Setting Preferences for the Course Section
The Test Analysis function provides you with statistics on high-performing students versus low-performing ones, and it also warns you about potential problems with your assignment. This section explains how you can customize this behavior.
The Test Analysis function warns you about potential problems with your assignment. For example, the system warns you if any of the following is true:
If a question is too hard.
If a question did not discriminate well between high- and low-performing students.
If a distractor is not effective (multiple-choice questions only).
For more details on these concepts, see Key Terms.
The way warnings are issued varies depending on preferences that you can set for your course section. Note that this procedure sets these preferences for your entire course section and all of its assignments, not just this one.
To configure warning settings:
Display the main Test Analysis screen for any online assignment.
Locate the Test Analysis Help box. In that box, click the link labeled Warning Settings.
The system displays the Warning Settings tab.
Use the Warning Settings tab to change any of the following, as appropriate:
The difficulty rating warnings
The discrimination index warning
The distractor performance warning
If you need to reset any of these values to their original default settings, click the link labeled Reset to the default configuration for this course.
Note that this screen includes links that take you to explanations for each of the terms used.
Click Save.
The system uses performance groups to categorize students into one of three groups—those that basically understood the material, those who didn’t, and those in between. You manually define the size of the high- and low-performers group, and the system calculates the size of the middle group.
Note that this procedure sets the size of these groups for your entire course section and all of its assignments, not just this one.
Display the main Test Analysis screen for any online assignment.
Scroll to the bottom of the screen. Locate the Performance Groups label and click the corresponding View link.
The system displays the Performance Groups tab. This tab displays data on the performance groups defined for your course context, along with details about students that completed this particular online assignment.
As appropriate, navigate to the area labeled High Performers or Low Performers, and click the link labeled Edit Group Size.
The system updates the screen to include a text field.
Enter the appropriate figure.
If you want this group to be the same size as its counterpart on the other end of the spectrum, select the checkbox labeled Use this percent for the Low/High Performer group as well.
If you need to reset the size of the performance groups to their original default settings, click the link labeled Reset to the default configuration for this course.
Click Save.
The system changes the size of the group and, if appropriate, the size of the other groups.