CITS Computing & Information Technology Services mycourses Assessments Tool What This Workshop Will Cover: Adding questions to the Question Database Creating a Quiz, Self test, and Survey Managing the Assessment Settings Grading Submissions Page 1 of 22
In mycourses, the Assessment tool is divided into two areas, the assessment tool itself and the question database, although the question database and assessment tool function interchangeably. Ideally, you should create or import your questions into the question database prior to actually creating the assessment. Once your questions are stored into the question database, they will remain as permanent course content and can be used for future semesters. This process will be particularly helpful if you will be installing a publisher provided test bank. Question Database To access the question database in mycourses, click on the Build tab. Click on Assessments and then click on Go to Question Database The question database appears. The database can be viewed in categories or as a list of questions. Click Create Category to create a new category of questions. Click Manage Columns to rearrange or show/hide the question database columns. You can also create customized columns here that will appear as an additional field on the question creation screen. Questions can be added to the database in two ways: 1. Create Question by selecting the following question types. Calculated Fill in the Blank Multiple Choice Paragraph Short Answer Combination Jumbled Sentence Matching True/False 2. You can also add questions to the database using a third party tool called Respondus, which will allow an instructor to upload an appropriately formatted file containing a series of questions directly into the mycourses database. In addition, Respondus also allows the instructor to create a quiz, survey, or self test along with the appropriate settings directly into the mycourses site without logging into the course. Additionally, your textbook publisher may also provide a ready made test bank that can be imported directly into mycourses provided the publisher provides the appropriate file format for Blackboard Vista 4.. If you are interested in using a publisher s test bank, please contact the Instructional Development team at 508 999-8501 for further information. Page 2 of 22
Creating Questions: Click on the Create Questions button. Select a question type from the menu Let s select multiple choice and then click the green arrow. The multiple choice question creation screen appears: Title- title (identifier) of the question. Question text- actual question to be displayed. HTML Creator will allow you to set fonts, colors, etc. Image- add image from your mycourses files Select whether or not there is One Answer or Multiple answers. Enter the answers into the answer text filed boxes provided. You can also provide feedback for each answer. If more than 5 answers are needed, click Create Additional Answers to add more. Page 3 of 22
Answer layout will show the choice of answers in a vertical or horizontal format. Select answer labels to be numbered or letters. Select to have answer order randomized. Scoring can be set for cumulative, or All or Nothing and the student will have to select all the correct answers to receive credit for the question. Allow negative score feature can be set to give a negative score if an incorrect answer is chosen. More Options: Enter general feedback here for the question. Select a category where the question will reside or create a category for the question. Click Preview to view the current question. Click Save to keep the question. Paragraph question: The paragraph question allows the student to submit an essay type response. By selecting the HTML creator, students have additional formatting capabilities and access to a spellchecker. * All question types can be automatically scored except for the paragraph question. Pre-fill answer box (Optional) -add additional instructions or a leading sentence. Page 4 of 22
Correct Answer (Optional) -supplies the student with the correct response after their submission has been graded. Additional settings can be made to adjust the size of the answer box height and width. Short Answer Question The short answer question allows the student to submit a short answer or phrase. Page 5 of 22
Calculated Question: Enter a question using variables enclosed in brackets [x] in both the question and the formula. Enter a formula. View the list of supported formulas. Note: Do not use any spaces in the formula. Click Analyze Variables. Units can be specified as part of the answer with and given a Value. The screen settings appear for the variables. Enter the ranges for your variables, decimal places. Page 6 of 22
Select the number of sets that can be generated and then click Generate Answer Set. A screen with number sets will appear. Answer tolerance can be set to within a certain percentage. Combination Question: The combination question type is a multiple choice question with answers listed as a combination. Page 7 of 22
Enter the question title and question text. Enter the answers. Specify a series of combination answers. Select the correct response combination set radio button. Page 8 of 22
Fill in the Blank Question The question allows students to fill in the blank text boxes with the appropriate answers. The question text to be answered by students must be enclosed within brackets. Enter a value for each answer and add up to 100%. If more than one answer can be entered, create alternate answers. Page 9 of 22
Jumbled Sentence Question: The jumbled question contains blank text boxes that can be answered using the pull down menu to select from a list of answers. The question text to be answered by students must be enclosed within brackets. Click Generate answer. The answer will by default be given a value of 100%. Select Create Alternate to create other answers. Page 10 of 22
Matching Question: The matching question creates two lists that must match the items from the first column to the second column. Matching question settings Enter the matching pairs in the boxes provided. Choose short answer (fit in drop-down list) or long answer (contains larger amount of info). Marking scheme can be set-up to grade the matches as equal amounts. All matches must be correct in order to receive credit when All or nothing is selected. Right less wrong grades the correct matches minus the incorrect matches. Preview columns allow the student see all parts the matching question. Page 11 of 22
