Creating Tests and Managing Questions

Introduction

When you create an E-Learning, webinar or classroom course, you may find it useful to create a test (or multiple) within a course in order to verify learner aptitude and knowledge acquisition. This guide will show you how to create and manage tests for your courses.

Begin by reaching the Admin menu (cog icon), then select the Course Management item in the E-Learning section. On the main Courses Management page, choose the course from the list in which you would like to create your test, and click on its description. Then, move to the Training Material tab.

To create a new test, press the Add Training Material button on the Training Material page. Then, choose the Test option from the dropdown menu. On the next page, insert a title and a description into the corresponding text boxes.

Switch to the Additional Info tab on this page to add a short description of the test and select or upload a thumbnail. Then, press Save Changes to create the test. Once the test is created, you will be redirected to test’s Edit page.

On the top of this page, you will see an action bar, where you can configure the test options, manage the time, score, and feedback of the tests, or import or export the test as a GIFT file.

Directly below the action bar, you will see a button that allows you to add questions. When you press the Add Question item, you then choose which kind of question you would like to insert into the test from the dropdown menu.

Once you’ve created the questions, they will appear in a list on the bottom of the page. In a question’s row in this list, you will see the question title, number of pages, category, score, and question type. You will also see icons that allow you to edit (pen and paper icon) or delete (unlink or X icon) the question.

Please note when writing text for questions and answers, remember that the text box of this area does not accept HTML content.

Overview of Question Types

The test creator allows you to add different types of questions to your test. The available question types are as follows: Single Choice, Multiple Choice, Extended Text, Fill in the Blank, Inline Choice, Text Entry, Association, and Uploaded File.

Some question types allow you to choose a difficulty level, shuffle the answers, and add a maximum time limit for each answer. For each test, you can also assign and manage scores, or add feedback based on scores on the test-level. Some questions (outlined below) allow you to add question-level scores and feedback.

Please Note: After questions are created within a test, you can edit them from the test’s main Edit page. However, if you’ve imported a question from the question bank into the test, you can only unlink the question from the test. You cannot edit the question within the test. Note that you cannot change the question type later once you’ve created and saved it.

Single Choice Question Type

For this type of question, learners can choose a single answer among the answer choices because there is only one correct answer. When you create a single choice question, you will then need to mark which answer is the correct one. Select this option from the Add Question dropdown menu when creating a question, or press the pen and paper icon in the question’s row to edit it

In the Question section, type the question into the corresponding text box. You can edit the text or add links or images as necessary. Then, move to the Answers section and press the Add Answer button. After you type the answer into the corresponding text box, press Add. You can flag the check box on the left side of the answer that you want to identify as correct.

You can also add a score for a correct or incorrect answer and use the Comments text box to provide feedback for each answer or question. Please note that you can edit or delete an answer using the corresponding icons in an answer’s row.

This type of question is one of the most popular choices because it allows you to give precise instructions to learners and provide feedback after they select an answer. When you’re finished, you can flag the option to add the question to the question bank (note that this option is only available upon question creation, not when editing the question later), then press Save Changes.The question will look like this for the learners:

Multiple Choice Question Type

For this type of question, learners must choose more than one correct answer from a list of choices. When you create a multiple-choice question, add more than two answers. This way, learners will understand that they have to pick more than one answer. Select this option from the Add Question dropdown menu when creating a question or press the pen and paper icon in the question’s row to edit it.

In the Question section, begin by adding the question into the corresponding text box. You can edit the text or add links or images as necessary. Then, move to the Answers section and press the Add Answer button. After you type the answer into the corresponding text box, press Add.

You can flag the check box on the left side of the answers that you want to identify as correct. You can also add a score for a correct or incorrect answer and use the Comments text box to provide feedback for each answer or question.

