What is an Assessment?
The Assessment item can be used to add auto-graded tests and quizzes to a course. Assessments can be used for both formative and summative purposes and can be aligned to content standards.
Basic Features:
- Create a variety of question types including multiple choice, matching, fill in the blank, and more.
- Options to randomize the order of the questions and the answers to prevent students from easily copying from each other.
- Auto-grade feature allows instant feedback or scores that can be hidden until a specific time/date.
Advanced Features:
- Users can build large question banks that can be pulled from to create smaller, more focused assessments
- Users can use assessments as a formative tool to excuse students from topics they have mastered
- Assessments and even individual questions can be associated with learning standards/objectives to track student mastery.
Things to consider when using assessments:.
- Essay questions cannot be auto-graded and must be reviewed and scored by the teacher
- Only one multi outcome can be assigned, this is because assessment items are designed to be primarily auto-graded
How do I add an assessment to my course?
To add an Assessment, enter a course through the Editor tool.
Click +Add Activity.
Select Assessment.
Within the Assessment activity there are 3 tabs:
- Activity
- Settings
- Questions
Activity
Within the Activity tab:
- Give the Assessment a title.
- Add a thumbnail.
- Add content you would like to be visible to the students.
- Add instructions.
- If needed, add an attachment.
- If needed, select a type of calculator to have available for students.
- If needed, add companion material.
Settings
Within the Settings tab:
1. Activity settings:
Set a due date/time, choose number of attempts, how many questions students will see per page, if students can save and come back, if it is required for students to answer all questions, if you want to randomize question order, and if you want to randomize response order.
2. Gradebook settings:
Choose whether the assessment is gradable, assign an outcome and points possible if gradable, and check the box if the assessment counts as extra credit.
3. Visibility and access:
Set visibility options and access rules.
4. Objective mastery:
Align course-specified standards to the assessment (if the course has a set of standards/objectives imported). This allows teachers to track student performance against the standards in the gradebook. Click here to learn more about importing standards/objectives.
5. Badges:
Badges can be used to automatically assign a specific badge to students who complete the activity. Badges must be configured in the course settings in order to be selected. Click here to learn more about badges.
6. Metadata:
Description for course author, or an idea of how this activity fits into the goal of the course or the "big picture." CRA and IAKT activity tags can also be used for reporting purposes.
7. Assessment review:
Choose how students view assessment results from multiple ways with each dropdown option (always, never, after minimum attempt, when answered correctly, due date, and after score visibility date).
8. Assessment pool settings:
Click here to learn more about configuring question pooling.
9. Advanced assessment options:
Choose several settings like a time limit (set in minutes), default question score, attempt minimum, allow printing, hide question "back" button, set a password to access the assessment, use an exam template, etc.
10. Advanced gradebook options:
- Teachers can restrict student access to assignment scores by date
- Echo tracks when students have completed and passed each assignment. The Passing Score field allows teachers to define the minimum score students must achieve in order to "pass" the assignment
- The Minimum Points Possible field is not used with the Multi Outcome Scoring gradebook
- Teachers can allow or prevent scores from being dropped from final grade (calculated course score)
- Teachers can choose to include or not include the assignment scores in the final grade
- Teacher can elect to make this a mandatory assignment for the course (require a passing score for course credit). If a student doesn't receive a passing score on the assignment, their grade will go to 0% until a passing score is earned. This option is only suitable for high stakes tasks that are absolutely necessary to assess student performance
- Teachers can choose to treat submitted but not scored assignments as either blank (doesn't effect grade) or zero (affects grade)
11. Advanced activity options:
Dropdown options for the activity to mark as complete and a checkbox for student must complete this activity before continuing to the next one. Teachers can also choose a location for the activity in case they want to change which folder/project the activity exists.
Questions
Within the Questions tab, begin adding questions for the assessment by clicking the + button.
NOTE: Click the link if you want to use questions that already exist within another assessment in your course.
When adding a question you can choose one of the following question types:
- Custom
- Essay
- File Upload
- Fill in the Blank
- Matching
- Multiple answer
- Multiple Choice
- Ordering
- Passage
Once you have chosen a question type and have set up the question, you also have the option to:
1. Create Feedback:
Where a teacher can provide feedback rules. The four types in the dropdown are custom, always, when answer is correct, and when answer is incorrect. Type in the feedback necessary for each rule (if applicable).
2. Select the Interaction:
Includes options like the question label, checkboxes for maintain response order, show choices as a dropdown menu, display workspace, and a custom question definition if needed.
3. Set up the Score:
Choose whether the question counts for partial or extra credit.
4. Chose an Objective:
Align the question with course specified standards.
5. Add Variables:
create questions that use different values for each student, presenting them with varied questions and answers. There are two kinds of assessment variables in Echo: Ranges and Lists.
6. Add a Calculator:
Check the appropriate box(es) to provide students with one or more of the calculator options.
7. Add Companion material:
Attach any supplemental documents students need to complete this question. Teachers can do this by pointing to existing resources in the course or by uploading new files (PDFs only).
Additional changes can be made using the orange section of tools on the lefthand side.
Preview (play icon): preview the questions
Reorder: move the questions around
Edit (< > icon): edit all questions at once
Continue to click the + button to add questions to the assessment. Follow the steps above to do so.
Click Save when the assessment is complete.
Echo is constantly being improved based on the feedback from users and we strive to keep our documentation up to date. If this document doesn’t match what you are seeing in Echo, please let us know.
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