Quick Guide: Blackboard Question Types
Question Type: Calculated Formula
A Calculated Formula question contains a formula, the variables of which can be set to change for each student. For this reason, it is more difficult for students to participate dishonestly. The variable range is created by specifying a minimum value and a maximum value for each variable. The correct answer can be a specific value or a range of values. Partial credit may be granted for answers falling in a range.
Example: [x] + [y] = z.
The student will see x and y replaced by actual numbers, and each student taking the exam will see different numbers.
The letters that appear in the brackets will be randomly replaced by number values by the Blackboard system, falling between values that you assign, and the student would have to correctly solve the equation for z. You can also assign a range of accuracy for the answer, if the formula is complex.
Question Type: Calculated Numeric
This question resembles a fill-in-the-blank question. The user enters a number to complete a statement. The correct answer can be a specific number or within a range of numbers. Please note that the answer must be numeric, not alphanumeric.
Example: "What is the product of 12 and 4?"
(The answer is 48).
Question Type: Either/Or
Students are presented with a statement and asked to respond using a selection of pre-defined two-option
answers, such as:
- Yes/No
- Agree/Disagree
- Right/Wrong
This question type is very useful in Surveys to gauge user's opinions. It is a slight variation on the True/False question type, except more descriptive and meaningful answers may be used.
Example: "According to the legal code of North Dakota, is it lawful for a judge to testify in a case over which he or she presides?"
Answer: No
Question Type: Essay
Essay questions require the Instructor to provide students with a question or statement. Students supply the answer in a text box, rather than choosing from a set of options. Essay questions can include mathematical or scientific content, with the use of the Math and Science Notation Tool.
Since Blackboard cannot "read," a person must review the student's answer and provide a score manually, using the "Grade Assessment" page. Sample answers can be added for users or graders to use as a reference.
Example: "Discuss three major issues that mitigate the development of client-driven software."
(The answer may include: project budget, project timeline, target audience, development and delivery resources available).
Question Type: File Response
The student will upload a file, such as a Word document or other file type, from his/her local computer or from the Content Collection as the answer to the question. Because Blackboard cannot process the content of the file, this type of question is graded manually.
This question type is a good option if you would like students to work on something before a test and submit it with a test, or if the response to the questions is of sufficient length or complexity as to make use of the text field response area in Blackboard impractical. For example, in a computer science class, a student might be required to develop an example of a correctly formatted xml document. It is also a good option for the "take home" exam.
Example question: "Submit a working example of a web site counter, using Java. The counter should display total hits to the site, as well as number of unique visits."
Fill in Multiple Blanks
This question type builds on fill-in-the-blank questions with multiple fill in the blank responses that can be inserted into a sentence or paragraph. Separate sets of answers are defined for each blank. This question type may be used if there are multiple variables, such as "What color is the Italian flag?" This question type is also useful in foreign language classes. In this case the identifier and adjective may be left blank in a sentence, so as not to give away the gender of an object.
Variables should be composed of alphabets, digits (0-9), periods (.), underscores (_) and hyphens (-), and enclosed with the square bracket. All other occurrences of the opening rectangular brace character should be preceded by the back-slash ("\") character. Variable names must be unique and cannot be reused.
Example: "(Provide the correct verb forms of boire and manger): Anna [boire] une tasse du lait chaque matin. Apres midi, elle [manger] une sandwich du jambon."
(Correct answer: "Anna boit une tasse du lait chaque matin. Apres midi, elle mange une sandwich du jambon.")
Question Type: Fill in the Blank
Answers are evaluated based on an exact text match. Accordingly, it is important to keep the answers simple and limited to as few words as possible. Answers are not case sensitive, but are evaluated based on spelling. Consider the following tips when creating Fill in the Blank questions and answers:
- Provide answers that allow for common spelling errors.
- Provide answers that allow for abbreviations or partial answers.
- Create the question that indicates to students the best way to answer the question.
- Phrase the question so there is only one answer
Try to keep answers limited to one word to avoid mismatched answers due to extra spaces or order of answer terms. If the answer may be more than one word, list all possibilities as answers. For example, if Benjamin Franklin is the answer, include Benjamin Franklin, Franklin, and Ben Franklin as correct answers.
Example: "What is the capital city of Armenia?"
(Correct answer is Yerevan).
Question Type: Hot Spot
This question requires that you upload an image and then set up areas on the image that are "mouse clickable." Students indicate the correct answer(s) by marking the specific location on the image. This type of question is especially useful for:
- Anatomy/biological sciences
- Geography
- Foreign languages (to match vocabulary words with corresponding images)
Example: "Select the part of the kitten's face that would be called the nose."
Question Type: Jumbled Sentence
Students are shown a sentence with a few parts of the sentence as variables. The student selects the proper answer for each variable from drop-down lists to assemble the sentence. Only one set of answers is used for all of the drop-down lists. This type of question may be useful when teaching about proper grammatical order in a sentence, such as the location of a noun, verb, or adjective.
Enter each blank in the question text as a variable surrounded by square brackets. Variables should be composed of alphabets, digits (0-9), periods (.), underscores (_) and hyphens (-). All other occurrences of the opening rectangular brace character should be preceded by the back-slash ("\") character. Variable names must be unique and cannot be reused. The question will appear to students with drop-down lists in place of the variables.
