Quizzes & Tests
From CLEW Wiki
Overview
The Quizzes & Tests tool enables an instructor to administer multiple choice quizzes, tests, or exams on-line.
Each question’s options will be randomly ordered. In designing the test, you may choose to have questions randomly selected from a pool of questions. The test will be graded by the Quizzes & Tests tool according to the spreadsheet of correct answers you input.
Get Started with Quizzes & Tests Tool
Ensure that you have the Quizzes & Tests tool enabled in your site. Check the left menu to see if the Quizzes & Tests tool is visible. If it is not, follow this steps to activate it:
- Click on the Site Editor tool in the left menu.
- Click on the Edit Tools link.
- Verify that Quizzes & Tests tool has a checkmark beside it.
- Click on Continue and Finish to finalize the activation.
Create Your Assessment
Currently, activating a Quizzes & Tests quiz requires the assistance of the CLEW System Administrator. First, create your quiz or test using the MS Excel Quizzes & Tests Template which is available in the Resources tool of the CLEW Collaboration Project site. Select the [instructor_templates] folder which contains the Quizzing Template spreadsheet file.
Type over the examples provided in the template.
- Title: provide a name for your test or quiz.
- Opens: provide the start date and time for the test.
- Duration (Time Allowed): provide the maximum time allowed to complete the test.
- Closes: provide the date and time the test will no longer be available.
- Report Date: provide the date and time to show students their results and the answers to the test.
- Exceptions: provide the UWin ID for students with any special needs or other exceptions required such as alternate availability or extra time allowed.
- # Takes: provide how many times the student may take the test. This may be once, unlimited, or any number in between.
- Special Instructions: provide the instructions you would like the students to see.
- 5: Take 5 of this group of questions: change the number as needed, for example, from the pool of questions below, 5 will be randomly selected.
- Question Text: type over the first “Question Text” with your first test question. In the first column to the right of the question, provide the correct answer replacing the word “Answer Option”. In the following four columns, provide the alternate/incorrect answers. The order of the answers will be randomized. If you are providing less than five alternate answers, simply delete the extra "Other Option" from the option cell. If you need more options, continue adding addition content into the adjacent cells to the right.
- Continue as in 10 above for all the Question Text lines in this section.
- Add any additional lines needed.
- 3: Take 3 of this group of questions: change the number as needed or you may delete this section. Complete the questions as in 10. above for your chosen number of questions.
- Add any sections of randomized questions as needed.
Enumeration and Correct Answer
Enumeration in the options is not used as the assessments are randomized (questions & options) – therefore you don’t need to include notation such as a), b), c), or i, ii, iii, or 1, 2, 3, or A, B, C, etc. preceding your options.
Also, you do not need to place an "X" with the correct option or other identifier indicating correctness. The second column (adjacent to the question stem) is designated to contain the correct option, and the other columns are for options which will be randomized when the test is run.
Types of Questions that Quizzes & Tests Supports
Our system supports multiple choice and true/false questions. There is also support for matching and sequencing questions, although it is more difficult to set those up. Questions and answers are randomized for each student, and you can set up "pools" of questions (e.g., "give each student 5 of the following 20 questions").
There are no “Fill in the blanks”, “Short-answer”, or “Essay” type questions available in this tool.
Avoid options that read "A or B", "A and C", "A, B, & C", "A & B, but not C", “All of the above”, “None of the above” as all the options are randomized therefore the order they appear on the screen is not consistent. Options that use “All of these” or “None of these” will work as the order of their appearance doesn’t impact the format and correctness of the question.
Important Information Regarding Timelines for Test Availability!
Once the test is complete, send the spreadsheet to CLEW Team or LMS Admin at least 3 weeks before the date of the test. You will be asked to provide final approval of the assessment and answer key prior to the test being activated.
Using Test Banks or Publisher’s Files
In some instances, it may be possible to convert quizzes from a publisher’s test bank. Please provide the CLEW System Administrator with a copy of the publisher’s CD at least one month prior to the test date. If the CLEW System Administrator has already created assessments from that publisher CD, three weeks will be sufficient. You will also need to review and approve the uploaded test and answer key prior to the test date.
View the Grade Report
To view the grade report please follow these steps:
- Click on Quizzes & Tests in the left-hand menu of your site.
