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1 WebAssign Creating Questions Guide

2 WebAssign Creating Questions Guide is published by Advanced Instructional Systems, Inc by Advanced Instructional Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America WebAssign is a registered trademark of Advanced Instructional Systems, Inc. pencilpad, chempad, calcpad, physpad, and Personal Study Plan are registered trademarks of Advanced Instructional Systems, Inc. (dba WebAssign ). PlaceU is a trademark of Advanced Instructional Systems, Inc. NumberLine is a service mark of Advanced Instructional Systems, Inc. Adobe, Acrobat, Acrobat Reader, Flash, and Shockwave United States, other countries, or both. Apple, ipad, Mac, and Safari are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the are registered trademarks of Apple Inc., in the United States, other countries, or both. Google is a registered trademark of Google Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both. Chrome Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both. Internet Explorer, Microsoft, PowerPoint, and Windows other countries, or both. Java Linux are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States, is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both. is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the United States, other countries, or both. Mathematica Mozilla Blackboard Canvas Coursera Moodle are registered trademarks of the Mozilla Foundation in the United States, other countries, or both. is a registered trademark of Blackboard, Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both. is a trademark of Instructure, Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both. is a registered trademark of Coursera, Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both. Desire2Learn is a registered trademark of Wolfram Research, Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both. and Firefox Sakai is a trademark of Google and D2L are registered trademarks of Desire2Learn, Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both. is a trademark of Martin Dougiamas in the United States, other countries, or both. is a registered trademark of the Apereo Foundation in the United States, other countries, or both. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Under the copyright laws, neither this documentation nor the software may be copied, in whole or in part, without the written consent of Advanced Instructional Systems, except in the normal use of the software. Questions in the database that are identified with a specific textbook have been used with the permission of the publisher who owns the copyright. Order the WebAssign service from: WebAssign NC State Centennial Campus 1791 Varsity Drive, Suite 200 Raleigh, NC Web: Tel: (800) or (919) Fax: (919) info@webassign.net

3 Contents i Contents Document Conventions...vii 1 Get Started Creating Questions in WebAssign...1 Search for Questions... 2 WebAssign Question Modes... 5 Question Templates... 6 Create Questions by Duplication... 6 Create Questions with the Question Editor... 7 Delete Parts of Single-Mode Questions...11 Test Questions Share Questions With Other Instructors Create General-Purpose Questions...21 Create Multiple-Choice Questions Display Choices in a Fixed Order Display Choices as a Drop-down Menu Display Choices Horizontally or in Tables...25 Create True/False Questions Create Yes/No Questions Create Multiple-Select Questions Display Multiple-Select Choices in a Fixed Order Display Multiple-Select Choices Horizontally or in Tables Create Matching Questions Match Formatted Notation or Images Display Matching Items in a Fixed Order...37 Create Ranking Questions Create Fill-in-the-Blank Questions Create File Upload Questions Create PencilPad (Drawing) Questions...46 Create Free Response Questions Create Image Map Questions Create Multi-Part and Tutorial Questions Create Multi-Part Questions That Have One Question Mode...58 Create Multi-Mode Questions Create Polling Questions Add Expandable Sections to Multi-Part Questions Create Tutorial Questions Create Scored Tutorial Questions Create Popup Tutorial Questions Delete Parts of Multi-Mode Questions...83

4 ii WebAssign Creating Questions Guide 4 Create Numerical Questions Create Integer or Decimal Number Questions Check Significant Figures in Numerical Questions Check Decimal Places in Numerical Questions...98 Change Tolerance for Numerical Questions Create Fraction Questions Require Units in Numerical Questions Unit Names for Numerical Questions Create Answer-Dependent Questions Create Math Questions Display Notation with WaTeX WaTeX Notation Create WaTeX Arrays and Matrices WaTeX Example: Align a System of Equations WaTeX Example: Matrices WaTeX Example: Arithmetic Long Division WaTeX Example: Polynomial Long Division WaTeX Example: Synthetic Division Display Notation with LaTeX Add Symbols to Questions Display Notation with <symimage> Display Math Notation with HTML Substitution Create mathpad Questions Evaluation Modes for Math Questions Create mathpad Questions Using Symbolic Mode Create Answer Keys for Questions Using Symbolic Mode Default Values and Tolerance for Symbolic Evaluation Create mathpad Questions Using Algebraic Mode with Mathematica Create Answer Keys for Questions Using Algebraic Mode with Mathematica Create Number Line Questions Create a NumberLine Question Coding NumberLine Questions Code a Question in Default Mode Code a Question in Points Mode Answer Key Objects Grading Create Graphing Questions Specify Equations in Graphing Question Answer Keys Graphing Tool Grid Display and Snap Behavior Create Matrix Questions Matrix Parameters Create Physics Questions Display Notation with WaTeX WaTeX Notation...187

