ARCHIVED: In Oncourse Tests & Surveys, how can I create questions for my assessment?

Creating questions is only one of the steps involved in creating an assessment; see also:

• ARCHIVED: Creating a new assessment
• ARCHIVED: Assessment settings
• ARCHIVED: Types of questions available for assessments
• ARCHIVED: Adding, editing, moving, copying, or removing a question pool or subpool

In the menubar of the relevant site, click Tests & Surveys. To create a new assessment, under the "New Assessment" heading, type a name for your assessment in the "Create assessment (enter title)" field.

You can use the drop-down menu next to Choose Assessment type to choose a template for your assessment. You can also import an assessment; see ARCHIVED: Exporting assessments.

When you have made your choices, you have two options to create the assessment:

• The Create using markup text option allows you to generate questions for your assessment by typing them in a particular format or copying and pasting them from an appropriately formatted text file. For formatting instructions, see ARCHIVED: Formatting questions with markup text.
• The Create using assessment builder option takes you to the question editor. To begin adding questions to a new assessment, choose the type of question you want to add from the Add Question: drop-down menu. Below are instructions for each question type.
  • Multiple Choice
  • Survey
  • Short Answer/Essay
  • Fill in the Blank
  • Numeric Response
  • Matching
  • True/False
  • Audio Recording
  • File Upload
  • Copy from Question Pool

Multiple Choice

To create a multiple choice question:

1. In the "Questions" screen, from the Add Question: drop-down menu, select Multiple Choice. This takes you to the editing screen.
2. In the "Answer Point Value" field, enter the point value you want to assign to this question. Enter 0 (zero) for an ungraded question.
3. In the "Answer" section, choose from the following:
   • Single correct (the default)
   • Multiple Correct, Single Selection
   • Multiple Correct, Multiple Selection
4. To penalize students for incorrect answers, select Enable Negative Marking, and specify the negative point value for incorrect answers. (You can only use this option on questions with a single correct answer.)
5. To allow partial credit for incorrect answers, select Enable Partial Credit. (You can only use this option on questions with a single correct answer.)

   Note: To remove negative marking or partial credit, click Reset to Default Grading Logic; this will default back to the single correct selection.

6. In the "Question Text" field, enter the text for the question. If desired, click Show/Hide Rich-Text Editor to display the rich-text toolbar. (This also allows you to enter mathematical notation; see ARCHIVED: Entering mathematical equations.)
7. To add an attachment, click Add Attachments and enter or browse to a filename or enter a URL.
8. You'll see four text boxes for possible answers. To indicate the correct answer(s), click the radio button (for single correct answers) or check the boxes (for multiple correct answers) next to the answers.

   To present fewer possible answers, click Remove next to the boxes you want to remove. To present more possibilities, use the drop-down menu next to Insert additional answers to select the number of possibilities you want to add.

9. If you want the possible answers to appear in a random order, under "Randomize Answers", click Yes. To have them appear in the order you see in the question editing screen (the default), click No.
10. Under "Require Rationale", choose Yes or No (the default). Choosing Yes requires students to provide a rationale for choosing an answer.
11. From the Assign to Part drop-down menu, choose the part (i.e., section) to which you want to assign this question. Leave this set to the default value if you haven't created any parts.
12. To assign this question to a question pool, from the Assign to question pool drop-down menu, select the desired pool name.
13. Under "Correct/Incorrect answer feedback", you can provide question-level feedback for correct and/or incorrect answers.
14. When you're finished, click Save to return to the assessment editing screen. You'll see that your new question has been added to the assessment.

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Survey

The process for creating a survey question is similar to that used to create a multiple choice question, except for the following differences:

• The "Answer Point Value" field default is 0 (zero).
• For the text of possible answers, you must choose from a predefined set of scales commonly used for survey reporting. (Click the corresponding radio button.) The choices are:
  • Yes, No
  • Disagree, Agree
  • Disagree, Undecided, Agree
  • Below Average -> Above Average
  • Strongly Disagree -> Strongly Agree
  • Unacceptable -> Excellent
  • 1 -> 5
  • 1 -> 10
• You do not have the option to randomize answers or require a rationale.

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Short Answer/Essay

To create a short answer/essay question:

1. In the "Questions" screen, from the Add Question: drop-down menu, select Short Answer/Essay.
2. In the "Answer Point Value" field, enter the point value you want to assign to this question. Enter 0 (zero) for an ungraded question.
3. In the "Question Text" field, enter the text for the question. If desired, click Show/Hide Rich-Text Editor to display the rich-text toolbar.
4. To add an attachment, click Add Attachments and enter or browse to a filename or enter a URL.
5. From the Assign to Part drop-down menu, choose the part (i.e., section) to which you want to assign this question. Leave this set to the default value if you haven't created any parts.
6. To assign this question to a question pool, from the Assign to question pool drop-down menu, select the desired pool name.
7. In the "Answer:" section, you can opt to provide question-level feedback or a model short answer by typing it in the provided fields.
8. When you're finished, click Save to return to the assessment editing screen. You'll see that your new question has been added to the assessment.

