Calculated Questions

1. What is 19 + 64?
2. If a car is travelling [x] miles per hour for [y] hours, how far does it travel in miles? Answer: Depending on the range you specify, values are inserted for [x] and [y]. Students calculate the answer and enter it in the Answer text box.

You can create or edit questions from two locations in the Assessments tool: in an assessment or the Question Database.

Step 1: Locate and click the assessment or click Go to Question Database.

Step 2: Depending on whether you are creating or editing a question, do one of the following:

• If you are creating a question:
  • Click Create Questions.
  • Click Calculated.

• If you are editing a question, click the question title.

Step 3: Enter a title. The title is helpful for doing searches in the Question Database, where you search by question title.

Step 4: Enter the question in Plain Text or HTML format, placing the variables inside square brackets:

• To enter the question in Plain Text format, enter the text. The text will appear exactly as you have typed it.
   
• To enter the question in HTML format, you can use the HTML Creator or hand code the HTML:
  • To use the HTML Creator:
    1. Click the Enable HTML Creator button. The HTML Creator appears.
    2. Enter the question.
  • To hand-code the HTML:
    1. Select Use HTML.
    2. Enter the HTML code.
        
• NOTE: Depending on administrator settings, the HTML Creator may not be available or it may appear by default.

Step 5: Optionally insert an equation.

Step 6: Optionally add an image to display with the question:

• Next to Image, click Browse. The Content Browser pop-up window appears.
   
• If the image file you want to add is on your computer, click the My Computer icon. Your computer's file browser or the Upload Files from Your Computer screen appears.Locate and select the file. The image is added. If the image file you want to add is in the course system, navigate to the file and select it. Click OK. The image is added.

Step 7: Under Formula, enter the mathematical problem and place the variables in square brackets. To see a list of the operators and functions that you can use, clickView a list of supported formulas.

For example: (([x]+[y])*([x]+[y]))

IMPORTANT: Use parentheses, not square brackets, to accentuate precedence. Use square brackets to contain variables.

Step 8: Click Analyze Variables.

Step 9: Under Units, if you want to specify units for the answer, do the following:

• In the Units text box, enter the unit for the answer.
   
• If necessary, select the following:
  • If the unit is required for the correct answer, select Required.
  • If multiple words are acceptable as one word, select Ignore spaces. For example: Kilowatt hours and kilowatthours are both correct.
  • If the unit is acceptable in either uppercase or lowercase, select Ignore case.  For example: Mile and mile are both correct.
     
• To award a percentage value for the correct unit, select it from the Percentage of the question value drop-down list. The combined percentage value of the unit and answer will equal 100%. For example, if 30% is awarded for the correct unit, Students who enter the correct answer but incorrect unit will be awarded only 70%.

Step 10: Under Variables, do the following:

• For each variable, enter the minimum and maximum values. The system generates values for a variable between these two numbers. For example: You can specify a numeric range of 1 to 100 for x and a range of 50 to 500 for y. This generates an answer set where x can be any number between 1 and 100, and wherey can be any number between 50 and 500. This will create a question such as What is 19 + 230?
   
• If you want to specify decimal places for variables, select it from the Calculate to decimal places drop-down list.

Step 11: Under Answers, do the following:

• To specify the number of questions to be generated, select it from the Specify the number of answers per set.
   
• To set the number of decimal places or significant figures to which the answer is calculated, select the number from the Calculate the answer sets to drop-down lists.
   
• To allow a range of answers (in units or percent) to be correct, enter the tolerance in the Answer Tolerance (+/-) text box and select either Units or Percent.
   
• Click Generate Answer Set. The questions are created.
   
• To manually change the answer set, enter new values for each variable as necessary and click Update Answer Set. The updated questions appear.

Step 12: To see more options, click the Expand/Collapse icon next to More Options. The More Options section expands.

• To include a comment about the question, enter it in Plain Text or HTML format in the General feedback text box. The comment appears when Students view their graded assessment.
   
• To include a note that is visible only to yourself or other Section Designers, enter it in the Section Designer notes text box.
   
• Place the question into a category. All questions are automatically stored in the Question Database but the Question Database can contain many questions, so we recommend that you organize questions in categories.
  • To place the question in an existing category, select Specify an existing category and from the drop-down list, select the category. Uncategorized Questions is a default category. If you do not specify a category, the question is placed here automatically.
  • To place the question in a new category, select Create a category and enter the category name in the text box.
     
• To preview the question to ensure it appears correctly, do the following:
  • Click Preview. The question appears in preview mode.
  • To test the grading scheme and feedback:
    • Select your answer and click Grade. The grade appears in preview mode.
    • To test another answer, click Back. The question appears in preview mode.
    • When you are finished previewing the question, click Close. The question appears.

Step 13: Click the Save button at the bottom of the page.