Training with the Techs: Importing Items into Perception Presented by: Wes Cloven

Importing Question Banks Perception can import files from several sources ASCII Import Word Templates QML QTI XML Questionmark Scripted Importer (QSI)

ASCII Import By using markers you can prepare a text or word processor file containing questions to be imported. The markers used can be fully customized. A bulleted list or outline can be defined in your word processor to simplify adding the markers. The following question types can be imported: Multiple Choice Multiple Response Explanation

ASCII Import From the Tools - Options menu, you can select and modify the ASCII import codes.

ASCII Import Once we have our markers set, we can add them to our questions. 1. How many states share a border with Missouri? a. Twelve b. Six c. Eight d. Seven e. Five 2. Who was the sixteenth President of the United States? a. Cy Rabinowitz b. Abraham Lincoln c. Gerald Ford d. Millard Fillmore e. Franklin Pierce

ASCII Import Markers are case sensitive and must always be in the left column <Q>How many states share a border with Missouri? <D>Shared border <C>Twelve <F>No, the correct answer is eight <C>Six <C+>Eight <F>That's correct! <C>Seven <C>Five

ASCII Import <Q>Who was the sixteenth President of the United States? <D>President <C>Cy Rabinowitz <F>Wrong. It was Abraham Lincoln. <C+>Abraham Lincoln <F>Your answer is correct! <C>Gerald Ford <C>Millard Fillmore <C>Franklin Pierce

ASCII Import Other items than can be added to the text file Comments can be added <#> This is a comment and will not be imported Shuffling of choices can be turned on or off <S> Y The question type can be designated <T> MC <T> MR The text type can be specified <M> text/html <M> text/plain

ASCII Import You can define bullets in a word processor to ease the task of adding the markers The document must be saved as plain text prior to importing into Authoring Manager See resources at the end of the presentation for more information

ASCII Import Once the file is marked and saved as a standard text file, we can import it into Authoring Manager

ASCII Import

ASCII Import Demonstrate importing an ASCII file

Word Authoring Templates Questionmark Word Authoring Templates allow questions to be created for Perception quickly and easily using Microsoft® Word The types of question you can create are: Multiple Choice In a Multiple Choice question, the participant selects an answer from a list of two or more possible answers True/False In a True/False question, the participant selects either ‘True’ or ‘False’ Yes/No In a Yes/No question, the participant selects either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.

Word Authoring Templates Question Authors create questions and save them to a Word document

Word Authoring Templates Question Administrators publish the questions to a Perception database where they can be used like other questions.

Word Authoring Templates

Word Authoring Templates

Word Authoring Templates

Word Authoring Templates

Word Authoring Templates Demonstrate using Questionmark Word Authoring Templates

QML Question Markup Language (QML) is the format that Perception uses to represent questions. QML is defined by Questionmark and is XML compliant All questions are stored in the database as QML QML can be exported and imported from Authoring Manager

QML Some key features of QML are: Only individual questions are described (Assessments are not defined) Each question is independent of any other Sequencing of questions (for example, branching, jumps and selection of questions at random for a test) is outside the scope of QML Several questions may be defined in the same QML file There is no link or interdependence between different questions

QML A QML question is divided into four components: The question header, information identifying the question (for example its description and the topic it is in). The question body, all the material presented, or made available, to the participant. The question choice(s), the different responses made available to the participant The outcome of the question, what score to set and what feedback to display depending on the choice(s) selected. All possible combinations of choices are mapped to a fixed number of outcomes, including (optionally) a default outcome which will apply if none of the other outcomes are valid. <QUESTION> <CONTENT> Some content… </CONTENT> <ANSWER> <CHOICE> </CHOICE> </ANSWER> <OUTCOME> </OUTCOME> </QUESTION>

QTI XML QTI XML is a platform and vendor independent language developed by the IMS The IMS is an international organization which aims to create agreed specifications and standards for teaching and learning. One of their principle areas of work is in Question and Test Interoperability QTI XML is a specification for an XML test and question description language

QTI XML QTI XML can make it easy to get questions from one software package to another The following question types are supported Multiple Choice Multiple Response Numeric Pull-down list Fill in Blanks, Matrix Essay Java Matching Ranking Select a Blank Macromedia Flash

QTI XML Currently Perception supports version 1.2 of the IMS QTI specification Only items (questions) in QTI XML can be imported / exported at this time Functionality Level of Support Data File Import Export Repackage Explanation of optional functionality supported Assessment level element support Mandatory N Section level element support Item level element support Y Response types response_num, response_lid, response_xy, response_str Material text/plain, text/html, text/mathml, image Scoring Default scoring model only (SumofScores) Feedback Candidate view for all item feedback

QSI Question Scripted Importer (QSI) allows you to convert complex but structured ASCII text format to a Questionmark import file performed by referencing a powerful scripting language intended for users that have items (questions) in other database structures and wish to import these into Questionmark Perception The input file can be produced by printing to a file, or exporting from an existing database QSI is provided with example scripts and most programmers will be able to produce derivative, and/or new scripts Questionmark does provide a script writing service for a fee which depends upon the complexity of the input file.

QSI QSI converts an ASCII file into a QML file Conversion method can be either: all questions in the source must be separated by the same delimiter (CSV) or the data must be in a fixed record format where all questions are exactly the same length

QSI A .qmscript file tells the QSI how the source data is formatted and how to perform the conversion question content in a spread-sheet or database file will need to be exported to a text file

QSI Once you have your source file and .qmscript file the process of converting your source to QML is simple a debug window that will help you monitor the progress of your conversion is available by pressing Shift+Alt+D

QSI All documentation for using QSI is included with the download QSI can be downloaded from our Communities Downloads section under “Add-ons” http://www.questionmark.com/communities/downloads.asp

Resources ASCII Import QTI XML I already have questions in word-processor format. How do I bring them into Perception? http://www.questionmark.com/perception/help/v3/kbase/star011.html How can I use bullets in a word processed document to aid the importing of questions into Question Manager? http://www.questionmark.com/perception/help/v3/kbase/ques027.html QTI XML Can I use QTI XML with Perception? http://www.questionmark.com/perception/help/v3/kbase/prog027.html IMS Question & Test Interoperability Specification http://www.imsproject.org/question/

Resources QML What is Question Markup Language (QML)? http://www.questionmark.com/perception/help/v3/kbase/prog025.html QSI Downloaded from Communities http://www.questionmark.com/communities/downloads.asp

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