Fill in the blanks type item

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

At the top and bottom of the page, you can see 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 the respondent.

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. What's more, if one of the people collaborating modifies an item, the modified version of the item will appear in all of the quizzes that use this item.

DEMO text and video for this item type

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: Enter a meaningful name that will help you to find the item in your library. The item's title will appear in the Title column in the list of items. However, it will not appear when the item is shown to the respondent, nor when we look at a preview of an item that we are preparing.

Item type: This is a Fill in the blanks type item.

Text: Write the text for your question as it will be shown to the respondent. Use the editing tools as needed.

Step 1 - DEFINE THE TYPE OF BLANKS: Your options are:

Drag and Drop: The respondent uses his or her cursor to select and slide the words or expressions displayed over the text into the appropriate space;
drop-down menu: For each space, the respondent selects a word or expression for a drop-down menu;
Short answer: The respondent writes the answer into the empty input field.

STEP 2 – WRITE THE TEXT AND ADD THE BLANKS

  1. Enter the entire text into the text input field.
  2. Select a portion on the text that you want the respondent to complete. Be careful not to select the spaces or punctuation before or after the text to remove.
  3. Click on Add a blank.
  4. For each of the blanks, click on the radio button to indicate the correct answer.
  5. The respondent must enter the missing text in its correct form; otherwise the answer will be incorrect.
  6. Enter at least two possible answers and the appropriate feedback.


Drag and Drop: all the possible answers are displayed above the text that is shown to the respondent;

Drop-down menu: the correct answer and the incorrect answers are displayed in the drop-down menu;

Short answer: you must provide a feedback message for all unforeseen answers.

The arrows situated above the editing zone of a blank allow you to move from one blank to another without having to click on each blank in the text. This can be very helpful when revising feedback messages.

To delete a blank:
in the text input field, select the blank and click on Delete the selected blanks
OR
in the editing zone, select the blanked text and 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 the complementary information related to the question. Use the editing tools as needed. For example, you could give clues to help the respondent understand.

Media in the header: The header of an item can contain a descriptive text, a second line with descriptive text or one or more media files. 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, or not, to a category. To learn more about categories, see the page.
    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 input field Add a new category 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.
     
  • Setting parameters for the item
    - Weighting: Indicate the number of points given to the question.
    - Automatically start media: Choose the appropriate option whether or not you want the selected media to start automatically in the Media in the header section, under the Add-ons tab. Your options are:
       - Do not start the media: In this case, the respondent must start the media.
       - Start the audio file and Start the video: The media file will start automatically as soon as the item appears to the respondent.
    - Display correct answer: Choose whether or not to show the correct answer to the respondent. It might be pedagogically desirable to show the respondent the correct answer. Viewing the correct answer does not require the respondant to put in an answer.
    For the correction of Short answer items, take into consideration:
       - Upper case and lower case letters, and
       - Punctuation.
     
  • General messages in the preview language: The General messages appear when the respondent chooses to Submit the answer for correction (See). These messages are defined for all of the items of this type by the person responsible for the quiz (See My languages). 
     
    By default, a Correct answer is marked in green, Incorrect answer is marked in red and Incomplete answer is marked in yellow. However, you can provide different messages when creating the item by clicking on Modify these 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: The content of this field is not visible in the published quiz. This is used to write notes to help you manage the content or for collaboration with a colleague. It can help identify an item that you wish to note (such as something to check, complete, check copyrights for, etc.).