5 Contents iii Create WaTeX Arrays and Matrices WaTeX Example: Align a System of Equations WaTeX Example: Matrices WaTeX Example: Arithmetic Long Division WaTeX Example: Polynomial Long Division WaTeX Example: Synthetic Division Display Notation with LaTeX Add Symbols to Questions Display Notation with <symimage> Display Math Notation with HTML Substitution Create physpad Questions Evaluation Modes for Math Questions Create physpad Questions Using Symbolic Mode Create Answer Keys for Questions Using Symbolic Mode Default Values and Tolerance for Symbolic Evaluation Create physpad Questions Using Algebraic Mode with Mathematica Create Answer Keys for Questions Using Algebraic Mode with Mathematica Create Chemistry Questions Chemistry Notation in Questions Create chempad Questions Create chempad Questions for Formulas Create List and Rank-Order chempad Questions Create chempad Questions for Reactions Create chempad Questions for Kinetic or Equilibrium Expressions Create chempad Questions for Electrochemical Cell Notation Create chempad Questions for Electron Configuration Creating chempad Answer Keys Create MarvinSketch Questions MarvinSketch Drawing Modes MarvinSketch Changes to Creating Questions Create MarvinSketch Questions That Do Not Display an Initial Drawing Create MarvinSketch Questions That Display an Initial Drawing Display Chemical Structures in Questions with MarvinSketch Use the MarvinSketch Key Generation Tool Create MarvinSketch Questions That Use Canonical or Combinatorial SMILES Strings Format Questions Format Text in Questions Add Images, Media, or Documents to Your Coursework Upload Images, Media, or Documents to My Folders Set Display Text for an Image, Media, or Document File Display Images in Your Coursework Add Resource Links in Your Coursework Link to External Resource Materials in Your Coursework Play Media Files in Your Coursework

6 iv WebAssign Creating Questions Guide Update Your Files Rename a Folder, Assignment, Question, or File Add Symbols to Questions Add Search Metadata to Questions Add Standard Text Prompts to Questions Question Behavior Perl Variables and Functions Include Perl in Questions Set Perl Variables Test Perl Variables Use Perl Array Variables Use Perl Hash Variables Write Perl Functions The {tab} Operator Randomize Question Values Randomization Best Practices Use Randomized Numbers Use Randomized Values from a List Use Matching Randomized Values from Two Lists Use Randomized Values from a Table Numeric Values in Questions Display Numbers to a Specified Precision Add Item-Specific Feedback to Multiple-Choice Questions Perform Complex Operations in Answer Keys More Information A: List of Tags Tags for Displaying Content Tags for Multi-Part, Accordion, and Tutorial Questions Tags for Controlling Question Behavior B: List of Symbols C: List of Prompts Prompts for Accounting Questions Prompts for Chemistry and Physics Questions Prompts for Mathematics Questions Prompts for Statistics Questions Miscellaneous Prompts D: Perl Functions and Operators Conditional Processing and Logic Functions and Operators Mathematic Functions and Operators Numerical Display Functions Randomization Functions Informational Functions

7 v WebAssign Creating Questions Guide E: Perl Variables Perl Variables for Any Question Type Perl Variables for Numerical Questions Perl Variables for Math Questions (Algebraic and Symbolic Modes) Perl Variables for Multiple-Choice and Multiple-Select Questions Perl Variables for Matching Questions Perl Variables for Fill-in-the-Blank Questions Perl Variables for Essay Questions Perl Variables for File-Upload Questions Perl Variables for Chemistry Questions (Fill-in-the-Blank Mode) F: Numerical Tolerance G: Significant Figure Checking in WebAssign

8 vi WebAssign Creating Questions Guide

9 Document Conventions This document uses the following typographical conventions. Convention Description Examples Boldface Identifies items in the user interface such as buttons or menus. Angle brackets are used to indicate menu sublevels. Click OK. Type a Description. Click Assignments > Create. Uppercase Identifies the names of keys on Press ENTER. the keyboard. Standard Microsoft key names are used; users of other operating systems or keyboards might see different labels. Monospace Identifies tags, functions, variables, and code that must be typed literally. Lines of code that are wrapped because of length are slightly indented. Begin your formula with the <eqn> Identifies text that must be typed literally. Type 0 if you do not want your Monospace with boldface tag. Type the following code: <eqn> $helpertext='have you tested your values using the Pythagorean Theorem?'; '' </eqn> students to incur a penalty for using the automatic extension. Italics Note Identifies placeholders for values that you must supply. Sometimes used for textual emphasis. Provides supplementary information. <eqn $PULLDOWN=1; $Select_Option="text"; ''> where text is the default text that you want to be displayed in the menu. Note: You should know this.

