Question Types

Yes or No and True or False - These are typically two choice questions. They may include an optional response of not applicable. You may also optionally include a custom, unscored, follow-up text entry question such as If yes, why? or the like. Custom feedback messages may be defined to be issued based upon each possible participant response. Differing point values may be assigned to either of the question's possible responses. When branching is enabled on a test offered one question-at-a-time, you can define which question will be offered next based upon the participant's response to the current one.

Multiple Choice - You may define any number of possible choices for this type of question. They may include an optional response of other with a custom-sized text entry box. Custom feedback messages may be defined to be issued based upon each possible participant response. Differing point values may be assigned to each of the question's possible responses. When branching is enabled on a test offered one question-at-a-time, you can define which question will be offered next based upon the participant's response to the current one.

Fill in the Blank - This type of question includes short answer and numeric response questions. Custom feedback messages may be defined to be issued based upon whether the question is evaluated as correct or incorrect. When branching is enabled on a test offered one question-at-a-time, you can define which question will be offered next based upon the evaluation of the participant's response.

Essay - This type of question is not automatically scored. However, using the administrative options built into Test Pilot, you may manually score them online at any time.

Check All That Apply - You may define any number of possible choices for this type of question. Custom feedback messages may be defined to be issued based upon whether or not each possible participant response is selected. Differing point values may be assigned to each state of the question's possible responses. When branching is enabled on a test offered one question-at-a-time, you can define which question will be offered next based upon the score evaluated for a participant's responses.

Survey - You may define any number of possible choices for this type of question. They may include an optional response of not applicable. This question type differs from multiple choice in that point values and custom feedback may not be assigned to any of the question's possible responses. However, aggregate statistics on the participant's responses to survey questions are generated automatically by Test Pilot. When branching is enabled on a test offered one question-at-a-time, you can define which question will be offered next based upon the participant's response to the current one.

Matching - You may define any number of possible matches in this type of question. Custom feedback messages may be defined to be issued based upon whether or not each possible participant match is made. Differing point values may be assigned to each state of the question's possible matches (that is, whether or not a match has been correctly made). When branching is enabled on a test offered one question-at-a-time, you can define which question will be offered next based upon the score evaluated for a participant's matches.

Section Break - This type of entry is used for a number of purposes. While no participant response data is collected or evaluated, section breaks permit the easy interjection of additional text or media items in an assessment. Typical uses include:

• separators between sections of an assessment
• additional instructions preceeding a new section
• a graphic item to preceed several related questions
• a text item to preceed several related questions
• an animation to preceed several related questions
• a web link to material relavent to a particular question or set of questions
  
  

Importing Questions

You may import questions into Test Pilot from

• a plain text file, or
  
  
• another Test Pilot assessment.

Word processing files are not permitted since they have proprietary, varying and unpublished platform-specific formats. However, any word processor can produce a plain text file from any document. Furthermore, if you have a database program with your question and response data, it should be a simple matter to have that database output your question data in a format, as shown below, which is easily readable by Test Pilot.

Test Pilot will list any file with a name ending in .txt (plain text) or .tp3 (another Test Pilot assessment) which is located in the same directory as the Test Pilot assessment being edited.

Importing Questions and Groups from other Test Pilot Assessments

Upon selecting the filename and entering a valid owner or manager id and password, a list of questions in the test selected for import will be presented. Simply check off the ones you wish imported into the current document and click the Complete Import button provided.

Importing Questions and Groups from Plain Text Files

The import file is expected to be a set of lines representing question and response data. Any lines beginning with a number or character is assumed to be question stem text. Any line beginning with a tab or space character is assumed to be a possible response selection.

You may optionally specify that Test Pilot should look for a character or set of characters that begin, end or are contained within a line to indicate that the line represents a correct response. Consider the following sample datafile:

What is the price of beans in China?
$100/bushe*
$30/bushel
100 won/bushel
54 won/bushel

How many software developers does it take to screw
in a light bulb?

1
2
3
none, it's a hardware problem*

What is the product of 14 and 38?

How about this?

The sum of the squares of the sides of a right triangle is equal
to the square of the hypotenuse.
true*
false

Was Julius Caesar murdered by his Attila the Hun?
yes
no*


There are six questions in the data shown above and correct responses are indicated by an asterisk ending the response. To process the file, you would load the file on the web server in the same directory as your assessment and begin editing the assessment. Clicking on the Create Questions link will result in the controls below being displayed.

Select the filename from the pop-up menu, select ends with from the correct responses pop-up, enter an asterisk in the space provided and click Import Questions from. A screen like the following would be displayed:

Test Pilot will list up to 75 non-blank lines of your file at a time. In front of each line is a pop-up menu that shows Test Pilot's assumptions about the content of the line. If incorrect, you can make you own choice. The pop-up choices include:

• ignore the line
• the line represents a question (multiple choice, yes/no, true/false, survey, fill-in-the-blank, check all or section break)
• the line represent a continuation to a question
• the line represents a response
• the line represents a correct response
• the line represents a continuation to a response

Questions are assumed to be of the default type as specified in the Look & Feel - Editing Defaults. When you have completed making adjustments to the data, click the Perform Import button to have Test Pilot convert the data to questions and present the next screen of 75 or so lines continuing the process in the same manner until the import is complete.