- Click on the assessment name to open the instructions.
- Click on View the Grade Report.
- (optional) To view a student’s attempt/submission, click on the student’s UWin ID.
After selecting this link, you will have a number of options available to you as defined below:
Answer Key
This link provides you with a summary of the answers that were assigned as correct when the quiz was created. It is for you to review how scores have been assigned based on which answer was deemed to be correct. As the tool creates multiple choice options, the answer key is displayed with the various options/alternatives. The correct answer is displayed with the radio button item being selected, text is formatted in green, and a “correct” indicator is positioned beside the correct answer.
The top of the screen provides you with some statistical information such as the title of the quiz, who created the quiz, what the quiz was scored out of and the last attempted time the quiz was started and submitted.
Note: to return to the statistics screen, use your browser’s back button.
Question Analysis
This link provides you with a statistical summary analysis of the quiz after it has been closed or while active. Refer to the [Answer Key] link if you require more detail about what a question contained and which option was selected as the correct answer. Column headers are sortable when selected (either in ascending or descending order). The headers are explained below:
- [Q#]: The question number chronologically as listed in the quiz.
- [# of students who took this question]: Refers to the total number of quiz participants who selected an answer to the question listed in the Q# column.
- [# who got this question right]: Refers to the number of quiz participants who answered the question with the correct answer as defined by the [Answer Key].
- [% who got it right]: Calculates the percentage of correct answers from the total number of answers selected based on the answer defined as correct in the [Answer Key].
- [Correct answer(s)]: Defines which option is the correct answer as defined in the [Answer Key]. In some circumstances such as a question where "select all that apply" might be necessary, more than one option can be defined as being correct. In this case, the series of correct answers will appear in this column. (This type of question needs to be set up specifically with the CLEW System Administrator with separate instructions other than those contained in the quizzing_template.xls.)
- [# who chose answer A]: In this column, and those that follow (up to # who chose answer F), the number of quiz participants who selected a particular response to the question identified in the first column. The results found here might help you determine if possible distracter/alternate answers need to be rethought for subsequent tests, or if the distribution on the number of responses is within an acceptable range. Additional columns will appear if there are more than six columns, but without a heading.
Note: to return to the statistics screen, use your browser’s back button.
Download Grades in CSV (spreadsheet) Format
This option enables you to select a link which will prompt you to download a file containing the following columns formatted in a CSV format which you should be able to open in a spreadsheet program such as MS Excel:
- User: the UWin ID of the quiz participant.
- Submitted: date and time the quiz was submitted in mm/dd/yy hh:mm format.
- Duration: length of time from quiz being initiated to submission in hh:mm:ss format.
- Score: number of correct answers quiz participant achieved.
- Out of: maximum number of correct responses achievable.
- Percent: calculated percentage of correct responses quiz participant achieved out of a possible 100%.
Download in CLEW-Gradebook-importable format
This option enables you to select a link which will prompt you to download a file containing the following columns formatted in a .csv format which you should be able to open in a spreadsheet program such as MS Excel and it is also ready to import back into Gradebook without the need for any adjustments:
- Student ID: the UWin ID of the quiz participant.
- Student Name: Gradebook ready data for this column using the UWin ID.
- Assessment title and maximum value i.e. Statistics Quiz [15] which contains the title of the assessment as entered into the system and the maximum value.
Importing a Quizzes & Tests Results File Into Gradebook
Quizzes & Tests has an easy to use feature available that makes quizzes and test results compatible with CLEW’s Gradebook tool. This formatted file is also compatible with the Feedback tool, however, an option you might want to consider, is to eliminate the second column which contains duplicate UWin Id’s rather than the Student’s Name as indicated in the column header. This can be done by editing in a spreadsheet program like MS Excel and saving as a .csv file format. Manual exporting from Quizzes & Tests and importing into Gradebook is still required. Steps to accomplish this are explained below.
Throughout this documentation, the file generated from Quizzes & Tests that contains the results of an online quiz for a class will be referred to as the results file.
Features Available in the Exportable Quizzes & Tests Results File
- File format is a .csv file (which stands for comma separated values – the format that CLEW recognizes), with a header row and individuals’ usernames (UWin IDs) and the scores are point-based.
