Blackboard Course QA Procedure



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Authoring Tips for Converting Assessment Content to Blackboard, Course Compass, and WebCT formats.

Version 2.0

October, 27th 2006

Documentation provided by

Dominick Gatto

PPM – Electronic Test Bank Conversion

dominick.gatto@

Rm 1k15

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Objective :

Think of this document as a reminder or a check-list for authoring test bank content that will migrate to the web. Considering all of the variables in play when authoring assessment content, these steps should be useful if applied as a quick reference guide. (

The general purpose was to list the top 10 authoring practices that influence the flow of question data to other CMS formats, rather than a “How to Author” in TestGen, Pegasus, MS Word or elsewhere.

The primary goal was to anticipate some of the most problematic question types, and formatting difficulties in advance, so the migration of content can flow more easily from system to system.

Some authoring practices that are appropriate in an application environment are not predisposed for a web based environment.

For instance, if a question has “incorrectly positioned” source data such as : functions, plots, graphs, Unicode, HTML tables, transparent images, templates, graphics, or other non-typeable characters, these elements will cause a question to “alert” on export to a CMS.

The end result will be a qa error, the elimination of that question data from the order, and a substitute message inserted in its place. This practice is known as “alerting” and is frequently employed so a test cartridge (TIF) can maintain parity with the original printed test bank:

Alert..This question could not be formatted for online display. This text was inserted to maintain number sequencing with the printed test item file. Do not use this question when creating an assessment.

*Please check the following items when authoring to prevent QA errors, “alert messages” or “placeholders” from displaying in your converted Bb/CC & WebCT TIF Cartridges.

1.

If your question types are mapped accurately your test bank will avoid the major hurdle of returning to production for a question mapping revision,

e.g. Special Short Answer in TG = Fill-in-the blank in Bb and WebCT

2.

For any question type, if a question field is longer than 4000 characters or an answer field exceeds 2000 characters, including mark-up, the question may be alerted. Specifically speaking, Short Answer or Fill-in “answer fields” default to one or two words, and display a total of 20 characters. As a workaround, a character count can be set to a higher maximum or reset to Essay type, on conversion – requested at order time. This will prevent “alerting” if the “answer” is too long in the target platform. However, this creates a larger visual answer field, which is sometimes undesireable based on TIF size or the target CMS.

3.

HTML tables, images, non-typeable objects, such as ¢ symbols with a circle around them, formatted text, Unicode*, templates, high bit (alt+) characters or &#, : “ < > / , fonts above 10pt, are all problematic elements, i.e. if the formatting is essential to the answer. Especially for Fill-in-the Blank, Short Answer, or 2 Column Matching - answer fields.

4.

Two Column Type : This mode uses pull down menus in column one, which match to an answer list in column two. In Bb/CC this default mode generally uses up a minimum of 5 questions in the order, it uses placeholders, so remaining questions won’t rotate out of sequence with the original printed test bank. Alert messages will appear in the ques. order after each matching question renders.

Matching Questions formatted as SA/Essay questions: These question types have their question data captured as an image or plain text, and answer data is entered into a Short Answer/Essay field, e.g. B,C,D,E,A.

Note: # 3 above applies “generally” to all 2 Column Matching - “q & a” fields.

5.

On conversion, a test bank may have it's M/C, “answer choices”, randomized. Because answer choices like "all of the above" and "none of the above" rotate out of sequence, it’s more efficient to rename these choices "all of these" and "none of these". This allows for this type of distractor when using any form of M/C question. Other similar distractors that don't work well when randomized, "A, B, and C" or "A and D" or any variation of this naming. Please include the actual answers when possible, and refrain from using letters to denote the choice. (

6.

Currently, the pre-scripted Tamarack/vendor export tool only exports " Instructor Test Items - Chapter 001 " for Bb/CC & WebCT chapter headings. Section titles (if present in the TG or source) appear after that, but the first portion is not configurable. Customization of the heading is possible, post conversion, but is based on availability of in-house and business unit production staff.

7.

There are essentially three ways to convert test bank data, authored using Parts, at the top most level of the test bank data hierarchy.

a. You can have chapters broken out of their Part shell, and the chapter order will run sequentially from chapter 001 to the last chapter, e.g. if you had three Parts at the top level of the bank, and each Part had 12 chapters inside it, the resulting TIF would have 36 chapters, running from 001-036.

b. You can have chapters restart their order for each Part (which is not recommended/ideal, unless you plan to customize the chapter headings after conversion). If you aren’t planning to customize headings after conversion, the resulting TIF will have three Chapter 001’s, 002’s – 012’s, using the same model above. This can be confusing b/c of the prescripted labels/export tool..

c. You can have Parts converted and named as distinctly separate TIFs. Again, using the model above of 3 Parts with 12 chapters each, the result would be 3 separate TIF cartridges with 12 chapters in each file. In the past, this has been the most viable workaround for very large test banks, e.g. TIFa, TIFb, TIFc

8.

If your test bank has been authored using pre-programmed algorithmic data, you can request multiple iterations of a question, up to three, at order time. This means the TIF will be delivered with more than one instance of each question in the cartridge, and the variables/answers for the question data will be generated/scrambled on export to a CMS. This often results in the static, printed version of the test bank, not matching the converted TIF. This process, doubles or triples the cost of the TIF cartridge, depending on iterations requested.

9.

If your budget does not allow for TestGen test bank production, but a TIF export is needed (Bb/CC/WCT) there is a custom TIF process called "Export Only". This means the imprint will receive a CMS export or TIF conversion without the cost of producing a TestGen/digital master. However, because a master is not produced, and licensing is not paid, a .bok file will not be issued for upload to a PE catalogue page, only the CMS export.

The costs for “Export Only" are : $1.00 per question formatting fee (if using MS Word files), plus 25 cents per question, per platform.

A significant point to remember: if you have an unlicensed bok file or want to transfer the question data from MS Word to a TestGen bok file, you can eliminate the $1.00 per/question formatting fees. Send the old or newly created bok file to my attention and I will process the order. This eliminates the $2000 licensing fee and most of the $1.00 p/q formatting costs. Any additional formatting costs are generally nominal and limited to a $25.00 QA check. However, If you send files in Word format, the standard $1.00 per/question, formatting fee, to bok, applies.

For instance, 500 questions @ $1.00 per question, in MS Word format = $500. X .25¢ per question for the export = $625.

Your total for one export to BB/CC or WCT is: $ 500 + 125. = $625.

Submit/Author the data in bok format and your total drops to $150, ($25 + $125). Remember, you do not receive a completed bok afterward, only the CMS export.

Process usually takes 2 weeks from the time bok/Word files are submitted. Charge ISBN's required at order time.

10.

11. Question Type Mappings – Provided by Cathi Profitko - BP

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Distractors : Multiple/Choice – “all of these" and "none of these"

Unicode – The current cross browser spec is UTF – 8

Bb currently does not import ques. data w / Unicode. WebCT does.

Question Type Mappings : Check that your question types are mapped correctly: (see map on pg 6).

Algorithmic Data - Science, Math, Accounting, etc.

Answer field contains Information that cannot be entered or evaluated in target delivery mode. Bb & WebCT

“Export Only” - TG Master Not Produced - Licensing Fee Not Paid

Matching Questions – There are two common modes used for Matching, Two Column, and Matching used as Short Answer /Essay.

Character Limits: Question field vs. Answer field – Bb/CC & WebCT

Chapter Headings : Chapter 001 – Instructor Test items

Authoring: Parts vs. Chapters. On export to a CMS, Chapter data is extracted from the Part.

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