Fill in the blanks item

DEMO for this item type

A Fill in the blanks item asks participants to complete a text by filling in missing words or expressions.

At the top and bottom of the page, you can use the Save button to save the information you have entered, Cancel if you choose not to save the new information, and Preview to see how the item will appear when published. This last command allows you to see the item exactly as it will appear to participants.

Note that when you add an item to the library of a given project for which you have invited people to collaborate with you, this item will also be available for them to consult or modify as needed. In addition, if one of the collaborators modifies an item, the modified version of the item will appear in all of the questionnaires and assessments that use this item.

Three tabs are used to define the item: Content, Add-ons and Parameters.

CONTENT OF A FILL IN THE BLANKS ITEM

The Content tab is used to define what makes up the item.

Item title

The item title is the same as the question title. This is the title displayed for participants and in the Title column in the list of items.

Item type

The item type is Fill in the blanks.

Question text

Write the text for the question that will be shown to participants. Use the editing tools as needed.

Step 1 – DEFINING THE TYPE OF BLANKS

  • Drag and drop: All the possible answers are displayed above the text that is shown to participants. Participants have to slide the words or expressions displayed over the text into the appropriate space;
  • Drop-down menu: The correct answer and the incorrect answers are displayed in the drop-down menu. For each blank, participants have to select a word or expression from a drop-down menu;
  • Short answer: Participants have to write their answer into the empty fields. The size of the fields can be small (Small text field), medium (Medium text field) or large (Large text field); use the drop‑down menu and choose the desired length of the expected answers. You must provide a feedback message for all incorrect answers.
IMPORTANT: For optimal display on a phone, drop-down menu text must not exceed 30 characters.

Step 2 – WRITING THE TEXT AND ADDING THE BLANKS

  1. Write the entire text.
  2. Select a portion on the text that you want participants to complete. Be careful not to select the spaces before or after the text.
  3. Click on Add a blank.
  4. Enter one or several additional answers (optional for the Short answer type) as well as appropriate feedback.
  5. Click on the checkbox or checkboxes next to the correct answers.
  6. Repeat steps 2 to 5 for the following blanks.
NOTE: The feedback fields should be used to give a meaningful explanation or feedback other than Correct answer or Incorrect answer, because this general feedback is given automatically upon validation. You are not required to write feedback, but it is worth the effort because it adds to the teaching potential of the questions.

The arrows above the editing zone of a blank allow you to skip from one blank to another without having to click on each blank in the text, which can be very helpful when reviewing feedback messages.

To delete blanks:

In the text editing field, select the blanks and click on Delete the selected blanks or, in the blank editing zone, click on Delete this blank.

ADD-ONS FOR A FILL IN THE BLANKS ITEM

The Add-ons tab allows you to add complementary information to the item.

Add-ons 1 and 2

Enter complementary information related to the question. Use the editing tools as needed. For example, you could give clues to help participants better understand.

Media in the header

The header of an item can contain one or more media files. Add a title and descriptive text to the media files (optional). Use the editing tools as needed.

Use the commands Add image file, Add audio file or Add video file to choose the media file or files for the header. You can use a file that is already saved in your library (see how), or you can import a new file from another source (see how).

PARAMETERS OF A FILL IN THE BLANKS ITEM

The Parameters tab allows you to define the specific attributes for this item type.

Category

An item can belong to a category or not. To associate an item with an existing category, select the category from the drop-down menu. To associate an item with a new category, enter the name for the category in the Add a new category field as needed. The new category will be created at the same time as the new item and will be added to the library under My categories.

Item parameters

  • Weighting: Enter the number of points given to the question.
  • Display correct answer: Choose whether or not to show the correct answer to participants once they validate their answer. Note that the option that displays the correct answer will be automatically deactivated in the case of a summative assessment.
  • For the correction, take into consideration…: For short answer only, indicate whether the correction is case-sensitive (upper or lower case) and if punctuation needs to be taken into account.

General messages in the questionnaire language

The general messages appear when participants choose to validate their answer. By default, a Correct answer is marked in green, an Incorrect answer is marked in red, and a Partial answer is marked in orange. However, you can provide different messages when creating the item by clicking on Modify values for this item only. 

In order to add an image, a video or an audio file to a message, you can use a file that is already saved in your library (see how), or you can import a new file from another source (see how).

Note

Notes can help you manage the content or work in collaboration with a colleague and items that are marked “To be reviewed”, “To be completed”, “Check copyrights”, etc.). Its content does not appear in the published assessments.