- The file generated filters out non-students from course site in spreadsheet which enables it to be readily importable into Gradebook (i.e. GA/TA/Instructor or sample CLEW Student account).
- Takes the highest score of quizzes completed for student (if there has been more than one attempt on a quiz).
- Title is importable directly into Gradebook (includes Quiz Name and maximum possible score e.g. Quiz 4 [15]).
- Quiz results files from the Quizzes & Tests Tool have been pre-formatted so you can directly import into Gradebook using the [Import Grades] screen which is described below under Method One.
- Each question is worth one point.
Quiz Title in Gradebook-Importable Files
The title of the quiz is derived from CLEW’s naming system which you cannot alter. This may not be related to the instructor’s name of quiz. Be sure to know where this file is saved when you select it from the Quizzes & Tests tool, and then upload immediately to Gradebook , to avoid potential confusion. Do not rename the file to the actual name of the quiz as identified to the students, as there are special characters that may affect the upload capability. You can rename the upload in Gradebook by selecting [Edit] at the newly created [Gradebook Item], AFTER the upload has been successful.
Two Methods Available
To import into Gradebook there are two methods available and the image below shows the links of each one of them:
Method One: Gradebook [Import Grades]
Using the [Import Grades] function, this method will create a new entry from the quiz you are trying to import using the pre-formatted file and the quiz name generated from the CLEW Quizzes & Tests tool.
A correctly formatted file for import into Gradebook looks like the one in the diagram below, with column headers, and the value of the quiz/test is in square brackets (with a space between the bracket and the header text). Student data is in the subsequent rows below the header, that is generated by the Quizzes & Tests tool.
Note: If you re-import a results file using [Import Grades] after any updates or retakes of the quiz, the new file will overwrite pre-existing data, including comments or other manual additions. A log of Gradebook grade changes will appear next to the affected student’s record in the [Gradebook Item].
- From Quizzes & Tests, select the [Download in CLEW-gradebook-importable format] link to download the results file to your computer. Remember where you saved this file, as you will need it in step 3 in Import Spreadsheet screen in Gradebook .
The following steps will occur in the Gradebook tool.
- On the Gradebook main page, click the [Import Grades] link in the Gradebook menu bar.
- Scroll down the page to Step 3 (in Gradebook). Search for the Import the Quizzes & Tests spreadsheet (that you downloaded in the first step) by selecting the [Browse…] button and choosing the .csv file (see image Import Grades, Import Spreadsheet option).
- After selecting the file, click the [Import Spreadsheet] button.
- You will see a confirmation page that indicates the number of students and an opportunity to cancel if needed. When you are finished, select [OK].
- You will see a “Successfully Imported” message.
- Once imported, the Quizzes & Tests file will be assigned to the “Unassigned” category at the bottom of the screen if your Gradebook has [Categories] set-up. Select [Edit] for the newly imported item, and assign the Category appropriately.
- If your Gradebook overall assessment scheme is different than the maximum value of the imported quiz, you might want to set up [Categories and Weighting] in Gradebook using the [Gradebook Setup] screen to reflect the actual value of the quiz. For example, if you wanted Quiz 1 to be worth only 10% but it had 50 questions, the calculated value of the quiz would be 50. If you have a category set up in Gradebook for Quizzes worth 10% of your overall grade, then Gradebook will calculate the appropriate weighting of Quiz 1 for you. For more instructions on using Gradebook , please see http://www.uwindsor.ca/clewhowto and select the Gradebook link.
- Select [Gradebook Items] in the Gradebook menu bar to return to the main page.
Removing Existing Gradebook Item You May Be Trying to Replace
You may have to delete an existing Gradebook Item if you have already created the item to reflect the new quiz scores you are trying to upload. To do this, select the link for the existing item, then select the [remove gradebook item from gradebook] link. There shouldn’t be any data with this item as that is what you are trying to upload (unless you had manually entered pre-existing data that will be replaced by the new file), so select the checkbox that prompts you to be sure to remove that item. Then select the [Remove] button to complete.
Comments (within Gradebook)
You cannot import comments using the [Import Grades] feature, but you can manually add comments in Gradebook after an import if desired. Try to add comments after all quiz attempts have been finalized or you risk having them overwritten with any updates.
