Classroom - Creating Assessments

Assessments are collections of questions. Outside of Classroom, you may call them tests, quizzes, exams, pre-tests, knowledge checks or surveys. 

To add an assessment after a lesson or at the end of a course's chapter, click Add Assessment, and give it a name. Press Enter.

Next, let's click the blue edit pencil next to the assessment to set up its conditions. Here is what you need to know to do that:

• Assessment Description: Fill this out to convey text, picture, links, embeds or small video information to your learner. This information will display on top if there is no Introduction media file ( more on that soon).
• Time/Attempt Limit: All assessments may have time or attempt limits. Entering ‘0’ in either field removes limits. A time limit displays as a countdown during the assessment. Time continues when the learner closes the browser or exits the assessment.
• Introduction Media File: This will display first to the learner if you choose to upload one. Simply choose your file, and then select Upload. Only mp4, ogv, webm, flac, m4a, mp3, ogg and wav files under 1 GB are permitted through this upload point. 
• Assessment Type: Classroom divides assessments into two types, graded and ungraded. This means that a learner either may pass/fail an assessment with a required number of points/percentage, or will take the assessment with no summary information. Finishing an ungraded or passing a graded assessment may qualify an individual to receive a certificate. 
• Chapter: This is where you tie an assessment to the chapter it belongs to.
• Passing Score: Graded assignments display options for selecting passing criteria and, within the question editor, answer points. By default, graded assignments are passed at 60%, but this value may be changed. You may also choose a specific number of points to pass an assessment, but the questions must be entered prior to making this selection accurately.
• Assessment Materials:  These may be uploaded as files or through url addresses. These files will not be embedded, and are only available to download prior to the start of the assessment. Each file should be less than 20 MB.The learner will identify the files based upon the file names.
• Prerequisite: Prerequisites are selected within the individual assessment editor and dictate what lessons are to be completed before an assessment can be accessed.
• Default Answer Count: If you are entering questions manually, it saves time to make the default answer count the lower limit for your multiple-choice questions. Each question will begin with this number of empty responses.
• Shuffle Answers: For an assessment with many multiple-choice questions, put the answers in random order with the ‘Shuffle answers’ checkbox. This helps you avoid decisions about where the correct answer(s) should appear. If you use questions which rely on ordered solutions or True/False, ‘Shuffle answers’ may be disabled on an individual question with a similar checkbox. Shuffle answers does not affect current questions; it functions while creating new questions.
• Assessment Material: These may be uploaded as files or through url addresses. These will not be embedded and are only available to download prior to the start of the assessment. Each file should be less than 20 MB.The learner will identify the files based upon the file names.
• Results Share When: You can choose to share assessment results with the learner always, only upon passing, or never.
• Share What: When you choose to share assessment results "Always" or "Only Upon Passing," you can then choose what you want to share. You can choose as many of the following options as you'd like: Missed questions; Correct Answers; Point Values; and/or Pass/Fail and Score.

Click Save! 

Now, let's load in your questions. If you click the Questions button, you will have several options for setting up questions and answers manually including:

Single Response - Text -  This option allows your user to make a single selection from a set of answers you have created.

Single response - image - This option allows your user to make a single selection from a set of images you have uploaded

Multiple response - text - This option allows your user to make more than one selection from a set of answers you have created

Multiple response - image - This option allows your user to make more than one selection from a set of images you have uploaded

Open Response - This option allows the user to write in their own response to a question or prompt. Note: Unless there is an exact response that needs to be written in per the answer you provide and the learner will be scored according to their ability to type that exact response, you will instead want to leave the "Minimum points to pass question" for this question type as zero. This is so that the learner can type in a response of their own creation, but will not see this question as having "failed". The admin will be able to review and score after the assessment has been submitted.

Best practice: regardless of which method you use to get assessment questions and answers into Classroom, make sure you are always working off of a hard copy (doc, spreadsheet, etc.) that you can keep on your server as an answer key. It is not a best practice to create and manage assessment details in Classroom only. 

Once you begin creating questions for your assessment, you also have the option to add question rationale to some or all questions. To display rationale for a particular question, click the checkbox

Upon doing so, a field will appear where you can type out the rationale that will appear to your learner in the event that they choose the correct answer. If you would also like a rationale to display in the event an incorrect answer is chosen, you can check the "Add separate rationale for wrong answer" box to include that as well.

You also have an option to Import questions from a .csv file. If you click Import, you will receive instructions on how to upload a full list of questions and answers so they easily go into your chosen assessment. Make sure you download the template so you are setting up the file correctly.