Flashcard Study

Flashcard study is the primary mode of reviewing entries in Flashcard Wizard and the only mode available in this beta release. You may review single sets in flashcard mode or conduct interval study with flashcards. To review a set in flashcard mode you must first open it. Either open the set directly with the "Open Set..." menu command, or if it is a user set open it by double-clicking on it in the "User Sets" window. Then choose "Flashcards" from the set menu.

Unlike many flashcard software programs, Flashcard Wizard does not prompt you to enter in "answers". In later releases, the "Quiz" mode will include this feature. When we practice flashcards on paper, we often look at one side of the card and think to ourselves, "Do I know this?" We then check our mental answer with that which is written on the back of the card and if we get it wrong we might put the card aside for more review. In the same fashion, flashcard study in Flashcard Wizard does not prompt you to write your answer in, which is very time-consuming. Instead, you mentally "answer" the card and then click on the body of the flashcard or the "Show all Fields" button to show the correct answer. If your mental answer was the same as what you see on the screen, you click again to register "correct" or press the wrong button to register incorrect. You may click either on the body of the card, or if the option is activated in the preferences, you may click on the "Advance" or "Show all Fields" button. This method of flashcard study is far faster than many methods and doesn't require that you type some answer that the computer might accidentally mark incorrect should you misspell your answer or give some similar approximate answer.

Depending on how your preferences are set up (see Customizing Flashcard Wizard for more on this) various things are displayed on the flashcard. These might include the set name, the percent answered correctly, buttons to hide and show fields, the names of the fields, and buttons that allow you to edit an entry, mark an entry, go back, and register an entry wrong.

Also available in the preferences, is the ability to change the Flashcard window to 10 different size configurations other than the default. This is especially useful if the sets reviewed contain pictures.

Flashcard Wizard now supports sets with pictures in the first field of the set. These pictures can either be inbedded in the flashcard window (if you choose to include the pictures in the actual flashcard window, it is recommended that you set the preferences to use a larger configured window size) or viewed in a seperate Picture window. See the Multimedia help page for more information.

Initially a card will display only the fields you have indicated in the Preferences, usually the first field. You can change this while you study if in the Flashcard Preferences you have chosen to display the small buttons on the left. Remember, all fields will displayed upon your first click so that you may confirm your mental answer, the selected fields in these check marks on the left determine what fields are displayed before you click. You may also press "1","2", or "3" to show only fields 1, 2, or 3 respectfully.

To register an entry correct, click on the body of the card, the "Advance"/"Show all Fields" button or press the keyboard shortcut that you have chosen in the preferences. To register an incorrect answer press the "Wrong" button or the keyboard shortcut you have chosen. To edit an entry in the "Add Card" window (this is currently not available during interval study) press the "Edit" button or the "e" key on your keyboard.

You may mark cards while you study them. This is useful if you wish to separate these for later study. When you complete review you will be asked if you wish to save the marked entries in a new set. If you continue to review, marked entries are indicated by a small check mark in the top left of the card.

You can move "back" in flashcard study by pushing the button labelled "Back" or by holding the shift key down while clicking (this is currently not available during interval study). Note that this may cause some entries to be reviewed twice and thus will adjust the precentage correct and number of entries if they are displayed.

When you review all the entries, Flashcard Wizard will show those entries you marked incorrect again, and repeat entries until you get all of them correct. Then, depending on the Flashcard Preferences, it will start completely over or close the Flashcard mode.

As with most aspects of Flahscard Wizard, the flashcard mode is highly customizable. The font sizes, displayed information, and behavior of the flashcard mode can be adjusted in the flashcard preferences. See more information on this in the help file on Customizing Flashcard Wizard.

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