When you’re finished, you can flag the option to add the question to the question bank (note that this option is only available upon question creation, not when editing the question later), then press Save Changes. The question will look like this for learners:

To evaluate multiple choice questions, you have two options:

• Equally divide the total score for the right answers. Therefore, if the learner gets one answer correct, they will still get partial credit. Mark the entire question as wrong if the learner doesn’t select all of the correct answer choices.

• To finish setting up this type of question, you need to flag an additional setting within  your LMS. To do so, access the Admin Menu, then choose the Advanced Settings option from Settings Area. In the Advanced Settings menu, select the E-Learning tab from the tab menu on the left. In the Options section, flag the third option: A multi-choice test question partially correct will be considered wrong.

Now, when you insert a multiple-choice question into a test, learners must select all of the correct answers, otherwise the multiple-choice question will not be considered correct. You can build this kind of question in different ways:

• Give learners a list of options with more than one correct answer.
• Give learner a phrase to complete and ask them to choose the correct options from a list.
• Ask the learners to select, from a list, more than one correct answer.
• Extended Text Question Type.
• For this type of question, learners will respond with an extended text written by  themselves, instead of choosing among a list of options. You can use this tool to verify your learners’ in-depth knowledge and understanding of the course. Select this option from the Add Question dropdown menu when creating a question or press the pen and paper icon in the question’s row to edit it.

This kind of question requires more control from the Admin because the platform is not able to calculate the score. In the Question section, write the question into the corresponding text box. You can edit the text or add links or images as necessary. Be sure to provide clear instructions of how users should answer the question.

When you’re finished, you can flag the option to add the question to the question bank (note that this option is only available upon question creation, not when editing the question later), then press Save Changes. 

Fill-in-the-Blank Question Type

You can also add fill-in-the-blank questions to tests. Select this option from the Add Question dropdown menu when creating a question or press the pen and paper icon in the question’s row to edit it.

Begin by writing the question in the Question box. Below, you will see a plus sign button labelled Add Answer. Click this button to add the possible answers for a single blank in the question, then type the correct answers in the box labelled accordingly. Press the enter, tab, or comma key on your keyboard to add the answer. You can also add a score for a correct or incorrect answer and use the Comments text box to provide feedback for each answer or question.

After typing all of the possible correct answers for a blank, you can flag whether you want to answer to be case sensitive, then select a score for the answer and press the Add button.

If your question has more than one blank, you’ll need to repeat the process of adding another answer, typing in all of the possible answers for that specific blank, then saving them by pressing the Add button. You’ll notice that once you have added answers, they will appear in the answers list in the middle of a page with a short code. To insert the answers into the question, highlight the answer in the question box, then click on the short code from the answers list to replace the highlighted text.

Please note: The answer box uses commas to separate different variations of the correct answer for a question. For this reason, it is recommended that you insert answers being a single word or a short phrase without commas, as commas segment the single answer into multiple parts. For the same reason, remember to use the dot key as decimal separator for numbers.

After inserting the short codes into the question, you can choose to consider the question correct only if the learner provides correct answers for all of the blanks in the question. Simply flag the box at the bottom of the page to enable this option. When you’re finished, you can flag the option to add the question to the question bank (note that this option is only available upon question creation, not when editing the question later), then press Save Changes. The question will look like this for learners:

Upload File Question Type

For this question, learners are asked to upload a file that will be downloaded and evaluated by the instructor. You can request various file formats, such as PDF, PPT, Word documents, and images. You can use this type of question in several different ways to create a thorough evaluation of a learner’s knowledge and skills.

Select this option from the Add Question dropdown menu when creating a question or press the pen and paper icon in the question’s row to edit it. In the Question text box, type in the instructions for users to upload a file. Then, press Save Changes. Refer to the corresponding section of this article to learn how to evaluate this question type.

Inline Choice Question Type

For this type of question, learners must select the correct answer from a dropdown menu. Similar to the single choice question, the inline choice has only one correct option. However, this option should be composed of only a few words, instead of complex phrases. Select this option from the Add Question dropdown menu when creating a question or press the pen and paper icon in the question’s row to edit it.

