# STACK

STACK is the world-leading open-source (GPL) automatic assessment system for mathematics, science and related disciplines.

* Students type in mathematical expressions, and are not restricted to multiple choice.
* Separate _validation_ and _assessment_ with an emphasis on formative assessment.
* Random generation of questions.
* A wide variety of input types, including line by line working.
* Support for multipart questions.
* Support for scientific units and significant figures.

This is the official user documentation for STACK.

* The main community website for STACK is [https://stack-assessment.org/](https://stack-assessment.org/)
* A demonstration server is available in Edinburgh: [https://stack-demo.maths.ed.ac.uk/demo/](https://stack-demo.maths.ed.ac.uk/demo/)
* Community discussion takes place on [https://stack-assessment.zulipchat.com/](https://stack-assessment.zulipchat.com/)

#### [**Authoring**](Authoring/index.md)

Documentation for question authors, including:

* An [authoring quick start guide](Authoring/Authoring_quick_start.md), which can be used in conjunction with the "Getting started with STACK" [guide](../content/2019-STACK-Guide.pdf).
* Information on various [authoring topics](Authoring/index.md), such as [answer tests](Authoring/Answer_Tests/index.md), [inputs](/Authoring/Inputs.md), [potential response trees](Authoring/Potential_response_trees.md) and [translations](Authoring/Languages.md).
* [Frequently asked questions](Authoring/Author_FAQ.md).
* Information on using the [CAS Maxima](CAS/index.md) for question authoring, including [randomisation](CAS/Random.md), [plotting graphs](Plots/index.md), and expression [simplification](CAS/Simplification.md).

#### [**Students**](Students/index.md)

Information for students using STACK, including:

* [Input instructions](Students/Answer_input.md).
* [How answers are assessed](Students/Answer_assessment.md).
* [Frequently asked questions](Students/FAQ.md).

#### [**Installation**](Installation/index.md)

* [Installation instructions](Installation/index.md).

#### **[Developers](Developer/index.md)**

Topics for developers, including:

* [A development history](Developer/Development_history.md).
* [Translating the STACK interface](Developer/Language_packs.md).
* [Creating an input type](Developer/Creating_an_input_type.md).