Skip to main content

Use sections in written assignments

Puck
  • Updated

lightbulb_outline Sections were previously called flow groups.

Sections allow you to structure written assignments and personalise forms for each learner. By organising exercises into sections, you can control how exercises are presented and selected, ensuring students receive content that matches their level while reducing repetition.

Sections in written assignments

When generating forms for specific learners, the system takes student tags and previously answered exercises into account. This means learners are more likely to receive new and relevant exercises, improving both variation and learning efficiency.

A section is a collection of exercises within a written assignment. You can group exercises together and configure how they are selected when generating forms for learners.

To create and use sections in your written assignment, follow the steps below.

  1. Open your written assignment.
  2. Open the Layout panel. If it is not visible, click Layout at the bottom of the screen.
  3. Click the arrow_drop_down-icon and select New section.
  4. Enter a Name*.
  5. Optionally, add a description. Section descriptions can be used to provide context before learners start working on the exercises in that section.
  6. Add exercises to the section by dragging them using the drag_indicator-icon.
  7. Configure section settings where needed.
  8. Open Taking and click Create to generate forms.
  9. Select learners, groups, or classes and create the forms.

Each section groups a set of exercises. When forms are generated, the system selects exercises per learner based on configuration, tags, and previous attempts. This helps ensure that each learner receives a tailored set of exercises.

Options for sections

  • Shuffle sections
    Shuffling sections allows instructors to shuffle the order of sections within the assignment. This option can be enabled in 'Edit layout' dialog in the Test configuration. Under 'Shuffle sections', selecting the option All sections shuffles all sections in the assignment. The order of sections will be randomised for each participant. This adds another layer of variation. If the option No shuffling is selected, sections are shown in the same fixed order for all participants. Click Update to apply the changes.
    Shuffle sections written assignments
     
  • Pin sections
    Sections can be pinned in order to limit the shuffling of sections to a set number. This option can be enabled in 'Edit layout' dialog in the Test configuration. Under 'Shuffle sections', selecting the option Specific sections allows you to select the sections that should be shuffled. The order of sections that are not included will have a fixed position per participant. This is indicated with the push_pin -icon next to the section name in the Layout panel. 
    Pinned section
     
  • Shuffle order of exercises
    The order of exercises in a section can be shuffled by clicking on the more_vert -icon next to the section title. When enabled, the order of the exercises within that group randomised for each participant. This is indicated with the purple shuffle icon on the left of the section title. When disabled, exercises within the section are shown in the same fixed order for all participants.
    Shuffle order of exercises

Match tag to a student's course value

Sections in written assignments can select question bank exercises based on student tags. This makes it possible to deliver different exercises to different students within the same test.

This can be used for: 

  • Assigning exercises by skill level, such as Maths: Level 1 or Reading: Level 3.
  • Giving English exercises to some students and Dutch questions to others.
  • Providing topic-specific practice without creating separate tests.

How it works 

  1. Add question bank exercises with tags to a section.
  2. Set the section to pick a certain number of exercises for a tag key.
  3. In the course’s student overview, assign student tags for each tag key (for example, Language: English or Skill: Level 2). Tags can be updated at any time, and future tests using that tag key will reflect the changes.

student-level.gif

Example 

A section contains exercises tagged with different reading levels. A student with the tag Reading: Level 1 receives a Level 1 exercise. A student with the tag Language: Dutch receives exercises tagged with Dutch. If no tag is set, the section selects the last alphabetically sorted value for that tag key.

lightbulb_outline

Ans remembers which exercises from the question bank have been included in previous assignments of specific participants. If there are alternative exercises available, the exercises which were selected before will be excluded if personalised forms are generated.

Related articles

Comments

0 comments

Article is closed for comments.