Begin by writing the question in the Question box. Below, you will see a plus sign button labelled Add Answer. Click this button to add the possible answers for the dropdown menu that will appear at the end of the question, then type the answers in the box labelled accordingly. You can also add a score for a correct or incorrect answer and use the Comments text box to provide feedback for each answer or question.

After typing all of the possible correct answers for a blank, select a score for the answer and press the Add button. Be sure to flag one of the possible answers as Correct. Please note that the dropdown menu for this type of question will appear at the end by default. However, if you want it to appear in the middle or beginning of the question, use the “answer” short code (writing “answer” between square brackets) as a place holder for the dropdown menu when typing the question into the question text box.

When you’re finished, you can flag the option to add the question to the question bank (note that this option is only available upon question creation, not when editing the question later), then press Save Changes. The question will appear like this for learners:

Text Entry Question Type

For this type of question, learners must fill in the blank portion of a sentence with the correct missing piece. Remember: When you create this type of question, it’s important to think about very short answers (no longer than one or two words). Please note that answers are not case sensitive. Select this option from the Add Question dropdown menu when creating a question or press the pen and paper icon in the question’s row to edit it.

Begin by writing the question in the Question text box. Then, below, add the correct answer in the corresponding text box. You can add a score and comments to the answer as desired. This type of question can only have one correct answer.

When you’re finished, you can flag the option to add the question to the question bank (note that this option is only available upon question creation, not when editing the question later), then press Save Changes. The question will look like this for learners:

Association Question Type

For this type of question, learners must associate answer choices with a topic. When creating this question, explain to the learners what they will have to accomplish (in the Question box) and fill in the answer boxes with the elements that associate with one another. Select this option from the Add Question dropdown menu when creating a question or press the pen and paper icon in the question’s row to edit it.

In Group A, type in one element. Then in Group B, type in the associating element. Then, press Add. Repeat the process to create as many associations as desired. Please note that the order in which you add the answers is the order in which the answers will appear to the learner, unless you flag the option to shuffle the answers.

Once you’ve added all of the associated answers, press Next. On the next page, use the corresponding dropdown menus to match the Group A and Group B elements. When you’re finished, you can flag the option to add the question to the question bank (note that this option is only available upon question creation, not when editing the question later), then press Save Changes. The question will look like this for learners:

Please note that if users do not select any option when answering Association questions, the first option in the list of answers is considered as their final answer.

Titles and Break Pages

The last two options in the add question menu are Title and Break Page. Select this option from the Add Question dropdown menu when creating a question or press the pen and paper icon in the question’s row to edit it.

Use these to divide the test into various parts or provide explanation for the test before users begin answering the questions. When you add these elements to a test, you can use the cross section in the break page or title’s row to delegate where they belong in the test.

If you add a title, you will need to type in the instructions or introduction of the test in the text box. Note that break pages are always added automatically to the bottom of the test, but you can rearrange them between questions using the cross icon to apply them where desired. Then, press Save Changes.

Evaluating Extended Texts and Uploaded Files

To evaluate extended texts and uploaded file question types, the Instructor or Admin must access a course’s reporting area. On the main Course Management page, find the course in the list, press the menu icon at the end of the course’s row, then press the Reports item from the dropdown menu.

On this page, access the User Statistics tab. Here, you will find a list of users that have submitted extended texts or files in this course. In the list, press the username of the user, then scroll to the bottom of the user’s statistics page. Here, you will find the training materials that have been completed or uploaded by the user. Then, click on the title of the material to edit the score in the pop-up box.

Best Practices

Keep the following best practices in mind when creating and managing tests:

•  Use a test as the last training material of the course, in order to complete it.
•  Use a test as the first training material of the course, in order to create a pre- assessment and a user self-evaluation about the course.
• Use a short test in a course after a training material to reinforce the learning.