Creating Assessments 1. From the Build tab, select the Assessment button from the navigation bar. To create a new quiz, survey or self test, click the Assessments button. The new assessment will be added to either the homepage, folder or learning module, depending upon your location within the course. 2. Click Create Assessment. The following screen appears. Enter a title, and description of the assessment. Page 12 of 22
In mycourses, the designer has the option of creating three types of assessments. Quizzes can be administered online, automatically graded (except for a paragraph question), automatically timed or offered for a specific period of time. Self Test -students take self tests that graded but do not receive a graded column listed in the grade book. Survey - are administered anonymously Select to have the assessment created based upon another assessment,do not base it upon an existing assessment, or assessment settings only. Then Click Save or Save and Add Questions. The assessment has been created but is empty. To add questions to the assessment click on the title of the assessment itself. Page 13 of 22
The assessment screen appears. From here you have two options. 1. Add questions from the question database into the assessment.(add to Assessment) Questions would already have to exist in the database to perform this function. 2. Create Questions that will automatically be inserted into the current assessment. Questions created would also be saved to the question database. To add questions directly into the assessment, select Add to Assessment> Existing Questions. The question database screen appears. Select questions from the categories by clicking the + to expand the category and then select the check box next to each question to be added to the assessment. Click Add Selected. Page 14 of 22
The assessment screen appears with the added questions. Insert the correct points for each question and then click Update Total. By default, 10 points are given for each question. To remove questions, select the check box next to each question and click Remove or under the options column select the red arrow next to each question to remove individually. To add question alternates for a question, select the check box next to the question, and then click Add Question Alternates. Alternate questions will appear under the selected question. Select from the pull down menu how many questions and points given for each question number. Then click Update Total. Adding a Question Set works similarly to the question alternates. Select Add a Question Set. The question database appears where you can select multiple questions. Once added, select from the pull down menu how many questions and points given for each. Then click Update Total. Questions are automatically randomized. Page 15 of 22
Assessment Settings To access the settings, click the action link icon and select Edit Properties. The Edit Settings screen appears. Select how the questions will be delivered. Enter a title for the gradebook column. Select how the questions are to be delivered to the students. Page 16 of 22
Select to have the assessmernt open in a new window or same browser window. (We suggest selecting a new window). Enter a duration time for the assessment or choose unlimited. Enter the number of attempts allowed to take the assessment. By default, the assessment is set to not release the score. Select a date and time to make the assessment available to students. Results area is where you decide what results and feedback you want the student to view. Page 17 of 22
Add a submission message to the quiz. (Optional) Addcustom instructions that will appear at the top of the assessment screen. Click Save to keep the current settings. One final setting is to make the assessment available by toggling the Hide to Show on the ction link options. If the assessment is set to release to the student at a future date, you must set the availability to Show. The assessment will not be available to the student until the setting date and time. To create specific criteria for the assessment, use the selective release tool. Be careful that the dates available on the settings screen and the dates within the selective tool do not conflict with one another. Select Preview to view the assessment with its current settings. As the designer/instructor you will not be able to take the quiz, but you are able to take the quiz from the student tab provided the assessment is available. Page 18 of 22
Grading Assessments As stated previously, all mycourses assessments are automatically graded except for the paragraph question. Grades are automatically added to the corresponding grade column in the grade book. To grade submissions, from the Teach tab click on the Assessment Manager button. The Assessment submissions screen appears. The Assessment submissions tab is divided into four tabs. The Graded tab is where all submitted assessments will reside and the grades have been recorded in the grade book. The Not Graded tab contains all assessments that have been submitted but not been graded and need manual grading as in the case of the paragraph question. The Not Submitted tab lists all submissions that have not been submitted. The All tab contains all assessment submissions. To grade individual assessments, click on the Attempt number of the student s assessment to grade the assessment. Page 19 of 22
The View Attempt screen appears. Any automatically graded questions will have been graded. Paragraph questions can be graded and the instructor can add comments to each question. The instructor can also provide overall comments for the submission and add notes for in the audit comments box to record changes in grade changes. To grade by question, click on the Non Graded tab. Then click on any assessment title. Page 20 of 22
The questions for the assessment appear. Click on the action link icon to the right of the question and select Grade All Attempts of this Question. All student attempts of the question appear. Click on the attempt number to grade each student s attempt for the question. Enter a score and comment for the student and then click Save and View Next Attempt. Page 21 of 22
To reset an attempt, from the Assessment Manager screen, select the reset icon on the right hand side of the submission screen under the Options title. Page 22 of 22