Multiple choice question

Create a multiple choice question

To create a multiple choice question, follow the steps below.

1. Navigate to your question bank or your assignment. 
2. Click New exercise, fill in a name and click Create.
3. Click New question and select Multiple choice.
4. Add input in the following fields:
   1. Question*: this the question content field where the text of the question can be formulated. You can make use of the text editor to construct the question.
   2. Points*: the number of points that the question is worth.
   3. Scoring method: the scoring method used to grade the question. There are three methods:
      • All or nothing: Students earn full points if they select all correct alternatives. Otherwise, they receive no points.
      • Custom: Manually award points for each answer. With this scoring method it is possible to enable the option 'Limit minimum to zero points'. With this option enabled, it is not possible for the score to go below zero points when selecting an alternative with negative points. It is still possible to manually adjust the number of points to go below zero with the adjustment option during the reviewing.
   4. Alternatives: fill in the alternatives. To add a new alternative, click + Add alternative. You can also change the order of alternatives by clicking the drag_indicator-icon and dragging and dropping the alternative. To delete the alternative, click the delete-icon. Depending on the used scoring method, select the correct alternative:
      • By selecting the checkbox next to the alternative. 
      • By manually filling in the number of points per alternative.
   5. Feedback on alternative level: by toggling on Edit feedback directly below the scoring methods it is possible to provide feedback on alternative level. This feedback will only be visible during the publication. 
   6. QUESTION FEEDBACK: click the dropdown to:
      1. Add a model answer. 
      2. Provide feedback to participants that is shown during the taking of a digital test if the option 'Feedback' is enabled in the accessibility settings of the assignment. The feedback can be filled and shown when:
         • The question is answered correctly.
         • The question is answered partially correctly (only possible when the 'Partial' and 'Custom' scoring methods are used). 
         • The question is answered incorrectly.
   7. Objectives: if there are learning objectives in the question bank or course that the question is created in, the objective can be selected or typed in to add to the question.
5. Click Create.

Add a grading scheme to a multiple choice question

All options mentioned below for the grading scheme can also be added or adjusted from the exercise tab when creating a multiple choice question. However, it is only possible to adjust the grading scheme from this page if the assignment has been taken.

1. Click Grading scheme tab at the top of the assignment or question bank exercise.
2. Navigate to the question for which you want to set the grading scheme.
3. Click the edit-icon.
4. Fill in or adjust the amount of points the question is worth. 
5. Select or switch the scoring method. You can choose from 'All or nothing' or 'Custom'.
   • All or nothing: Students earn full points if they select the correct answer alternative. Otherwise, they receive no points.  
   • Custom: You can manually adjust points of each answer alternative.
6. Fill in or adjust the alternatives. To add a new alternative , click + Add alternative. You can also change the order of alternatives by clicking the drag_indicator-icon and dragging and dropping the alternative. To delete the alternative, click the delete-icon.
7. Select the correct alternative based on the used scoring method: 
   • All or nothing: click on the circle next to the alternative to indicate the correct alternative.
   • Custom: manually enter the amount of points each alternative is worth. This option allows you to deduct points in case the student chose the wrong alternative, or to have multiple correct alternatives that the student can select one from. 
8. Optionally, by toggling on Edit feedback it is possible to provide feedback on alternative level. This feedback will only be visible during the publication. toggle the Edit feedback button, directly below the scoring methods to provide feedback on alternative level. This feedback will only be visible during the publication.  
9. Optionally, click the dropdown menu QUESTION FEEDBACK to:
   1. Add or adjust the model answer. 
   2. Show feedback on answer level. Feedback on answer level can be made visible during the publication or during the taking of a digital test if the option 'Feedback' is enabled in the Accessibility settings. This is explained further here. You can choose to fill in feedback that is shown to students when:
      • The question is answered correctly.
      • The question is answered partially correctly (only when the 'Custom' tab is selected).
      • The question is answered incorrectly.
10. Optionally, add or adjust the learning objectives in the 'Objectives' field.
11. Click Update.

Options for a multiple choice question

For additional options, click the settings-icon. You will see the following:

• Bonus
  This marks the question as a bonus question, which means that its points are not included in the maximum amount of points achievable for that assignment. If a student answers the question incorrectly, this will not be detracted from the number of points and the mark. However, when awarding points, it is possible to achieve more points that the maximum points achievable for the assignment.
   

For written assignments, Ans offers the following extra options:

• Start on new page
  By using this option, Ans forces the question to be printed on a new page.
   
• Stack alternatives vertically
  The default for written assignments is to stack the multiple choice options horizontally. This is so the space on the paper is used as effective as possible. However, if the length of the alternatives overwrites the total width of the paper, Ans will stack the alternatives vertically, regardless of the default option.

Grading of multiple choice questions in a written assignment

When recognising each individual multiple choice answer, we categorise them in 4 different states.

• 0: The circle has been left empty
• 1: The circle has a cross
• 2: The circle is fully coloured
• 3: The circle has been corrected because there is large cross outside of the fully coloured circle.

This recognition is done with "neural network" that has been trained on thousands of differently circles, but has a small margin of error. This means there is a small chance that Ans may interpret the question differently than intended. The recognition can also be influenced by the type of pen/pencil used and the quality of the scan.

Be aware that Ans makes a "crop" of the circle, meaning any indication outside the circle is ignored. For example, adding an arrow is not taken into account when recognising choices.

Ans does not automatically grade multiple choice questions if it identifies state 3 answers. Instead the question will remain ungraded and will require manual review. This is a safety precaution to prevent multiple choice questions from being graded incorrectly.