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Fill in the Blank

To create a fill in the blank question:

1. In the "Questions" screen, from the Add Question: drop-down menu, select Fill in the Blank.
2. In the "Answer Point Value" field, enter the point value you want to assign to this question. Enter 0 (zero) for an ungraded question.

   Note: The total points you assign will be divided among all the blanks in the question. For example, take the following question:

     Polonius advises Laertes: "Neither a {borrower} nor a {lender} be".

   If you assign 10 points to this question, students will get 5 points each for filling in "borrower" and "lender".

3. In the "Question Text" field, enter the text for the question. If desired, click Show/Hide Rich-Text Editor to display the rich-text toolbar.

   Place curly braces ({ }) around words requiring a blank, for example:

     In Unix, to find the current directory path, type {pwd} at the prompt.

   Other options for building a fill in the blank question include:

   • Wildcards: Use an asterisk (*) to represent one or more characters in a response. For example:

     An adverb, like {*ly}, modifies a verb.

   • Either|Or: If two or more specific answers could belong in a blank, you can use a pipe (|) to separate them. For example:

       {red|yellow|blue} is an example of a primary color.

   • Case sensitivity: Check Case sensitive if case matters in the response. For example:

       The capital of California is {Sacramento}.

   • Mutual exclusivity: Check Mutually exclusive if your question has two or more blanks with identical answer choices, but the student must answer each one differently. For example:

       When you toss a coin, it lands on {heads|tails} or {heads|tails}.

     If the answers are mutually exclusive, the student must type "heads" in one blank and "tails" in the other to answer the question correctly. If the answers were not mutually exclusive, then typing "heads" in both blanks would be considered correct.

     You can use the mutually exclusive option only when it applies to all the blanks in a question. For example, take the following question:

       We mixed {red|blue} and {red|blue} dye together to make {purple}.

     If you select the mutually exclusive option for the above question, it will automatically uncheck itself when you save your question.

4. To add an attachment, click Add Attachments and enter or browse to a filename or enter a URL.
5. If your assessment has more than one part (i.e., section), use the Assign to Part drop-down menu to assign the question to a specific part.
6. To save the question in a question pool for later use, from the Assign to question pool drop-down menu, select the desired pool name. To do this, you must have created at least one question pool; see ARCHIVED: Adding, editing, moving, copying, or removing a question pool or subpool.
7. The "Correct/Incorrect answer feedback" fields allow you to set optional messages for students. Use the assessment's feedback settings to determine if and when students see these messages. See ARCHIVED: Assessment settings.
8. When you're finished, click Save to return to the "Questions" screen. You'll see that your new question has been added to the assessment.

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Numeric Response

To create a numeric response question:

1. In the "Questions" screen, from the Add Question: drop-down menu, select Numeric Response.
2. In the "Answer Point Value" field, enter the point value you want to assign to this question. Enter 0 (zero) for an ungraded question.
3. In the "Question Text" field, enter the text for the question. If desired, click Show/Hide Rich-Text Editor to display the rich-text toolbar.

   Place curly braces ({ }) around characters requiring a blank, for example:

     4*4={16}

   Insert a pipe (|) between range limit values, for example:

     The tree's age is {121|145} years.

   Every value between 121 and 145 will be a valid response.

4. To add an attachment, click Add Attachments and enter or browse to a filename or enter a URL.
5. From the Assign to Part drop-down menu, choose the part (i.e., section) to which you want to assign this question. Leave this set to the default value if you haven't created any parts.
6. To assign this question to a question pool, from the Assign to question pool drop-down menu, select the desired pool name.
7. Under "Correct/Incorrect answer feedback", you can choose to provide question-level feedback.
8. Click Save to return to the "Questions" screen. You'll see that your new question has been added to the assessment.

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Matching

Note: In matching questions, students will see a numbered list of items, called "choices"; for each choice, they must select from the options in a corresponding drop-down list, called "matches".

