Creating & Deploying Tests (Editing Test Options)

Online tests should be considered primarily as self-assessments.  You have no control over the test-taking environment in an online assessment; there is no mechanism for preventing students from sharing answers or consulting outside resources  For this reason, assessments are best used as self-assessments or for asking open-book, free-response questions. Once a test has been created and made available to students, a column is automatically created in the course Grade Center to track student attempts and scores.

Creating an Online Test

Note: It is a good practice to compose the test offline before creating the test within your course site.  Doing so will provide you a backup of your work.

1. Log into your course site with Edit Mode set On.
2. Click on the area (i.e. Content) in which you want the test to appear.
3. Click Assessments > Test.
   
4. Click the Create button.
5. Type a name for the test.
   Type a description of what will be assessed, if desired.
   Type the instructions to accompany the test.
   Click the Submit button to proceed to inputting questions.
   
6. Before creating a test question, you may want to adjust the default settings for the test by clicking Question Settings. 
   
   For example, if all quiz questions are worth one point, you would want to click Question Settings and change the point value to 1. Note: You do have the option of adding images to your assessment, amongst other options listed under Creation Settings.  If you would like assistance with adding images to your assessment, please contact us.
   
7. Once you have determined your settings, click the Submit button.
8. You are now ready to start adding questions to your test.  There are a variety of question types available within the Test Manager.  You also have the option of reusing test questions.  Click the Create Question or Reuse Question button and select the type of question you would like to add.
   
9. Fill in the information for the question and answer possibilities.
   Select the correct answer.
   You may also enter Correct and Incorrect Feedback which can be displayed to students once they’ve completed the test.
   Click the Submit button.
   
10. Repeat the question creation process until all questions have been added.
11. When the last question has been added, scroll to the bottom of the page, click OK, and proceed to Edit the Test Options in order to deploy the assessment.

Deploying the Test (Editing the Test Options)

1. If you’ve just created your test, you will be returned to the Create Test window.  [If you are deploying an existing test, click on the content area where you'd like the assessment to appear and click Assessments > Test. *OR if you need to Edit the Test Options for a test that is currently deployed, hover your mouse over the assessment and click the arrow that appears.]
2. In the Create Test window, click on the name of the test, and click Submit.
   
3. Under the Test Availability section, click Yes to make the link to the test available. You may also choose to have the system automatically generate an announcement informing students of the test availability. Because it is impossible to control the test-taking environment, you may also choose to allow students to take the exam more than once. It is not recommended that you choose the Force Completion option or set a time limit. You may choose to set a date range during which the assessment will be available.  If you use these options, be sure to inform your students of the availability of the test.  If you choose NOT to use these options, be sure the boxes are left unchecked.
   
4. Under the Self-assessment Options section, you may choose whether or not you want the score to be included in final grade calculations.
   
5. Under the Test Feedback section, you may choose to have the following items display:  the final score, the student’s submitted answers, the correct answers, and instructor feedback (which was entered at the time the test was created).
   
6. Under the Test Presentation section, you may choose to have all questions display at once or one at a time.  If you choose to display questions one at a time, you may also choose to limit backtracking to questions that have already been answered.  Another option you have is to randomize the questions.  This displays the questions in a different order for different users.
   
7. Once you have made your selections, click the Submit button.  Your online test has been created successfully.

Viewing and Grading Tests

The online assessment tool grades tests automatically, except for short answer/essay type questions.

For tests that have short answer/essay type questions, users will see an exclamation point (!) in the Grade Center until points are assigned for those questions.

In addition to assigning points for short answer/essay questions, it is also possible to change point values for questions that have been automatically scored.

To assign or change point values:

1. Log into your course site.
2. Under the Control Panel, click Grade Center > Full Grade Center.
   
3. On the Full Grade Center page, you will see each assessment that has been taken by each student.  Hover your mouse over the score for the student assessment you want to grade or view, click the arrow that appears, and choose View Grade Details.
   
4. Click the Grade Attempt button for the attempt you want to grade or view.
5. For each test question, there will be a box that allows you to specify the points earned for that question. It is possible to give more points than the stated maximum.  In addition, you may also add comments to the student in the Feedback to User section.
   
6. When you are finished, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Save and Exit or Save and Next button.

Viewing a Summary of Class Test Results

To view  a summary of class test results, do the following:

1. Log into your course site.
2. Click Grade Center > Full Grade Center.
   
3. Click the arrow to the right of the name of the assessment you want to view, and choose Attempts Statistics.
   
   To download the results into a spreadsheet format, click the arrow to the right of the name of the assessment you want to view and choose Download Results.
   