10 viii WebAssign Creating Questions Guide Convention Description Tip Provides optional hints or shortcuts. Important Provides cautionary information to help prevent problems. Best Practice Describes recommended actions to perform a task better. Examples Tip: This might make it easier. Important: Check this before proceeding. Best Practice: This way is recommended.

11 1 Get Started Creating Questions in WebAssign This chapter contains the following topics: WebAssign provides tools for finding, duplicating, creating, editing, and testing your own questions. Search for Questions WebAssign Question Modes Question Templates Create Questions by Duplication Create Questions with the Question Editor Delete Parts of Single-Mode Questions Test Questions Share Questions With Other Instructors

12 2 WebAssign Creating Questions Guide Search for Questions Before creating your own questions, it is often useful to look for existing questions that are like the question you want. You might even find a question that you can use without modification. To search for an existing question: Tip: If you know the question ID or part of the question name, click Search in the toolbar. Select Question, type the question name or ID, and then click Go. 1. Click Questions > Search. 2. On the Question Search page, specify the criteria you want to use when performing your search. Searches are not case-sensitive. Only questions that contain all of your specified criteria are returned in the search results.

13 Get Started Creating Questions in WebAssign 3 Important: You are allowed to use textbook questions in your assignments only from textbooks you have adopted for your class. Questions from other textbooks are not displayed in the search results. The criteria you can use for your search on are described in the following tables. Criterion Description Textbook Select one of the textbooks that you have selected for your classes to limit your search to questions in that textbook. Chapter Specify a textbook chapter, if known. Name Specify the entire question name or a word that occurs in the question name. Usable Only Select Usable Only to include only questions that are marked as usable. Used Questions Only Select Used Questions Only to include only questions that have been used in an assignment. Keywords Specify a single keyword to find questions including that keyword. Be aware that textbook questions do not include keywords. Author Specify all or part of the question author's name or WebAssign username. Permission/ Groups Select the permission that is set for the question. To understand permissions, see Share Questions With Other Instructors on page 19. Mode Select the type of question that you are searching for for example, Multiple-Choice or Numerical. Note that Multi-Mode questions containing the selected type are also returned. Last Saved Select a date and time range when the question was most recently saved. A common use of this criterion is to search for questions that are new or have been recently modified. Click Show Additional Criteria to specify the following criteria: Criterion Description Question Specify a word or phrase in the Question field for the question. You can use this to search not only for text that is displayed to students, but also for code, for example if you are trying to find questions using a particular function or variable. Answer Specify a word or phrase in the Answer field for the question. You can use this to search not only for text that is displayed to students, but also for code, for example if you are trying to find questions using a particular function or variable.

14 4 WebAssign Creating Questions Guide Criterion Description Solution Specify a word or phrase in the Solution field for the question. Comment Specify a word or phrase in the Comment field for the question. Discipline Select one or more disciplines that are specified for the question. Be aware that most textbook questions do not contain discipline information. Note: You cannot use operators like AND, OR, or commas to combine multiple search terms for a criterion. Instead, use the % character as a wildcard to match zero or more characters. For example, if you specified velocity%acceleration in the Keywords box, you would find questions containing any of the following values in the keywords list: relationship between velocity and acceleration velocityacceleration velocity,acceleration Velocity, Time, Acceleration However, you would not see questions for which acceleration precedes velocity in the list of keywords, such as: acceleration, time, velocity 3. Under Results Options, select how many results to be displayed per page, how the results should be sorted, and whether to display the entire question or summary information. 4. Click Search. Some searches might take several minutes, depending on your search parameters. If only one question matches your parameters, it is opened in the Question Editor. If more than one question is found, the results are displayed as specified by the Results Options settings. Tip: If you perform the same search repeatedly, set the search criteria in the Questions Search page and then click Save. This saves the specified criteria to your user profile. To perform the same search again, click My Search and the saved criteria are filled in on the Questions Search page. 5. In the Question Search Results, you can: Click View to see the question in the Question Previewer. Click Edit to open the question in the Question Editor. Depending on the permission for the question, you might not be able to save any changes to the question. Click Duplicate to open a new copy of the question in the Question Editor. The copy is a new question that is just like the original, except you are the owner and can change it to suit your needs. Click Delete to remove a criterion and run the search again.

