Key Terms used in Oppia
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Story
A story is a set of lessons that teaches a topic with real-life examples. For example, if the topic is Decimals, the story might introduce the concept by presenting a scenario where a customer is in a shop paying an X amount in dollars and cents.
Topic
A topic refers to a subject a learner is learning (e.g., Decimals, Fractions). Topics can contain both Stories (which contain a cohesive set of lessons) and standalone lessons.
Subtopic
A subtopic is a group of Skills within a Topic. Subtopics help learners review and practice their Skills.
Important Note
If a Skill is not assigned to a Subtopic, learners cannot practice that Skill.
If a Topic has no Subtopics, learners won’t be able to practice the Topic they’ve learned.
Fig. 1. Topic and subtopic hierarchy
Skill
Learners learn a Skill as they progress through a Topic. For example, in the Topic decimals, students will also learn Skills such as comparing, adding, and converting decimals to fractions. Each Skill belongs to a Topic and supports learning of that Topic.
Fig. 2. Topic and Story hierarchy
Explorations
Explorations (or lessons) are learning units in Oppia. Explorations are built to resemble a conversation between the learner and a tutor. This conversation takes the shape of:
The tutor asks questions (content)
The learner answers (interaction)
The learner gets feedback (response)
A learner must complete the first Exploration in the Story before moving on.
Card
A lesson is made up of a series of cards, where each card consists of the tutor’s question (the content) and the learner’s answer (the interaction).
Content
Content refers to the situation and question a tutor asks on a card. The content may include pictures and a brief context description before asking a question.
Interaction
An interaction is the answer learners provide in response to a question (content) and the feedback (response) from Oppia. The interaction type depends on the lesson being taught. For example, a math lesson involves interactions that differ from those in a programming lesson.
Fig. 3. Exploration hierarchy in Oppia