Glossary

This glossary explains terms that are used frequently in the DI Scoring Program. To see the explanation of a concept, click the term in the following table.

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appraiser
An appraiser is a volunteer who watches and evaluates a Team Challenge or Instant Challenge performance and assigns it a score. An appraiser is like a judge, but appraisers are always friendly and their evaluation is an opinion, not a verdict.

Appraisers are assigned to a challenge level. They can evaluate all elements of a challenge or specialize in particular elements of the challenge.

All Teams Window
The All Teams Window lists all the teams in your tournament and provides access to all data for the tournament.

To open the All Teams Window

1. In the Tournament Summary Window,

click the All Teams icon.

- or -

2. In the Tournament Summary Window or any challenge level window, from the Window menu, select All Teams.

The All Teams Window helps you track the progress of scoring the entire tournament. It can be customized to display your choice of team information. It's probably most convenient for anyone entering or monitoring scores across may different challenges and levels.

See also: Explore the All Teams Window.

auto-print
The auto-print feature automatically prints an Appraiser's Detail Scores Report and a Team's Detail Scores Report when you enter and save scores in a Detail score sheet.

You can also configure it to print the Score Room Detail Scores Report and the IC Scores for Score Packet Report.

Automatic printing is a preference that can be set differently on each computer in the tournament. You can override the preference for a given team's score sheets by using the Print button on the score sheet toolbar or the Print menu item in the score sheet File menu. The Print menu item and Print button do not change the automatic printing preference.

See also: Automatically print detail score reports.

central challenge
The central challenge is the set of scored elements that comprise the core of a Team Challenge. The remaining scored element(s) in a Team Challenge are known as the Team Choice(s).

challenge level
A challenge level is a unit of competition in Destination Imagination tournaments. It represents a team challenge at a particular age or grade level. For example, THE NEXT LEVEL, Elementary Level.

Teams compete only within their challenge level. They do not compete with teams in other challenges or at other age or grade levels. Winners are declared in each challenge level.

 While defined as a level, Rising Stars is normally not competitive.

The challenge levels in each tournament are listed in the Tournament Summary Window. The teams in each challenge level are listed in the corresponding challenge level window.

Each challenge level has its own data file in the tournament directory. This file contains all team data, scores, appraiser data, and issue records for teams in the challenge level. The data files are XML files named for the challenge and level, such as NEXTLEVEL_EL.xml.

challenge level windows
The challenge level windows list all of the teams in a particular challenge level and provide access to all data for that challenge level. There is a separate challenge level window for each challenge level.

To open a challenge level window, in the Tournament Summary Window, double-click the row for the challenge level. Or, from the Window menu, select the challenge level.

The challenge level windows help you to track the progress of scoring that challenge level. They list the team performance times, the status of the teams, and the status of scores.

See also: Explore the All Teams Windows.

check digits
The check digits are a calculated value that represent a set of data. You can use them to determine if two data sets are the same or different without comparing each individual item of data.

The DI Scoring Program calculates check digits that represent all of the letters and numbers on the score sheet. It displays the check digits at the bottom of each score sheet. Computer operators can compare the check digits on score sheets to make sure that data typed into the score sheets are identical.

In addition to the score sheets, the DI Scoring Program also calculates check digits for each challenge level in the Tournament Summary Window. Operators of separate computers may compare these check digits to verify that data entered for that challenge level are identical. You may choose (as a preference) whether to display either of these sets of check digits.

See also: Select methods for verifying scores, Set Check Digits.

Detailed scoring mode
In Detailed scoring mode, the team's raw scores from individual Appraisers are averaged by the Number Cruncher for each Team Challenge and Team Choice scoring element. All these calculations are then verified in the Score room, and these raw score averages - each Team Challenge and Team Choice scoring element, Deductions (if any), and the Instant Challenge raw score total - are entered into the DI Scoring Program twice by two or more separate computer operators.

We really think it's more efficient for your Tournament if you enter all the individual raw scores into the DI Sccoring Program as described below in the Detailed with Appraisers (DwA) scoring mode. That way you can avoid all the Number Cruncher's "calculation" that's done without any cross-checking - and in the end all your score handling is performed in one Score Room, rather than all over the building.

Detailed with Appraisers (DwA) scoring mode
In Detailed with Appraisers (DwA) scoring mode, the team's raw scores from each individual Appraiser for each Team Challenge and Team Choice scoring element, Deductions (if any), and the raw scores from each individual Appraiser for each Instant Challenge scoring element - are all entered into the DI Scoring Program twice by two or more separate computer operators. In this mode, there are no calculations performed by a separaate Number Cruncher.

Instant Challenge
An Instant Challenge is a problem or puzzle that the team must solve immediately without advance preparation. The unrehearsed solutions are judged for their creativity, teamwork, and ingenuity.

All teams in a challenge level are given the same Instant Challenge problem, and each team in the tournament must solve both the Team Challenge and the Instant Challenge for their challenge level.

See also: Enter Instant Challenge Scores.

issue
Issues are events or irregularities that occur during a tournament. Issues can be directly related to the scoring process, such as a late, missing, or disputed score, or involve other aspects of the competition.

You can use the Issue Tracking feature to record the issue and its eventual resolution, and to remind you not to conclude the tournament until all issues are resolved.

You can also print reports of all issues or all unresolved issues during a tournament.

See also: Track Issues, issue record, Print Issue Reports.

issue record
An issue record stores the documentation of any issues concerning a team during the tournament. There is a separate issue record for each team.

The issue record includes the date and time the issue was raised and resolved and comments updating or explaining the issue.

The issue record is part of a team's data and is stored in the challenge level XML file in the tournament directory.