- Example: "Place the adverb correctly in the sentence: (mal) Il a choisi ses amis. [answer]"
(English: (badly) He chose his friends).
- Drop-down List of Answers:
- Il a choisi mal ses amis.
- Il a mal choisi ses amis.
- Il a choisi ses amis mal.
- Il mal a choisi ses amis.
Answer This is an example of a Jumbled Sentence question. Students are shown a sentence with a few parts of the sentence as variables. The student selects the proper answer for each variable from drop-down lists to assemble the sentence. Only one set of answers is used for all of the drop-down lists. This type of question may be useful when teaching about proper grammatical order in a sentence, such as the location of a noun, verb, or adjective.
Enter each blank in the question text as a variable surrounded by square brackets. Variables should be composed of alphabets, digits (0-9), periods (.), underscores (_) and hyphens (-). All other occurrences of the opening rectangular brace character should be preceded by the back-slash ("\") character. Variable names must be unique and cannot be reused. The question will appear to students with drop-down lists in place of the variables.
- Example: "Place the adverb correctly in the sentence: (mal) Il a choisi ses amis.
- Answer: Il a mal choisi ses amis."
(English: (badly) He chose his friends).
Question Type: Matching
Matching questions allow students to pair items in one column to items in another column. You may include a different numbers of questions and answers in a Matching question. For example, the question may include a list of animals and a list of food they eat (herbivore, carnivore, omnivore). The students would match each animal with their diet.
Students will be granted partial credit for matching questions if they answer part of the question correctly. For example, if the question is worth eight points and the student gives the correct answers for half of the matches, they will receive four points.
Example: "Match the French animal names with the English equivalents."
| Question Items | Answer Items |
|---|---|
| A. chat | A. ostrich |
| B. chien | B. cat |
| C. cheval | C. dog |
| D. autruche | D. horse |
Answers: A-B; B-C; C-D; D-A.
Question Type: Multiple Choice
Students select the one correct choice from a set of possible answers. An exam may contain any number of multiple choice questions, but any single question may not have more than 20 possible answers.
Example: "Which of these books was authored by Gary Paulsen?"
- The Trumpet of the Swan
- Hatchet
- The Dollhouse Murders
- Stuart Little
Answer: Hatchet
Question Type: Multiple Answer
Multiple answer questions are multiple-choice questions of the form that allow students to choose more than one answer. The number of answer choices is limited to 20. This type of question may be used when more than one answer is correct; students can select the incorrect answers. For example, in the medical field, this type of question may be used to select symptoms associated with a medical condition.
Example: "Select the possible medical conditions that would be part of the differential diagnosis. Case: A man, 52 years old, somewhat overweight, comes into the ER complaining of chest pain, shortness of breath, and nausea."
- Myocardial infarction
- Reflux esophagitis
- Herpes zoster
- Psoriasis
Answers: Myocardial infarction and Reflux esophagitis
Question Type: Opinion Scale/Likert
This question type is most suitable for use with a survey, as such questions seek personal preferences, rather than correct or incorrect responses. Answers are pre-populated with the standard six Likert scale responses, but these can be changed to reflect other options.
Example: "Choose the option that reflects your attitude about the following statement: Driver's education should be part of the publicly funded high school curriculum."
- Strongly Agree
- Agree
- Neither Agree nor Disagree
- Disagree
- Strongly Disagree
- Not Applicable
Question Type: Ordering
Ordering questions require students to provide an answer by selecting the correct order of a series of items. For example, an Instructor may give users a list of historical events and ask students to place these events in chronological order.
Students will be granted partial credit for ordering questions if they answer part of the question correctly. For example, if the question is worth eight points and the student gives the correct order for half of the items, they will receive four points.
Example: "List the correct order for these steps that describe baking a cake."
Display Order:
- Gather all ingredients and cooking tools.
- Mix the dry ingredients in a separate container, and add gradually to the wet, blending gently as you add to prevent clumping.
- Select the appropriate recipe and place it where it will be visible during the process.
- Mix the wet ingredients in one container and mix until well blended.
Correct Order:
- Select the appropriate recipe and place it where it will be visible during the process.
- Gather all ingredients and cooking tools.
- Mix the wet ingredients in one container and mix until well blended.
- Mix the dry ingredients in a separate container, and add gradually to the wet, blending gently as you add to prevent clumping.
Question Type: Quiz Bowl
Quiz Bowl questions are a way to add fun and creativity to tests, such as self assessments or class contests. The student is shown the answer and responds by entering the correct question into a text box. An answer must include a phrase and a question word, such as who, what, or where, to be marked as correct. Partial credit may be given if the question word is not included in the answer.
Example:
- "The person who invented the cotton gin"
(Answer: "Who is Eli Whitney?")
- Interrogatives: Who
Answer Phrases: Who is Eli Whitney?
Question Type: Short Answer
Short Answer questions are similar to essay questions, with the implication that the answer will not be longer than a sentence or two. The length of the answer can be limited to a specified number of rows in the text box. Like Essay questions, Short Answer questions must be graded manually. The number of rows is meant as a guideline when entering an answer, it does not impose an absolute limit on answer length.
Example: "Provide a brief definition of a wiki."
Question Type: True/False
The answers to this question are limited to True and False only. Use the Either/Or question type to use other answer options.
Example: "Evaluate this statement: Minot is the state capitol of North Dakota."
- True
- False
Answer: False