Method Two: One Column at a Time
Use if you have been maintaining your own spreadsheet that you want to import into CLEW. This method is more complex, but allows for more flexibility with the importation and classification of the item. You will upload the file to a loading dock where you can access it multiple times.
If you want to import from the Quizzes & Tests spreadsheet an item (with or without grades and/or comments) that as yet does not exist in your Gradebook , follow the steps below. If you want to have control over which columns to import, the display name of the item, the category where the item is to be assigned or what the value of the imported item would be, this option would also work for you. Select the results file from the [Download in CLEW-gradebook-importable format] and save it on your local computer. Remember where you saved the file as you’ll need it in the fourth step below.
This is done in two parts: [Uploading file to the Loading Dock], and [Import] file from the Loading Dock.
Uploading a file to the Loading Dock
- On the [Gradebook Item] page, select the [Import gradebook item from spreadsheet] link found below the main Gradebook menu bar.
- On the [Import Gradebook Item] screen, select [Upload spreadsheet (csv format) to Loading Dock].
- In the field next to Title, type a unique name to be displayed in the Loading Dock.
- To select a file for upload, select [Browse]. Select the file you saved from the Quizzes & Tests tool on * Select [Save].
- On the [Verify Upload] screen, review the number of items and students for your upload, and view a display of the file’s contents. If the content is correct, select [Ok]. If you need to select another file, select [Back].
Once a file is uploaded to the Loading Dock, its contents become available to import as a new Gradebook Item.
Import a File From the Loading Dock
- On the [Import Gradebook Item] screen, find your newly uploaded file in the Loading Dock, and next to it, select [Import].
- On the [Import Preview] screen, select the radio button to choose the column that represents the [Gradebook Item] and corresponding scores you want to import. (You can select only one column at a time.) Then click [Import Selected].
- On the [Import Gradebook Item and Scores] screen, enter the following information:
- [Title]: The title you provided in the steps above is automatically filled in. If you want, you may change it. The maximum length is 255 characters.
- [Gradebook Item Point Value]: Enter a total point value for the [Gradebook Item] that matches the quiz maximum score. This must be greater than zero. Decimal values are permitted to two decimal places.
- (optional) [Due Date]: In mm/dd/yy format, indicate the item’s due date, or select the calendar icon to select a date using the pop-up calendar tool.
- (optional) [Select a column to import comments]: If a column in your file contains comments you want to include, use the drop-down list to select the appropriate column, and add the comments to the import. Comments will appear next to the grades in the Gradebook . (Note: the pre-formatted Quizzes & Tests results file will not have comments in it, so this option is only useful for subsequent file imports or for externally maintained files).
- To make this item’s scores available to students, leave the [Release this Item to Students] option selected. Clear the checkmark if you want to hide the item from students. You can change this option later.
- To include this item when calculating the course grade, leave the [Include this item in course grade calculations] option selected. Clear the checkmark if you want the final grade calculated without this Gradebook Item. You can change this option later.
- When you’re finished, select [Submit]. You’ll return to the [Import Preview] screen, where you’ll see confirmation that your item was added. You can now select another item for import, or select the reset icon to the left of the page name to return to the main screen. You should see your imported item(s) listed under [Gradebook Items Summary].
You can also upload the [Download in CLEW-gradebook importable format] file to the Feedback tool if you desire, as it is compatible with that tool also. For more information, see the Feedback page.
Quizzes & Tests Business Rules and/or Recommended Procedures
Pre-Test
For You
- Ensure that you have an updated copy of the quizzes template (found in the CLEW Collaboration site, under Resources in the [instructor_templates] folder). Follow the instructions contained in the template to avoid unnecessary delays in processing your request.
- Request the quiz or test early and at least 3 weeks prior to the actual exam date.
- In the past, a prepared answer key (from processing the template) was emailed to instructors. This is now available in your site by selecting the [view the Grade Report] link, and then selecting the [Answer Key] link.
- Respond to quiz approval requests from the CLEW Admin promptly to avoid delays.
- We suggest that you try out the quiz yourself to know what the students will experience.
For Your Students
- Consider including a statement in your syllabus and / or in an announcement to indicate how you will handle problems such as computer lock-ups, browser issues, incompletes or other system / personal problems. Indicate what you are willing or not willing to do to mitigate problems or requested retakes. (e.g., Some instructors will not entertain retake requests unless there is a verified system problem. Some instructors will grant 2 takes to cover problems and only accept the 2nd if the 1st is labelled incomplete.)
