Do you want to check whether your users have sufficient knowledge? The best way to do that is with an exam.
Within the online academy, there are two types of exams:
Exam
In this article, we explain how the second option works and what you can do with it: the exam.
What is an exam?
An exam allows you to present questions to users, enabling you to assess their level of knowledge and/or competence. You can choose to alternate these questions with other, non-assessed learning formats.
How do I create an exam?
From the menu bar on the left, go to "Content".
Click on “Add”.
Choose "Exam" as the type of learning activity.
Add the general information.
Title: Give the learning activity a title so you can easily find it in the library.
Author: By default, the academy name is used as the author name.
Study time: Here you can enter an indication of the study time.
Themes: Add at least one theme.
Skills: Add up to five skills here that you develop with this learning activity. This is optional.
Click on "Create new learning activity".
How do I add a test component?
Within an exam, you can add a test component.
Once you’ve created an exam, click "Edit exam" in the top right corner.
Then click "Add component".
Click on the tile you just added.
Next, click "Add test". Here, you can choose between a normal test and a test matrix.
Normal test: In this format, you manually add questions to the test. Further down in this article, you’ll find more information about the different question types you can use. You can also search for existing questions in the Warehouse by typing part of the question into the search bar labeled "Search and reuse existing content". Later in this article, we’ll also explain the differences between the available question categories.
Test matrix: The test is automatically generated based on learning objectives. To do this, you first add a cluster. Within the cluster, you define a learning objective and enter a number. After clicking "Synchronize", the test matrix will automatically be filled with that number of questions from the Warehouse that match the specified learning objectives. The questions included in the test matrix can then be viewed under the "Questions" tab.
Adding a paragraph
You can also add a paragraph to an exam, just like in an e-learning module. A paragraph can include various types of learning formats. For example, you might use a paragraph to introduce the test or to share a summary of the topic the test covers.
Test settings
In the test settings, you can define how the exam behaves for users. These settings can be customized per exam. For example, you can enable retakes or set a time limit.
You can find the test settings as follows:
Open the relevant exam and click Edit exam in the top right corner.
Navigate to the section that contains the test component you want to modify.
Hover over the test component and click the pencil icon that appears.
At the top, click Test settings.
All available test settings are explained below.
Use all questions in the test
You can choose whether all questions should appear in the test or just a selection. If you disable the toggle, you can specify how many questions should be included. That number of questions will then be automatically selected for the user to answer.
Randomise questions
Here, you can choose whether the test should follow a random or fixed order. If you enable randomization, each user will see the questions in a different order. If you disable the toggle, all users will receive the questions in the same sequence.
Direct feedback
When this option is enabled, users will immediately see whether their answer was correct or incorrect after submitting the question.
Don't show result after completing the test
When this option is enabled, users will not see which answers they got right or wrong after completing the test. They also won’t see the percentage score with which they passed.
If you disable the toggle, users will see which answers were correct or incorrect after finishing the test, as well as their final score percentage.
Resits
Enabling this toggle allows users to retake the exam. The number of attempts you enter does not include the user's first attempt. For example, if you enter 1 attempt, the user can take the exam once and then has one retry.
You can also choose to allow unlimited attempts. In that case, the user can take the exam as many times as they like.
Time limit
When this toggle is enabled, you can set a time limit for how long the user has to complete the exam.
If you disable the toggle, the user can take as much time as needed to finish the exam.
Passed from
Here, you can enter the percentage required for a user to pass the exam.
Weighting of competence questions
Here, you can define how heavily the answers to competence questions should count toward the final result of the exam.
Competence questions are designed to assess the user's skills.
You can also adjust the question category for questions that are already used in other learning activities. This can be done in the Warehouse.
Weighting of knowledge questions
Here, you can define how heavily the answers to knowledge questions should count toward the final result of the exam.
Knowledge questions are designed to assess the user's knowledge.
You can also adjust the question category for questions that are already used in other learning activities. This can be done in the Warehouse.
Introduction text test
Here, you can add an introduction text for the test. This text will be shown on the test’s start screen. On this screen, the user will also see the minimum score required to pass, along with the set time limit.
Completion conditions
You can add completion conditions to an exam. This allows you to define what needs to be achieved within the exam before it can be marked as complete. This can be useful to ensure that users fully complete the learning activity.
Go to the relevant exam.
Click "Edit exam".
In the top right corner, click the gear icon.
Open the "Completion" tab.
Specify what the user needs to do to complete the learning activity. By default, the learning activity includes a completion condition of 100% progress. You can add up to four custom completion conditions, such as passing a final test or completing a specific component.