (Text) | Description (Text) | Question Type (Selection) | Author (Text) | Lifecycle (Selection)| Question Pool Title  (Text) | Taxonomie Title (Text) | Taxonomie Node Title (Text) | Feedback (Selection) | Hints (Selection)
• Preset of shown filter: Question Title | Question Type | Question Pool Title | (all other filters can be added)
• Points and Dates: There will be no filter option for points and dates
• Repository Picker: We remove the legacy repository selector from the filter.
  

Column set:

• New Columns in Table: "Taxonomies", "Points", "Feedback", "Hints"
• Column order: Question Title | Description | Question Type | Points | Author | Lifecycle | Question Pool Title | Taxonomies | Feedback | Hints | Created | Updated | Actions
• Preset of shown columns: Question Title | Description | Question Type | Points | Question Pool Title | Taxonomies | Actions | (all other columns can be added, taxonomies only of service is activated in pool)

3.3 New User Interface Concepts

No new UI concepts. Only existing UI elements should be used. Where available, UI elements from KitchenSink are used directly. The deprecations from RemovingLUI are taken into account as early as possible.

3.4 Accessibility Implications

Nothing specific. 

4 Technical Information

{ The maintainer has to provide necessary technical information, e.g. dependencies on other ILIAS components, necessary modifications in general services/architecture, potential security or performance issues. }

5 Privacy

Nothing specific. 

6 Security

Nothing specific. 

7 Contact

• Author of the Request: Samoila, Oliver [oliver.samoila]
• Maintainer: Strassner, Denis [dstrassner]
• Implementation of the feature is done by: {The maintainer must add the name of the implementing developer.}

8 Funding

If you are interest in funding this feature, please add your name and institution to this list.

• Universität Hannover
• additional funding needed

9 Discussion

Kergomard, Stephan [skergomard], 8 JAN 2024: This is the definition of a workaround and from where I stand very confusing ui/ux and thus generally a very bad idea. There is a complete disconnect between the aim of the project (making Taxonomies accessible for filtering questions when adding them to a test) and the proposed introduction of new subtabs with completely unconnected titles (Add from one/various pools). How should a user be able to decide this? It goes on to then introduce a funky dance between nested screens that casually jumps between tabs and subtabs with the same naming. All this points to a fundamental flaw in the concept: If we want to solve the problem of Taxonomies not being available for filtering, we need to tackle Taxonomies and the selection of Taxonomies not the selection of question pools. We are trying to remove these kind of workarounds and shortcut solutions in the Test and it has cost us dearly, this would be a step backwards.

Seiler, Yvonne [yvseiler], 8 JAN 2024: I understand the problem that different question pools could have different taxonomies and that is why these considerations have come about that you can only select from one pool. However, I agree with Stephan that this will not be directly comprehensible for the user. I recommend thinking again about how taxonomies can be filtered, regardless of how many pools have been selected.

My thoughts: If the user sees the second subtab, they will not associate it with a possible selection based on taxonomies. In my opinion, it should be possible to extend the filter so that taxonomies can be selected. I can imagine that I would like to have a question A with taxonomy 1 from pool XYZ and a question B with taxonomy 2 from pool ZZZ. Or not? Did you already tried to expand the filter with taxonomies? Variants could perhaps be (a) to list all existing taxonomies in a dropdown (which could in fact be very many) or (b) to select the taxonomy list in the filter that you want to search for and then fine-tune it again. This is not fully thought through, but it is clearer for the user that they can filter by taxonomy if they need to, regardless of which question pool the questions come from.

Becker, Maximilian [mbecker], 8 JAN 2024: I do not think of this initiative as a workaround but a proper solution to deal with taxonomies as they exist today.
If one speaks about tackling the taxonomies, the only way to powerfully rework it would be the introduction of global-only taxonomies and even that would not lead to their adoption to be limited per pool. It would still end up being a swarm of taxonomies to select from and with an unclear relation to the sought-after questions. There's a risk: All of such globalization of terms would not keep users from applying them in different meanings in the context of the pool they're working in.
Offering different modes of selection, maybe with a more leading wording "Select By..." to enter a high-level mode to do things "this way or another" is probably less confusing than any other way to deal with the taxonomies.

Kergomard, Stephan [skergomard], 8 JAN 2024: I don't think you are right about this being the only solution Becker, Maximilian [mbecker]. But first: Your whole argument explains why this is the only working workaround and thus confirms that it is a workaround. I can think of at least one, non confusing solution: Dependent Filter Options. We create the option to filter for Taxonomies, but only if a question pool is selected in another filter field. I would ask for this to be discussed in a workshop to find the right solution.

JourFixe, ILIAS [jourfixe], 08 JAN 2024: As there are still some controversial points concerning the implementation of this feature, we postpone the decision and have a workshop first. The workshop will be scheduled within the next two weeks.

Samoila, Oliver [oliver.samoila], 29 JAN 2024:
Dear JourFixe, 
the article has been revised according to the results of the workshop on 25th January 2024. We have limited ourselves to adding two taxonomie filters to implement the use case. In consultation with Strassner, Denis [dstrassner], Kergomard, Stephan [skergomard], Seiler, Yvonne [yvseiler], Becker, Maximilian [mbecker] and other participants, we have added clarifications on columns and filters for the table.

JourFixe, ILIAS [jourfixe], 04 MAR 2024: Thanks for updating this feature request and for the results of the mentioned workshop. We highly appreciate the updated suggestion and schedule the feature for ILIAS 10, incl. the modification of the column orders and the removal of the repository picker as a filter.

10 Implementation

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Test Cases

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Privacy

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Approval

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