See also: Track Issues.

level (age or grade level)
A team's age or grade level reflects the age of the participants or their grade (class) in school. Each team is to select whether their members are eligible by age or by grade level.

There are five age or grade levels in Destination Imagination tournaments:

• Rising Stars Level (RS or R) - normally not competitive
• Elementary Level (EL or E)
• Middle Level (ML or M)
• Secondary Level (SL or S)
• University Level (UL or U)

In very large tournaments one or more levels within a challenge may need to be split to allow all teams to perform.  This can be set up in the score program using the Tournament Wizard.

See also: challenge level

Manager - Team Manager's name
The Team Manager's name helps to distinguish them from other teams from the same school. The DI Scoring Program permits you to enter and display the name(s) in team lists by challenge and level.

For more details, see Prepare the Team Data.

nickname
The Team's nickname helps to distinguish them from other teams from the same school. The DI Scoring Program permits you to enter this nickname and display it in team lists by challenge and level.

For more details, see Prepare the Team Data.

preferences
Preferences are personal choices about the appearance and operation of the DI Scoring Program. They do not affect the data and need not be the same on all computers in the tournament. Users can change their preferences at any time.

Preferences apply to any tournaments scored with a particular computer. The diprefs.xml file, in which preferences are saved, is located in different directories depending on the version of Windows being used.

See also: tournament definition, Set Preferences, Change Preferences.

projectOUTREACH
projectOUTEACH is a challenge that's conducted and scored somewhat differently from the traditional team challenges. It may also be referred to as the Service Learning Challenge. Its scoring is fully supported by the DI Scoring Program.

projectOUTREACH rankings and advancement rules may be different - please refer to the printed challenge information for details.

raw score
A raw score is the score that you type into the DI Scoring Program. The raw score can be the score awarded by the appraiser, or a sum, average, or consensus of the appraisers' scores. When all scores for a challenge level are complete, the DI Scoring Program then adjusts or scales the scores. See scaled scores.

To see the raw scores for a challenge level, look at the score sheet, or print an Entered Scores report. To see the final, scaled scores for a challenge level print a Final Scores report.

For more information, see Interpret Raw and Scaled Scores.

scaled score
A scaled score is a raw score that has been adjusted so that it can be compared with similar sets of scores. In Destination Imagination, the highest raw score for a component is elevated to the maximum possible score and the remaining scores are distributed proportionally.

To see the raw scores for a challenge level, look at the score sheet, or print an Entered Scores report. To see the final, scaled scores for a challenge level,  print a Final Scores report

For more information, see Interpret Raw and Scaled Scores.

status
Status is a category that indicates whether a team's performance is scored and, if not, the reason why they are not scored. When a team is not scored, the DI Scoring Program indicates that their scores are complete (or, not counted as incomplete) so that you don't wait for scores that are not coming. You can change a team's status at any time.

See also: Change a Team's Status.

The following table describes the status options.

Team Challenge
A Team Challenge is a complex artistic and technical assignment. Each team selects a Team Challenge from a list challenges presented by Destination Imagination, prepares a solution, and presents the solution at a tournament.

Each team participating in the tournament must solve both a Team Challenge and an Instant Challenge. Unlike the Instant Challenge, which is unrehearsed and assigned only on the day of the tournament, each team selects its Team Challenge and has many months to prepare its solution.

See also: challenge level

Team Choice
The Team Choice is a component of a team challenge that emphasizes the specific talents of the team. The team choice complements the core of the team challenge, which is known as the central challenge.

Team Choice elements can be scored by the appraisers who score the central challenge, or by appraisers who specialize in Team Choice elements.

team list window
Team list windows is a generic term that refers to any window that displays a list of teams. It includes the All Teams Window, the challenge level windows, and other windows that display teams, such as the Quick Find window.

tournament
A Destination Imagination tournament is a creative problem solving competition in which teams compete to provide the most creative, interesting, entertaining and ingenious solutions to Team Challenge and Instant Challenge problems.

In a tournament, teams are divided by challenge and level to provide a fair competition among peers.

To the DI Scoring Program, a tournament is a directory that stores all of the data related to a tournament. See tournament directory.

tournament definition
The tournament definition is a group of settings that identify the tournament and implement scoring policy set by the Tournament Director, in consultation with the Score Master and Challenge Masters.

The tournament definition is stored in the tournament.xml file in the tournament directory and must be the same on all computers in the tournament.

To see the tournament definition, in the Tournament Summary Window or the All Teams Window, from the File menu, select Tournament Wizard, or press Ctrl+Z.

See also: preferences, Define a Tournament, Change the Tournament Definition.

tournament directory
The DI Scoring Program stores all of the data related to a tournament in a directory (folder) on the computer's hard drive, known as the tournament directory. There is a separate tournament directory for each tournament. Users select a location for the tournament directory when they create a tournament.

The tournament directory contains all of the data that the DI Scoring Program uses or produces during a tournament, and all of the data needed to duplicate or reconstruct the tournament on any computer that has the DI Scoring Program.

To find the path to the tournament directory, click the Tournament Information button on the toolbar in the Tournament Summary Window.

Tournament Summary Window
The Tournament Summary Window is the default main window in the DI Scoring Program. It appears when you open the DI Scoring Program.

The Tournament Summary Window displays a summary of all challenges and levels in the tournament and helps you track your progress as you enter scores on tournament day. The menu in the Tournament Summary Window provides access to all of the main functions of the program.

See also: Explore the Tournament Summary Window.

Uniform Subjective Scoring (USS)
Uniform Subjective Scoring is the standard DI appraisal system. All subjectively scored elements are evaluated based on a range of (0 or) 1 - 30, regardless of the actual scoring range of the element. This USS score is then scaled to correspond to the actual score range for the element.

See also: Uniform Subjective Scoring.