Short answer item

DEMO for this item type

A Short answer item asks participants to write a short answer to a given question.

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 SHORT ANSWER 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 Short answer.

Question text

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

Correct answer?

Click on the checkbox(es) next to the correct answers.

Predicted answer

A Short answer item must include at least one answer. To add a new potential answer, click on the + button to the right of the last answer. Click on the x button to remove an answer that you have added.

Feedback

Enter the text for the corresponding feedback.

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 for every possible answer, but it is worth the effort because it adds to the teaching potential of the questions.

ADD-ONS FOR A SHORT ANSWER 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 an image, Add an audio file or Add a video 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 SHORT ANSWER 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.
  • When correcting, take into account: 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 decide to validate their answers. 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.