1
Hot Potatoes
1 Exercise types
1.1
Program: JQuiz
Quiz exercises. Four options:
1.2

Multiple choice: choose the correct answer to each question from a list of options.

Short answer: type the answer to each question in a text box.

Hybrid: initially a short-answer question; if answered incorrectly, it changes to a
multiple-choice question.

Multi-select: select all the items from a list (and only those) which meet the criterion
in the question.
Program: JCloze
Gapfill exercises (cloze tests). Text boxes or dropdown lists.
1.3
Program: JCross
Crossword puzzles.
1.4
Program: JMix
Jumbled-sentence exercises. Standard (click each item in turn) or Drag/Drop.
1.5
Program: JMatch
Matching or ordering exercises. Standard (dropdown list), Drag/Drop, Flashcard
2 Process overview
Download and install Hot Potatoes from http://hotpot.uvic.ca (versions available for
Windows, Mac OS and Linux).
2.1
Create a single exercise
1. Prepare the content of the exercise.
2. Open the relevant program, depending on the exercise type (in Windows: Start > All
Programs > Hot Potatoes 6 > JCloze/JCross/JMatch/JMix/JQuiz).
3. Enter the exercise data (questions, answers, clues, feedback, pictures, media objects
etc) into the relevant areas of the main page.
4. Configure the web page (Options > Configure Output)
5. Create and save the web page (File > Create Web Page; select output option in JMix or
JMatch).
6. Save the Hot Potatoes file containing the exercise.
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2.2
Modify an existing exercise
1. Open the relevant Hot Potatoes file.
2. Make the necessary changes to the exercise data, configuration settings, etc.
3. Create and save the new web page (or overwrite the existing page).
2.3
Link a series of exercises: available options
Use the “Next Exercise”, “Go to Contents” and “Back” buttons (Options > Configure Output >
Buttons: Navigation).
Link the exercises automatically using The Masher (in Windows: Start > All Programs > Hot
Potatoes 6 > The Masher).
Incorporate the exercises as required in your own website.
Incorporate the exercises into Moodle.
3 Multi-language support
Unicode (character encoding scheme which covers virtually every human language)
supported in Windows 2000 and later versions.
Program interfaces (menu captions, messages, button captions etc) available in a variety of
languages.
Interface texts can be translated into other languages.
4 Information sources
Basic HotPotatoes tutorial (in Windows: Start > All Programs > Hot Potatoes 6 >
HotPotatoes Tutorial).
Additional online tutorials – including translations into several languages
(http://hotpot.uvic.ca/tutorials6.php).
Hot Potatoes Help pages (in Windows: Start > All Programs > Hot Potatoes 6 > HotPotatoes
Help; or Help command in any of the programs).
Online discussion group: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/hotpotatoesusers/
Roman Krawec
15 February 2011