15 Get Started Creating Questions in WebAssign 5 Click Edit Criteria to open the Questions Search page with the existing criteria. Click New Search to open the Questions Search page with no specified criteria. Change the Results Options and then click Update Results to change the number of search results per page, the results sort order, and whether to display the entire question or summary information. WebAssign Question Modes The WebAssign Question Editor supports the following question modes. Mode Description Algebraic Students submit a mathematical expression or equation that is evaluated algebraically. Essay Students submit an extended textual response. Scored manually. File-Upload Students submit a file. Scored manually. Fill-in-the-Blank Students submit a brief textual response. Graphing Students draw on a Cartesian coordinate plane. Image Map Students click a displayed image. Java Students use Java, Flash, or other applet to answer the question. Matching Students match items from two lists. Multiple-Choice Students select one response from a list. Multiple-Select Students select one or more responses from a list. NumberLine Students place or draw points, lines, segments, or rays. Numerical Students submit a numerical response which might include units or be checked for significant figures. PencilPad Students draw a figure. Scored manually. Poll Used with other modes to create questions that collect information only. All responses are scored correct. Symbolic Students submit a mathematical expression (not an equation) that is evaluated by value substitution.

16 6 WebAssign Creating Questions Guide Question Templates If you are planning to create questions, add the WebAssign Templates as a resource text to your class. These templates provide best practice examples of a wide variety of question types and techniques. After you have added the WebAssign template as a resource, you can use the Question Browser to view these example questions. To use a template question when creating your own questions, copy the code of the question from the Question Browser to the Question Editor, and then edit the question to fit your needs. Create Questions by Duplication If you find a question that is similar to the one you want to create, you can create a copy of the question. The copy is a new question that is just like the original, except you are the owner and can change it to suit your needs. Note: Observe copyright restrictions for textbook questions and questions authored by others. Questions that are duplicated from copyrighted questions should be treated as copyrighted material. To create a question by duplication: 1. Click Duplicate for the question you want to copy. You can duplicate a question from the Question Editor, My Questions, Question Search Results, and Recently Modified pages. The new question opens in the Question Editor. 2. In the Question Editor, make your changes to the question and test it. 3. When the question works as you want it to, click Save. The question is created and assigned a new unique question ID. Important: Some features of textbook questions are intentionally not available after duplication. These features are generally textbook-specific, and include ebook links and tutorials, simulations, and instructional materials associated with the textbook. See Also: Create General-Purpose Questions on page 21

17 Get Started Creating Questions in WebAssign 7 Create Questions with the Question Editor To create or edit questions in WebAssign, you use the Question Editor. To create a question: Note: Although you use different procedures and options when creating different kinds of questions, the following steps describe the general procedure for creating questions in WebAssign. Refer to other sections for information about specific question types. 1. Click Questions > Create. The Question Editor opens. Tip: You can open the Question Editor from a number of other contexts by clicking Edit or Duplicate for a question.

18 8 WebAssign Creating Questions Guide 2. In Name, type a name for the question. Use the Name field to specify a descriptive name for the question. The name can be up to 50 characters long, and helps you to identify the question without having to view it. 3. In Mode, select one of the question modes to define the basic behaviors for your question. Mode Description Multiple-Choice Lists mutually exclusive choices with only one correct response.

19 Get Started Creating Questions in WebAssign 9 Mode Description Multiple-Select Lists non-exclusive choices, allowing your students to select all the choices that apply. Numerical Provides a box for your students to type a numerical response that is scored for numerical accuracy and, optionally, for correctly specifying units, significant figures, or decimal places. Fill-in-the-Blank Provides a box for your students to type a short response that is scored by comparison with one or more answers. Matching Lists a series of items for your students to match to items in a second list. Essay Provides a box for your students to type a response of any length. Essay questions must be manually scored. Symbolic Scores mathematical expressions by comparing your students' responses to the key with variable substitution. Algebraic Scores mathematical expressions by comparing your students' responses to the key algebraically. NumberLine Provides a number line on which your students place points or graph their response. Image Map Displays an image that your students click to identify something in the image. Graphing Provides a coordinate plane on which your students graph their response. PencilPad Provides a virtual pad of paper on which your students draw their response. PencilPad questions must be manually scored. File-Upload Allows your students to upload a file for their response. Fileupload questions must be manually scored. Java Displays a Java applet or other web-based simulation or tool that provides the question and scores your students' responses. Poll Using any of the other modes, poll questions gather information but score all responses as correct. See Create Multi-Part and Tutorial Questions on page To create a multi-part question that uses more than one question mode, click Multi-Mode Options. See Create Multi-Part and Tutorial Questions on page In Question, type the question you are asking your students to answer. Depending on the type of question you are creating, you will usually add an answer placeholder string <_> to specify where your students will specify their responses. You can use HTML tags and CSS style attribute values in your question to format its appearance, or you can use WebAssign tags to add formatting or