- Add an announcement early about what will happen and what students should expect and do to prepare.
- Advise your students that using the Firefox browser, available at http://www.mozilla.com will help reduce browser issues.
- Retake / exception requests will only be acted upon if originated by the instructor. Student requests will not be approved and will be referred to the instructor.
- Students with exceptional needs can be given extra attempts, longer completion periods, or completely different “start” and “finish” dates/times.
Post-Test
- It will be up to you to decide whether or not you will entertain retake requests and if you decide that any of your students should get a second attempt, please contact the CLEW Administrator by email at CLEW Team or LMS Admin, and indicate the following details:
- Course
- Student's UWin ID(s)
- New open/close/report date-time values
Quizzes & Tests Frequently Asked Questions
Finding Help
How do I get help using Quizzes & Tests or any other tool in CLEW?
For quick help at any time, visit the CLEW Information site at CLEW or contact the HelpDesk by email at HelpDesk or by phone at ext. 4440.
You can contact CLEW Team whenever you need one-on-one help, training, ideas, or are unsure of how CLEW might better meet your teaching and learning needs. We encourage your questions and feedback. Workshops are available at CLEW Workshops
Class Preparation
How do I prepare my class for the quiz to avoid problems?
- In the template, you will find some extremely useful information and text for implementing quizzes in CLEW to share with your students.
- The most important part is how to prepare your students for taking a quiz/exam in CLEW and how to use our sample practice quiz to do this. Indicate to the students that they can take the practice quiz as many times as they need or until the become very comfortable with taking quizzes in CLEW.
- Students need to understand that when it comes time for the actual quiz, they will only be allowed one attempt (if that is what the quiz was set to) and that when they open up the quiz, that is their attempt (even if they get scared and back out, or something else goes wrong).
- Leave enough time for questions from students prior to the quiz date.
- Also, you could consider using a low-stakes graded primer quiz and ensure that it gets included in grades (perhaps worth 1 point). This may also be a beneficial opportunity for content review.
- Indicate to the student that they won't fail the course if they do poorly on the low-stakes quiz.
- Ask for feedback from students about their low-stakes quiz experience.
- Use well-designed multiple-choice or true/false questions. A helpful guide for creating multiple-choice questions prepared by Steven J. Burton, Richard R. Sudweeks, Paul F. Merrill and Bud Wood is found at How to Prepare Better Multiple-Choice Test Items: Guidelines for University Faculty.
Quiz Processing
Where do I send my Quizzes & Tests completed template?
You send the file to either the CLEW inbox CLEW Team or to the LMS Admin account.
The CLEW Administrator extracts the important details, converts the file into a machine readable format, and finally adds it to your CLEW site.
All information as requested (dates, format, exceptions, etc.) gets checked and an on-line answer key is generated. You will be provided with instructions for reviewing the answer key, where you must approve for correctness before it can go live on CLEW. Once the CLEW Administrator receives your approval (or requests for corrections), configurations needed for everything to take place in CLEW are completed.
Use for Final Exam
Should I use the Quizzes & Tests tool for my final exam?
High stakes assessments, such as a final exam may not be good candidates for the online nature of the Quizzes & Tests tool unless adequate contingency options can be available. This may include in-person re-write dates or other pre-determined options. Individual computing problems and / or system problems are impossible to predict and may be extremely difficult to mitigate for the last assessment in a course.
IT Services Support
Should students experience problems with accessing the site on the Quiz date, do you happen to know what hours the IT Services Help Desk is available to assist them?
IT Help Desk hours of operation are posted at HelpDesk. They may have varying availability at different times of the year, so it is best to check prior to Quiz administration.
Student Questions
I'm not sure what types of questions that students may have but I'd like to be prepared for them in the final class when I talk about the exam. How do I do this?
If you enable the students to have a practice quiz, and take it as many times as they would like, and you include any special instructions you would like them to know about in the quizzing template, that should minimize opportunities for confusion.
Your policy for retakes should be explained to them, and you could specify which conditions constitute eligibility for a retake. Advise them that they should use a reliable computer and internet service provider to avoid connectivity issues. If they don’t have access to that at home, advise them there are computers on campus that would suffice, or local libraries if they are writing from a distance.