To create a matching question:

1. In the "Questions" screen, from the Add Question: drop-down menu, select Matching.
2. In the "Answer Point Value" field, enter the point value you want to assign to this question. Enter 0 (zero) for an ungraded question.
3. In the "Question Text" field, enter the text for the question. If desired, click Show/Hide Rich-Text Editor to display the rich-text toolbar.
4. To add an attachment, click Add Attachments and enter or browse to a filename or enter a URL.
5. Under "Add/Edit Pairing and Optional Feedback", you may:
   • Use the "Choice" and "Match" text fields to create a correct pair, then click Save Pairing.
   • Use the Select existing match option to link a new choice to an existing match. This option will only be available if you have created at least one pair.
   • Use the Add distractor option to add a match which does not link to a choice (i.e., an answer that will not be used by students who answer correctly).
   • Remove or edit any of the pairs you've created using the Remove and Edit links next to each pair. (For choices that use existing matches, you must edit the wording of the match in the original version.)

   You can add as many choices and matches as you like before proceeding. In the test, choices will be presented in the order in which you author them; there is no way to change the order.

6. From the Assign to Part drop-down menu, choose the part (i.e., section) to which you want to assign this question. Leave this set to the default value if you haven't created any parts.
7. To assign this question to a question pool, from the Assign to question pool drop-down menu, select the desired pool name.
8. Under "Correct/Incorrect answer feedback", you can choose to provide question-level feedback.
9. Click Save to return to the "Questions" screen. You'll see that your new question has been added to the assessment.

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True/False

To create a true/false question:

1. In the "Questions" screen, from the Add Question: drop-down menu, select True False.
2. In the "Answer Point Value" field, enter the point value you want to assign to this question. Enter 0 (zero) for an ungraded question.
3. In the "Negative point value for incorrect answer selection" field, you can specify a negative point value to penalize students for incorrect answers. The default value of this field is 0 (zero).
4. In the "Question Text" field, enter the text for the question. If desired, click Show/Hide Rich-Text Editor to display the rich-text toolbar.
5. To add an attachment, click Add Attachments and enter or browse to a filename or enter a URL.
6. In the "Answer" field, select either True or False.
7. Under "Required Rationale", you can choose to require an explanation by clicking Yes.
8. From the Assign to Part drop-down menu, choose the part (i.e., section) to which you want to assign this question. Leave this set to the default value if you haven't created any parts.
9. To assign this question to a question pool, from the Assign to question pool drop-down menu, select the desired pool name.
10. In the "Correct answer (optional)" and "Incorrect answer (optional)" fields, you can offer answer-level feedback.
11. When you're finished, click Save to return to the "Questions" screen. You'll see that your new question has been added to the assessment, along with radio buttons for selecting the correct response.

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Audio Recording

To create an audio recording question:

1. In the "Questions" screen, from the Add Question: drop-down menu, select Audio Recording.
2. In the "Answer Point Value" field, enter the point value you want to assign to this question. Enter 0 (zero) for an ungraded question.
3. In the "Question Text" field, enter the text for the question. If desired, click Show/Hide Rich-Text Editor to display the rich-text toolbar.
4. To add an attachment, click Add Attachments and enter or browse to a filename or enter a URL.
5. Next to "Time allowed (seconds):", enter the number of seconds the student can take to record the answer.
6. Next to "Number of attempts:", choose the number of times a student can re-record the answer from the drop-down menu.
7. From the Assign to Part drop-down menu, choose the part (i.e., section) to which you want to assign this question. Leave this set to the default value if you haven't created any parts.
8. To assign this question to a question pool, from the Assign to question pool drop-down menu, select the desired pool name.
9. Under "Feedback (optional)", you can choose to provide question-level feedback.
10. Click Save to return to the "Questions" screen. You'll see that your new question has been added to the assessment.

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File Upload

To create a file upload question, which requires the user to upload a file:

1. In the "Questions" screen, from the Add Question: drop-down menu, select File Upload.
2. In the "Answer Point Value" field, enter the point value you want to assign to this question. Enter 0 (zero) for an ungraded question.
3. In the "Question Text" field, enter the text for the question. If desired, click Show/Hide Rich-Text Editor to display the rich-text toolbar.
4. To add an attachment, click Add Attachments and enter or browse to a filename or enter a URL.
5. From the Assign to Part drop-down menu, choose the part (i.e., section) to which you want to assign this question. Leave this set to the default value if you haven't created any parts.
6. To assign this question to a question pool, from the Assign to question pool drop-down menu, select the desired pool name.
7. In the "Feedback (optional)" field, you can offer question-level feedback.
8. When you're finished, click Save to return to the assessment editing screen. You'll see that your new question has been added to the assessment, along with the Upload file icon.

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Copy from Question Pool

To copy a question from a question pool:

1. In the "Questions" screen, from the Add Question: drop-down menu, select Copy from Question Pool.
2. Click the name of the pool from which to import the question.
3. Navigate to a subpool and/or use the checkbox(es) to select question(s) you wish to import into the current assessment, and then click Copy.

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Feature demonstrations

• Creating a New Assessment