20 10 WebAssign Creating Questions Guide boilerplate text. You can also include images, videos, sound files, or links to documents. Tip: To resize the Question, Answer, or Solution boxes, click the horizontal or vertical resize buttons. This does not affect the display size of the question in an assignment. Resizing these fields affects only the question you are editing, but the field sizes are saved with the question. 6. In Answer, specify the answer key for your question. Often, you will specify distractors or options configuring your question's behavior. Important: The information you specify in Answer varies significantly based on the selected question Mode. For multiple-choice, multiple-select, and matching questions, you can use HTML tags and CSS style attribute values to format answer choices, or include images, videos, sound files, or links to documents. 7. Optionally, type a Solution. The solution helps your students understand the steps they need to take to determine the correct answer to the question. You can configure display of solutions in your assignment settings. You can use HTML tags and CSS style attribute values in your solution to format its appearance, or you can use WebAssign tags to add formatting or boilerplate text. You can also include images, videos, sound files, or links to documents. 8. Click Test/Preview to test the appearance and behavior of the question. See Test Questions on page Click Redisplay to show certain kinds of errors in the Display section of the Question Editor. Make any needed changes to your question. 10. Optionally, click Show Additional Information and change the question's sharing permission or add descriptive information. By default, other instructors can use your question only if you provide them with the question ID, and only you can edit the question or find it in search results. To change the permission, see Share Questions With Other Instructors on page 19. If you make your question publicly available, you might want to provide descriptive information to help others search for it. See Add Search Metadata to Questions on page 308. The Author and Locked information cannot be changed. Author displays your name and address. Locked indicates whether or not the question has been included in a scheduled assignment. This does not prevent you from editing the question, but you should not edit locked questions except to correct errors. 11. When your question displays and functions correctly, click Save.

21 Get Started Creating Questions in WebAssign 11 WebAssign assigns a unique question ID (QID), which is displayed in parentheses after the question name. You can use your question in an assignment and see it in your My Questions list only after it is saved. Tip: To discard the changes in the Question Editor and load the last saved version of the question, click Revert. To view the history of saved changes for the question, including the date, time, and user, click the Last Saved date. See Also: Create Multiple-Choice Questions on page 22 Create True/False Questions on page 27 Create Yes/No Questions on page 28 Create Multiple-Select Questions on page 30 Create Matching Questions on page 34 Create Ranking Questions on page 39 Create Fill-in-the-Blank Questions on page 42 Create Integer or Decimal Number Questions on page 95 Create Image Map Questions on page 52 Create Free Response Questions on page 50 Create PencilPad (Drawing) Questions on page 46 Create File Upload Questions on page 44 Create Multi-Part and Tutorial Questions on page 57 Create Math Questions on page 117 Create Chemistry Questions on page 231 Create Fraction Questions on page 101 Delete Parts of Single-Mode Questions If you find a single-mode question with more parts than you want, you can create a copy of the question to edit. This newly copied question is identical to the original, except you are the owner and can edit it for your needs. Note: Observe copyright restrictions for textbook questions and questions authored by others. Questions that are duplicated from copyrighted questions should be treated as copyrighted material. To delete parts of a single-mode question: 1. Find the question you want to edit. Note: See Search for Questions on page 2 if you need help locating the question you want. 2. Click Duplicate for the question you want to edit. You can duplicate a question from the Question Editor, My Questions, Question Search Results, and Recently Modified pages.

22 12 WebAssign Creating Questions Guide The new question opens in the Question Editor, and shows that it is a duplicated question. 3. In the Name field, prepend the question name with a unique identifier, such as your initials, or give it a new name, and then click Save. The question is renamed and assigned a new QID. For example, using a duplicate of RogaCalc and prepending it with GAM as the unique identifier, the new name and QID would be GAMRogaCalc ( ). Note: Make a note of your question's new name and new QID displayed at the top of the editor. This will make it easier when you want to add the question to an assignment. 4. Click Test/Preview to see your new question. For example, GAM-RogaCalc ( ) is identical to the original question:

23 Get Started Creating Questions in WebAssign From the Question, Answer, and Solution fields of the editor, delete the parts of the question you want to remove. Important: Since code lines wrap in the Question Editor, you can adjust the Question, Answer, or Solution fields using the horizontal or vertical resize buttons. Alternatively, if you cannot sufficiently resize the fields without the lines wrapping, copy/paste the entire text of a field into a text editor with word wrap turned off.