   

Clearing a Student’s Attempt

Instructors have the ability to clear a student’s attempt at completing or submitting an assignment or assessment.  Students do not have the ability on their end to reset their attempt.

To clear a student’s attempt:

1. Log into your course site.
2. Under the Control Panel, click Grade Center > Full Grade Center.
   
3. Hover your mouse over the student’s grade cell, click the arrow that appears, and choose View Grade Details.
   
4. Click the Clear Attempt button.
   

Overriding Scores

Instructors have the ability to override what score a student receives on an assessment without changing the original total point value earned.

For example, if a student failed to take an online assessment on time but the instructor still wanted the student to take the test but not receive all points for it, the instructor could:

1. allow the student to take the test,
2. let the student see the score they would have received had the assessment be taken on time,
3. and then enter a point value that reflects that the test was taken late without wiping out the original scores.

To override a grade:

1. Log into your course site.
2. Under the Control Panel, click Grade Center > Full Grade Center.
   
3. Hover your mouse over the student’s score, click the arrow that appears, and choose View Grade Details.
   
4. Click Manual Override.
   
5. Enter the Override Grade and add Feedback to User, if desired, then click Save.
   

Creating & Deploying a Survey (Editing Survey Options)

It is a good practice to compose the survey offline before creating the survey within your course site.  Doing so will provide you a backup of your work.

1. Log into your course site with Edit Mode set On.
2. Click on the area (i.e. Content) in which you want the survey to appear.
3. Click Assessments > Survey.
   
   
4. Click the Create button.
   
5. Type a name for the survey.
   Type a description of what will be assessed, if desired.
   Type the instructions to accompany the survey.
   Click the Submit button to proceed to inputting questions.
6. Before creating a survey question, you may want to adjust the default settings for the survey by clicking Question Settings.
   
   Note:  You do have the option of adding images to your assessment, amongst other options listed under Question Settings.
7. You are now ready to start adding questions to your survey.  Click the Create Question button, and select the type of question you would like to add.
   
8. Fill in the information for the question and answer possibilities, and click the Submit button.
9. Repeat the question creation process until all questions have been added.
10. When the last question has been added, scroll to the bottom of the page, and click OK.

Deploying a Survey (Editing the Survey Options)

1. If you’ve just created your survey, you will be returned to the Create Survey window.  [If you are deploying an existing survey, click on the content area where you'd like the survey to appear and click Assessments > Survey. *OR if you need to Edit the Survey Options for a survey that is currently deployed, hover your mouse over the name of the survey, and click the arrow that appears.]
2. In the Create Survey window, click on the name of the survey, and click Submit.
   
3. Under the Survey Availability section, select Yes to make the link to the survey available. You may also choose to have the system automatically generate an announcement informing students of the survey’s availability. You may also choose to allow students to take the survey more than once. It is not recommended that you choose the Force Completion option or set a time limit. You may choose to set a date range during which the assessment will be available.  If you use these options, be sure to inform your students of the availability of the survey.  If you choose NOT to use these options, be sure the boxes are left unchecked.
   
4. Under the Self-assessment Options section, you may choose whether or not you want the survey to be included in final grade calculations.
5. Under the Survey Feedback section, you may choose to have the following items display:  Status and Submitted Answers.
6. Under the Survey Presentation section, you may choose to have all questions display at once or one at a time.  If you choose to display questions one at a time, you may also choose to limit backtracking to questions that have already been answered.  Another option you have is to randomize the questions.  This displays the questions in a different order for different users.
7. Once you have made your selections, click the Submit button.  Your online survey has been created successfully.

Viewing Survey Results

Once you have deployed a survey in your course site, a Grade Center column is automatically generated for that survey.  It tracks which students have completed the survey and also provides the instructor access to the results of the survey.  Results collected are anonymous, meaning that you won’t be able to identify who submitted a given response.

To view survey responses:

1. Log into your course site.
2. Under the Control Panel, click Grade Center > Full Grade Center.
   
3. You will see a green checkmark in the cell for students who have completed the survey.  And while you have the option to View Grade Details for a specific user, you won’t be able to view their individual responses.
4. To view a summary of the survey results, click the arrow to the right of the name of the survey column and choose Attempts Statistics.
   
   To download the results into a spreadsheet format, click the arrow to the right of the name of the survey column and choose Download Results.