Open question

In this article

In this article you find the following information:

• Background
• Creating an open question
• Scoring mechanisms for an open question
• Keywords for automatic correction
• Adding keywords to an open question
• Negations around keywords
• Changing the negations for keywords
• Adding pre-filled text to the answer block
• Item-specific options

Background

The open question allows you to test your users'

• critical thinking
• understanding of certain subjects
• writing skills
• knowledge on a specific subject

The open question in assessmentQ contains the following features:

• using different scoring mechanisms
• using keywords for automatic correction
• detecting negations within a certain range around keywords
• showing a Model answer as solution
• displaying a pre-filled text to the user
• limiting the length of the user's answer

Example:

Preview in the assessmentQ Player:

Creating an open question

Proceed as follows to create/change an open question:

1. Go to authoring > Items.
2. Go to the folder in which you want to add your item.
3. Click on to add an item. 
4. Select Open Question.
   Result: The content panel of the item opens.
5. Enter the item name in the breadcrumb trail at the top.
6. Click in the content block and enter the instructions.
7. Click Add Block if you want to add an additional content block.
8. Click in the Model answer block if you want to:
   • add pre-filled text to the answer. More information.
   • limit the number of characters or words the user can enter to answer the question.
   • add a model answer. The model answer is shown to users when they click on Solution. 
   • add keywords. More information. 
   • enable negation detection. More information.
   • enable/disable the toolbar for participants.
9. Click Preview to preview and test your item.

Scoring mechanisms for an open question

The open question in assessmentQ supports various scoring mechanisms:

Manual scoring mechanisms

If you choose one of the manual scoring mechanisms for your open questions, the participants' answers will not be scored automatically. The scoring has to be done manually by a grader, see Grading. 
As an author, you can optionally add keywords to your open questions to optimize the manual scoring proces. If the participants used these keywords in their answer, the grader will see these keywords highlighted in the participants' answers. This may help during manual scoring, but no automatic scoring is calculated based on these keywords.
More info, see Selecting a scoring mechanism for manual scoring. 

Automatic scoring mechanisms

The automatic scoring mechanisms can only be used for open questions with keywords. The participants' answers will be automatically scored based on the presence of the keywords in the their answers. 
When automatic scoring per item is selected, the answer is evaluated as a whole: the user only gets full grades if his answer contains all correct keywords and no wrong keywords.
When automatic scoring per keyword is selected, a score is calculated for each keyword in the answer: the user also gets points if his answer is partially correct.
More info, see Selecting a scoring mechanism. 

Keywords for automatic correction

As an author, you can use keywords for the correction and automatic scoring of answers to open questions: 

• assessmentQ corrects and calculates a score for keywords that were found or missing in the participant's answer.
• The automatic correction takes into account negations within a certain range around the keywords.
  More info, see Negations around keywords below.
• assessmentQ provides detailed feedback on the keywords that were found or missing in the participant's answer.

There are four types of keywords:

• Correct keywords:
  
  
• Incorrect keywords (or keywords you absolutely cannot use):
  
• Linked keywords (or keywords that must appear together for a score to be awarded):
  
• Bonus keywords (which result in a bonus score when found):
  

Adding keywords to an open question

Proceed as follows to add keywords to an open question:

1. Open your open question and click in the Model answer block.
2. Click to add a keyword. 
   Result: The Keyword tab opens.
   
3. In the Keyword tab:
   • Enter your keyword.

     Tip: If you want to add alternatives for one and the same keyword, you need to separate the alternatives with slashes and surround them with square brackets. For example: [American/America]. 

   • Indicate whether the keyword is correct or incorrect by clicking on the correction icon.
     
   • Optionally add feedback by clicking on the feedback icon.
   • If you use the automatic keyword score and you want to change the score for your keyword, click on the score next to the keyword.
     
   • If you want to add a bonus keyword or a linked keyword, select Bonus keyword or Linked keyword.
   • If you want to change the default settings for the distance between the two words (maximum two words) or the score for the bonus keyword (1 point), click .
     

Negations around keywords

The scoring and correction algorithm based on keywords can also take into account negations in the participant's answer. 

If a keyword is found in the participant's answer, but this keyword is preceded or followed by a negation (e.g. "no", "not" or "don't") the keyword is ignored, i.e.:

• no score is given for the correct keywords.
• no score is deducted for incorrect keywords.

assessmentQ contains a default list of negations per language. As an author, you can add additional negations, delete negations, or change the default distance between negations and keywords.

Changing the negations for keywords

Proceed as follows to manage negations in an open question:

1. Open your open question and click in the Model answer block.
   Result: The Block tab opens. 
2. Select the language of the answer.
   The choice of language is important for the negations that will be used (e.g. "not" in English instead of "pas" in French).
   
3. Select Detect negations.
   Result: assessmentQ shows the default negations for the selected language.
   
4. If you want to change the default range between negations and keywords (maximum two words), click the Distance icon next to the negation.
   
   
5. If you want to add negations, click the Plus icon.
   
6. If you want to remove negations, click the trash can icon.
   

Adding pre-filled text to the answer block

As an author, you can add pre-filled text in the answer block of your open question. This text will be shown to the participants. By default, the participants can modify or delete this text.

If you do not want the participants to modify the pre-filled text, you can insert non-editable content (available from assessmentQ 2024.06). Inserting non-editable content in the pre-filled text ensures the participants' answers to follow a consistent structure, making it easier for graders to read and evaluate the answers.

Procedure

Proceed as follows to add pre-filled text to the answer block of your open question:

1. Open your open question and click in the Model answer block.
   Result: The Block tab is opened. 
2. Select Show pre-filled text in the Block options at the right. 
   Result: A Pre-filled text block is added above the Model answer block. 
   
3. If you don't mind participants being able to change the pre-filled text in the answer block, enter your text directly in the Pre-filled text block. 
4. If you don't want your participants being able to change the pre-filled text, click Insert non-editable content at the top right and enter your text.
   Example:
   
5. Result: The pre-filled text will be shown to the participants. 
   Example: 
   

Item-specific options

When you open the Item tab, you can change an open question into an information page: