Essay item

An essay item asks participants to answer freely or express an opinion about a given subject. Participants have a text input field to enter their response.

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 last changes, 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 AN ESSAY 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 Essay.

Question text

Enter the instruction that will be shown to participants. Use the editing tools as needed.

Suggested answer

Essay items cannot be automatically corrected by the application. During formative assessments, participants need to have access to a sample response or pointers to self-correct. Provide a sample response or a comment that participants will see after they click on Submit. 

ADD-ONS FOR AN ESSAY 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 FOR AN ESSAY 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, choose a category from the drop-down menu. To associate an item with a new category, write a 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. Participant results will not be calculated automatically by the application (learn more).

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.