Avoid using sequential navigation with hide correct questions

Oct 13, 2025 by wbrum.org 2 views

Understanding the Issue

Sequential navigation is a crucial feature in Moodle quizzes, allowing students to navigate through questions in a predetermined order. However, when combined with the "hide correct questions" feature, it can lead to a redirect loop, causing the quiz to become inaccessible. In this article, we will delve into the replication steps, observed behavior, and expected outcome of this issue, providing a comprehensive understanding of the problem.

Replication Steps

To replicate this issue, follow these steps:

Step 1: Create a New Quiz

Create a new quiz in Moodle, ensuring that it meets the necessary requirements for the sequential navigation method.

Step 2: Set Navigation Behaviour to Sequential

Set the navigation behavior to sequential, allowing students to navigate through questions in a predetermined order.

Step 3: Set Hide Correct Questions on Attempt

Set the "Hide correct questions on attempt" feature to "Hide the correct answered questions in new attempt." This will ensure that correct questions are hidden from the student's view in subsequent attempts.

Step 4: Set Questions Auto Grade

Set the "Questions auto grade" feature to "auto grade the correct questions." This will enable automatic grading of correct questions.

Step 5: Add Questions to the Quiz

Add three questions to the quiz, ensuring that students can get the first two questions correct and the third question incorrect.

Step 6: Test Student's Attempt

Have a test student answer the first two questions correctly and the third question incorrectly.

Step 7: Student's Second Attempt

Have the student make another attempt, and observe the behavior.

Observed Behavior

When a student attempts the quiz with the specified settings, they will encounter a redirect loop, resulting in an "ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS" error. This will prevent the student from re-attempting the quiz.

Expected Outcome

The expected outcome is that the student should be able to re-attempt the quiz without encountering a redirect loop.

Environment

The issue was observed in the following environment:

Version: Moodle 4.4.4
Plugin version: v2.3 (2024052900)

Conclusion

The sequential navigation method, when combined with the "hide correct questions" feature, can lead to a redirect loop in Moodle quizzes. This issue is particularly evident when students get the first set of questions correct and then encounter an incorrect question. To resolve this issue, it is essential to understand the replication steps, observed behavior, and expected outcome. By following these steps, educators and administrators can identify and address this problem, ensuring a seamless learning experience for students.

Recommendations

To avoid this issue, consider the following recommendations:

Avoid using sequential navigation with hide correct questions: If possible, use a different navigation method or disable the "hide correct questions" feature.
Test the quiz thoroughly: Before releasing the quiz to students, test it thoroughly to ensure that it functions as expected.
Update the plugin: If the issue is related to a specific plugin, update it to the latest version to ensure that it is compatible with the Moodle version.

Q: What is the sequential navigation method in Moodle quizzes?

A: The sequential navigation method is a feature in Moodle quizzes that allows students to navigate through questions in a predetermined order. This means that students will answer one question at a time, and the next question will be displayed only after they have submitted their answer to the previous question.

Q: What is the "hide correct questions" feature in Moodle quizzes?

A: The "hide correct questions" feature is a setting in Moodle quizzes that allows educators to hide correct answers from students in subsequent attempts. This means that if a student answers a question correctly, the correct answer will not be displayed to them in future attempts.

Q: What is the issue with using sequential navigation with "hide correct questions"?

A: When using sequential navigation with "hide correct questions", a redirect loop can occur, causing the quiz to become inaccessible. This is because the quiz is trying to hide correct answers from the student, but the student has already seen the correct answer in their previous attempt.

Q: What are the replication steps to reproduce this issue?

A: To reproduce this issue, follow these steps:

Create a new quiz in Moodle.
Set the navigation behavior to sequential.
Set the "hide correct questions on attempt" feature to "hide the correct answered questions in new attempt".
Set the "questions auto grade" feature to "auto grade the correct questions".
Add three questions to the quiz, ensuring that students can get the first two questions correct and the third question incorrect.
Have a test student answer the first two questions correctly and the third question incorrectly.
Have the student make another attempt.

Q: What is the expected outcome of this issue?

A: The expected outcome is that the student should be able to re-attempt the quiz without encountering a redirect loop.

Q: What is the observed behavior of this issue?

A: The observed behavior is that the student will encounter a redirect loop, resulting in an "ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS" error. This will prevent the student from re-attempting the quiz.

Q: What are the possible solutions to this issue?

A: Possible solutions to this issue include:

Avoiding the use of sequential navigation with "hide correct questions".
Disabling the "hide correct questions" feature.
Updating the plugin to the latest version.
Testing the quiz thoroughly before releasing it to students.

Q: What are the best practices to avoid this issue?

A: Best practices to avoid this issue include:

Using a different navigation method or disabling the "hide correct questions" feature.
Testing the quiz thoroughly before releasing it to students.
Updating the plugin to the latest version.

Q: What are the implications of this issue on student learning?

A: The implications of this issue on student learning are significant. If students are unable to re-attempt a quiz due to a redirect loop, they may become frustrated and disengaged from the learning process. This can lead to a negative impact on student motivation and academic performance.