Hello there! Maybe you're wondering who we are, and why we decided to create (and maintain) a site like this.
Brett Taylor and Tams Yeow
are the masterminds behind this project, from its conception through the present.
In June 2001, we graduated with honours from
Heritage Park Secondary School in Mission, BC.
Currently, we are both full-time students at the University of British Columbia.
Brett is in the Faculty of Science working towards his Computer Science degree. Tams is in the Faculty
of Arts and is currently intending to major in English and Sociology.
Why did we decide to launch quizmeBC? After spending endless
hours working on it, we asked ourselves the same question. We've been through the provincial exam-taking
process a grand total of 14 times, so we thought that we might be able
to help others through it.
Consider this our contribution to what has grown from a simple exam to a towering
menace of an exam that teachers stress and students fear. If we can show you that provincial exams
are not out to get you (and chomp you to bits), then we've done our job.
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History: quizmeBC was launched in March of 2001, after three busy weeks of planning
and implementation. Our original motive for the site was entry in a web design contest; though
we placed in the top five, we didn't actually win anything. We did place third in another
contest, Digital Desk's DESiGN ONLiNE. Despite little media coverage, word about quizmeBC spread quickly.
Students and teachers alike started using quizmeBC. Our physics teacher at HPSS was the first to turn
it against us. QuizmeBC was once quizmeBC.com, but outside events in spring of 2002 forced a move
to .ca, .org, and .net domains. That's where you'll find it now.
How it works: quizmeBC runs on a Microsoft Windows 2000 Server on Microsoft
Internet Information Server 5.0 with Micrsoft SQL 2000 Server. The quiz engine is
written in VBScript using ASP (Active Server Pages) 3.0 that connect to
retrieve appropriate records from the SQL server.
Our database (SQL) server stores thousands of multiple choice questions from
previous years' provincial exams. When you use the quiz engine, the ASP
scripts connect to the SQL server to retrieve appropriate questions
(database records) and then format the web pages appropriately.
Using this method, we ensure that each quiz is unique and dynamic.
You should never receive the exact same quiz twice, and chances are,
you won't receive the same quiz as anyone else.
Future Plans: We have had many requests for expansion, ranging from providing
written-answer questions to adding more subjects. Since Brett and Tams are a limited resource in themselves,
both in matters of time and money, expansion has been set aside.
Recently, Brett has been working on a more
efficient way of adding to our database of questions, rather than typing them in one by one, as we have been
doing. When this method has been perfected, we will consider adding more subjects.
This summer, we will be moving quizmeBC to a new server to accommodate the growing traffic needs. This incurs
additional costs, which will be paid for from our own pockets. We are hoping to secure some sort of funding
to cover our operating costs so that quizmeBC can continue to help students. If you are interested in contributing,
or know of anyone who might, please see our Sponsors page.
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