Note: It is strongly suggested that students use Firefox 
as their internet browser - it is the most reliable and problem free browser for use in CLEW especially with the Quizzes & Tests tool. It's free, downloads in seconds and installs in minutes from Mozilla Firefox
Practice Quiz
What is involved with the Practice Quiz for the students, and why should they do it?
A practice quiz entitled Screen Captures 101 (Practice Quiz) can be added to your site so that your students will become familiar with taking quizzes / exams in CLEW. It is recommended that you suggest strongly that all students take this practice quiz as many times as needed or until they are comfortable with the Quizzes & Tests tool in CLEW. They can take it as many as 100 times. There are only 5 questions to respond to, and it is configured to allow a duration of 30 minutes. Although this practice quiz is not for marks and only has 5 questions - it is set up very similar to how your exam will be set up.
Need to Know
What do I need to know about the actual exam?
It is recommended that you impress upon your students that when it comes time for the real exam - they will only get one attempt and any attempt to open the exam will count as their official attempt.
If they close their exam - prior to completing & submitting it; it will result in an incomplete submission.
They will not be able to reopen the exam after the first time. So, using their browser’s navigation buttons, getting scared, sneaking a peak, accidentally closing the exam, losing their internet connection, and having their computer crash or die on them will still result in their one and only official attempt.
Retakes
What do I do about a situation where I need a student to retake the exam?
It will be up to you to decide whether or not you will entertain retake requests and if you decide that any of your students should get an additional attempt, please contact the CLEW Administrator by email at CLEW Team or LMS Admin and indicate the following details:
- Course
- Student's UWin ID(s)
- New open/close date-time values
Instructor Set up Quiz?
Can I set this quiz up myself?
We don't have a web-based system for authoring quizzes and tests. If you can provide your questions and answers in a spreadsheet to CLEW Team or LMS Admin, we can generate the quiz for you. The template, which is an Excel file, will show you how to layout your quiz in the spreadsheet. Please allow 3 weeks for proper processing.
When are Results Visible?
Can students see their results immediately?
You can opt to let students review their answers after a specified "Report" date/time, which includes immediately if that appeals.
Extra Time or Other Exceptions
What do I do when I have a student that needs extra time or other exception?
Students with exceptional needs can be given extra attempts, longer completion periods, or completely different "start" and "finish" date/times. See the Creating Your Assessment section for more details.
Post Grades
How do I post grades into Gradebook? Students' results can be imported back into CLEW's Gradebook if you're grading in CLEW. For instructions, please see the section on “Importing a Quizzes & Tests Results File into Gradebook.”
Hard Copy of Exam
Is it possible to have a hard copy of the final exam with out answers standing by just in case the system goes down?
Unfortunately, that feature does not exist. You could copy the text from the answer key to help create a printable copy, but you would have to scramble the options so that the correct answer is not always the first option shown.
Quizzes & Tests II
The beta version of the instructor-generated Quizzes & Tests II is available in the Winter 2013 semester for interested instructors to try out. Please contact the CLEW Team to activate your access to this tool in your course site. Please indicate the site's course number and section that you would like the CLEW Team to insert the tool into.
Related Articles
Articles that also relate to the Category:Quizzes & Tests:
This article is based on the equivalent Sakai help article created by Indiana University found at: http://kb.iu.edu/data/arcr.html.
Additional sources of content include Brock University's Sakai / Isaak Wiki and the University of Florida Sakai / e-Learning Documentation with thanks and appreciation for the collaboration.
All respective sources used are under a free-for-reuse license and additional permission has been obtained.
Other articles about Sakai tools and how instructors can use them:
Core Tools: Announcements | Assignments | Email Instructor | Forums | Gradebook | Quizzes & Tests | Resources | Site Editor | Syllabus
More Tools: Polls | Chat | Drop Box | Home | Discussions | News | Feedback | Sections | Lessons | Site Stats | Web Content | Wiki
Related articles: How to add tools to CLEW | Using the Text Editor | Manage Groups | Permissions and Roles | Contact the CTL for help
We are constantly trying to improve the information in this Wiki.
If you notice any errors or omissions with this material, please advise the CLEW Team.
