Multiple Choice/Multiple Select
Multiple Choice and Multiple Select questions are some of the most widely used types of questions for any field of study. These questions present your students with a statement and several possible responses. Either of these questions can be authored to have either one or many correct answers. When questions are created with many correct responses, students can be given partial credit —choosing all the correct responses earns full credit.
Note: Multiple Select is a variation of the Multiple Choice template with default settings that are optimized for questions using multiple correct answers.
Both the Multiple Choice and Multiple Select question types are electronically gradable and allow you add images, equations, and tables to questions and answers. You can choose to randomize choice order, freeze a choice in place, set partial credit, select from a variety of labels, and give each possible answer customized feedback.
Properties Specific to Multiple Choice and Multiple Select Questions
On the Settings tab, use this option to determine if partial credit is allowed by selecting Yes or No. To enable this option, Select must be set to Multiple.
Partial answers are calculated using the method: (#correct – #incorrect)/total correct). For example, if you have a Multiple Choice question with two correct answers, and the student checks two choices correctly and one choice incorrectly, the calculated score would be (2 – 1)/2, or 0.5.
On the Answers tab, you enter the content that produces the available answer selections. In addition, you can use the Question Editor to format text or add images, equations, graphs, or tables.
On the Settings tab, you can specify the formatting style used to create your selection list. You can choose from the following options:
On the Answers tab, select the button to indicated that status for the associated choice. When authoring Multiple Select questions you can create more than one correct response. When using multiple correct responses, you can create a question that allows points for partially correct answers.
On the Answers tab, you can use these text fields to enter feedback when a specific answer is selected. Students can see this feedback when mousing over any of the rejoinder icons after the question is submitted. Correct answers display a green check rejoinder icon, while rejoinders for incorrect answers display a red "X".
On the Answers tab, click this button to expand or collapse all editing fields. When collapsed, you can scroll down to find the choice you wish to edit and then click the choice label to open only those editing fields.
On the Answers tab, this property lets you determine whether a particular choice appears as the last answer in the list.
In cases where you include an answer such as "all of the above" or "none of the above," you need to select Yes for this setting. The default setting, No, allows the choice to appear in a randomized order.
On the Edit properties tab, use the Grading Mode menu to specify whether all of a question must be answered correctly to get credit or whether partial credit is allowed.
When allowing partial credit, you must also go to the Settings tab and set the options for Select to Multiple and set Allow Partial Credit to Yes.
- ° Partial credit given. Answers use a calculated score (#correct – #incorrect)/(total correct). For example, if you have a Multiple Choice question with two correct answers, and the student checks two choices correctly and one choice incorrectly, the calculated score would be (2 – 1)/2, or 0.5.
- ° All correct answers required. No points are given unless the question is answered exactly, as defined in the Choice area of the Answers tab.
For questions where more than one correct answer exists, the method for calculating Partial credit is (#correct -#incorrect) / #total_correct.
On the Settings tab, select this check box to shuffle responses every time the assignment is generated. By randomizing the order of appearance, you can create assignments that help prevent cheating.
Note: You can also "freeze" an individual answer to the bottom of the list by selecting yes for the Freeze Answer Choice option on the Answers tab.
On the Settings tab, the Select dropdown menu offers you the choice of creating a question with either single or multiple correct choices in the answer.
Choosing Single creates answers with radio buttons allowing only one correct answer. answers with radio buttons allowing only one correct answer. Choosing Multiple produces check boxes that permit students to select more than one answer.
Note: Choosing Multiple in the Select menu also enables the option to Allow Partial Credit.
Example
This example demonstrates how to create a Multiple Select question with five choices. These instructions also include providing direct rejoinders to students for incorrect answers.
To create a Multiple Select question
- 1. Click the Self-Authored Questions link on the Assignments page to open the Instructor Authoring page.
- 2. Click the Create button to open the Create a New Folder and/or Question dialog box.
- 3. (Optional) Use the dropdown Folder menu to select an existing folder to place your question. Select New Folder to create a new folder.
- 4. Select Accounting from the Discipline dropdown menu.
- 5. In the Question Template menu, select Multiple Select Template.
- 6. (Optional) Enter a name in the Question Name field.
- 7. Click OK to have the selected question template appear in the editing window.
- 1. Click the Home tab in the question editor, if it isn't already open.
- 2. Enter the prompt for your question in the Question field. For this example, type "The Gross increases in owner's equity attributable to business activities are called."
- 3. (Optional) Use the Question Editor to insert any special objects or use the options on the Format tab to add styling to the text.
- 1. In the Question Editor click the Edit choices icon to open the Answers and Settings tabs.
- 2. Click the Answers tab to bring it into focus.
- 3. Click to expand Choice 1, if necessary.
- 4. In the answer field, type "revenue."
- 5. Select Correct for the answer status.
- 6. (Optional) Enter a message in Directed Feedback for Choice 1 for students to see for this response after the question is submitted.
- 7. Click Save on the tab when you are finished.
The answer fields and options for Choice 1 display.
- 1. On the Answers tab, click to expand Choice 2, if necessary.
- 2. In the Choice 2 field, type liabilities.
- 3. For the answer status, select Incorrect.
- 4. Repeat the steps above for Choice 3 and Choice 4, entering "expenses" and "assets" in the choice fields.
- 5. (Optional) Enter a message in Directed Feedback for Choice # for any of the choices you just created.
- 6. Click Save on the tab when you are finished.
Note: If you need to create more than four answer choices, clicking Add Another Answer Choice provides additional editing fields.
- 1. Click Add Another Answer Choice to add Choice 5.
- 2. In the choice field, type "none of the above."
- 3. (Optional) In the Directed Feedback for Choice 5 field, type "One of the answers above is correct."
- 4. For the Freeze Answer Choice In This Position option, select Yes from the dropdown menu.
Note: "Freezing" the choice ensures that it always appears last, even when the other choices are shuffled.
- 1. Click the global Save button at the top of the page.
- 2. Click Preview to confirm the appearance and performance of your new question.
- 3. When your question is complete, click Publish to make it available to your Homework and Test assignments.
- 4. Click the Done button at the top of the screen when you are ready to exit the Question Editor.
Note: Your new questions and/or edits will not appear in the assignment creation wizard unless you save your work in the question editor and then click Publish.
