Advanced Assessments are our most powerful assessment type, with over 60 available questions and the ability to have multiple questions presented at once. Items and questions are the building blocks of Advanced Assessments, while features are the "extras" you can add (like audio players and calculators). This article aims to help you understand the structure of each and how they work together.
The big ideas:
Items are the containers that hold your questions.
Items can have multiple questions and/or features in them.
Let's Start with an Example
In order to help sort out the difference between items and questions, let's use the image above as our example; this is what our Advanced Assessment builder looks like.
At the top of the builder is the list of items that you've added to your assessment.
The bottom is where you construct your item.
Questions and Features are built within the item.
What Exactly is an Item?
Items and questions are the building blocks of advanced assessments. As mentioned above:
Items are the containers that hold your questions.
Items can have multiple questions and/or features in them.
Another way to think about items is like the various pages of a paper-based assessment:
"There are most likely pages that contain multiple questions. Some pages might include a reading passage, graph, or other element needed for the related questions. Students work through one page at a time. When finished with one page, they move onto the next, and can go back to previous pages if needed."
Replace the word "page" with the word "item", and there you have it!
There are most likely items that contain multiple questions. Some items might include a reading passage, graph, or other element needed for the related questions. Students work through one item at a time. When finished with one item, they move onto the next, and can go back to previous items if needed.
The "reading passage, graph, and other elements" mentioned above would be considered features.
Questions
Items can have a single question or multiple questions.
Our example is an item that has three questions; a Label Image with Drag and Drop, a Multiple Choice, and an Essay with Plain Text question.
Each question was added by selecting the + icon. To learn more about the different types of questions, click here.
Features
Items can have features added to them, such as passages, audio players or calculators, to name a few. These are considered "extras" that you can add to items.
Our original example item does not have a feature in it, but we've added one and included it in the image below for reference. The feature added here is the Audio Player.
Features are added the same way as questions; selecting the + icon. To learn more about the different features, click here.
Layouts
Items can have a single column or two-column layout. These can be found in the Settings option when building your item.
If using two-columns, you can choose the width-ratio from several options.
You can also have "tabs", which enable to you have paginated content within an item.
For more Information on item layouts, click here.
Titles
All items must have a title in order to save.
The title of an item helps you identify that item once it has been created and saved to your item bank.
It is helpful to have a naming convention for your titles, so they are easy to identify in your item bank list.
Student View
It may be helpful to see what an Advanced Assessment looks like to a student. We will continue to use our Human Anatomy Test as an Example.
Here is an image from a student account of the Advanced Assessment containing the item we've been looking at in the above sections:
Students navigate from item to item using the navigation bar found on the right-side of the screen.
In this particular assessment, there are 7 items (think of it like 7 pages).
The student move from item to item by either selecting the item from the list, or using the previous and next arrows located at the bottom of the item list.
FAQ and Troubleshooting
Click to see FAQ and Troubleshooting details
Click to see FAQ and Troubleshooting details
Can items in Advanced Assessments contain multiple questions?
Yes, items in Advanced Assessments can contain multiple questions. This allows for presenting related questions together within the same item.
What are features in Advanced Assessments?
Features in Advanced Assessments are additional components or "extras" that can be added to items. They enhance the assessment experience and can include elements like audio players, calculators, reading passages, graphs, and more.
Can items in Advanced Assessments have a single question?
Yes, items in Advanced Assessments can have a single question. The number of questions within an item can vary based on the assessment design and the desired content organization.
What layouts are available in Advanced Assessments?
Layouts in Advanced Assessments determine the visual structure of items. Items can have either a single-column or two-column layout, and the latter offers options for choosing width ratios (for example, 60|40) and incorporating paginated content using tabs.
How do students navigate through an Advanced Assessment?
In the student view of an Advanced Assessment, students can navigate from one item to another using the navigation bar located on the right side of the screen. They can select specific items from the list or use the previous and next arrows at the bottom of the item list.
Can I edit an item and questions?
Yes! Here's information on how to edit. Please note that any edits you make to the question/item will apply to all assessments that include that question, not just the particular assessment you are working on.