Options for Ordering
When you select Ordering as your answer type, the system updates the screen to include a form labeled Ordering Items. When you fill out this form, place your items in the correct order—the system will scramble the list for students.
You also have the following options:
You can configure the content in the Items column to use images, equations, or rich text.
If you plan to allow students to review their completed tests, you may want to set up automatic feedback to display next to certain items.
You can set up the system to award partial credit if the student gets some of the order correct, but not all.
If appropriate, you can make a choice in the Items list to use an image, an equation, rich text, or some combination of the three.
Note that if you follow these steps, and if you have already entered text in the Items field, your text will be lost. To make sure your text displays, enter it again using the Rich Text Option Editor (in step 3 below).
In the Design the Answer(s) area of the screen, locate the item for which you want to add an image, equation, or rich text.
Click the corresponding rich-text/camera icon.
The Rich Text Option Editor opens.
Do any of the following as appropriate:
Enter text in the text field.
You can drag and drop an image file in the text editor. You can also click the Insert/edit image button
in the text editor and follow the prompts to upload an image file. Use the Browse for an image button to select an image to upload. Images uploaded in this manner will appear below the text as a gallery of thumbnails that can be clicked to display the full-size image.Select the Add equation link to open the Equation Editor. Create your expression and click Save your equation to return to the Rich Text Option Editor.
Note
You can leave images and equations in a gallery that will display below the text, or you can drag them into the text field to display alongside any text you have added. (Once in the text field, images can be resized as needed.)
In the Rich Text Option Editor, click Save.
The editor closes, and your new rich text is displayed in the Items column. However, note that your item will not be saved until you save the question.
If you are done working with the question, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click either Save and add another or Save and return to Test Builder.
Use this procedure to modify an ordering item that uses images, equations, or rich text.
In the Design the Answer(s) area of the screen, locate the item you want to modify or remove.
Click the corresponding link labeled Edit this item.
The Rich Text Option Editor opens.
Do one of the following:
To modify the item, make the appropriate changes and click Save.
To delete all of the material, click Clear this option.
The system again displays the main question-editing screen, and you will see your changes in the Items column. However, your changes will not be saved until you save the question.
If you are done working with the question, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click either Save and add another or Save and return to Test Builder.
If appropriate, you can create feedback for any ordering item. This feedback will be displayed next to the item only if the student orders this item correctly. Also, students will see this feedback only if you have set up the test so that they can review their completed work.
If desired, you can set up a more general type of feedback linked to this question.
In the Design the Answer(s) area of the screen, locate the item for which you want to add feedback.
Click the corresponding Add feedback link.
The system displays a pop-up editor.
Enter the appropriate feedback (remember, it will be shown only if the student orders the item correctly). The editor allows you to enter both text and images.
Click Save.
The pop-up editor closes, and the system updates the balloon icon to include an ellipsis, which indicates that you have added feedback. (However, note that your feedback is not truly saved until you save the question.) The system also changes the Add feedback link—it now says Edit feedback.
If you are done working with the question, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click either Save and add another or Save and return to Test Builder.
In the Design the Answer(s) area of the screen, locate the item for which you want to modify feedback.
Click the Edit Feedback link.
The system displays a pop-up text editor showing the existing feedback.
Do one of the following:
If you want to modify the feedback, make the appropriate changes, then click Save.
If you want to delete the feedback, click Clear this feedback.
The system again displays your ordering items. If you deleted feedback, note that the Edit feedback link has changed to an Add feedback link. However, your changes will not be saved until you save the question.
If you are done working with the question, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click either Save and add another or Save and return to Test Builder.
Use this procedure to remove an ordering item. Note that when you do this, you also delete any feedback that you may have created for the option.
In the Design the Answer(s) area of the screen, locate the item you want to delete.
Click the red x to the right of the item.
Save the question by clicking either Save and add another or Save and return to Test Builder.
Note
An alternate way of deleting an ordering item is to delete the text in the Items column and save the question.
If appropriate, you can set up the question so that, when the test is automatically scored, the system will give the student a number of points proportional to the items the student ordered correctly. Otherwise, the student must order all items correctly in order to get any credit for the question.
To understand positional accuracy better, consider a question that asks the student to correctly order the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. If the student answers 5, 1, 2, 3, 4; the student will get no credit, because none of the numbers were in the correct positions. With the sequential accuracy assessment, the student would get credit for placing some of the numbers in the correct sequence, even though they are not in the right positions. Note also that the test review screen (the screen you use to grade a student’s work on the test) includes pop-up help text that explains these differences further, and it shows you both calculations.
In any version, the instructor can then adjust the student’s credit if needed (as with any automatically scored question).
To activate or deactivate partial credit:
In the Design the Answer(s) area of the screen, scroll to the bottom of the screen and locate the Partial Credit checkbox.
Select or deselect the checkbox as appropriate.
Scroll to the bottom of the screen and click either Save and add another or Save and return to Test Builder.