Now, let's say we want to have an item that has a two-part answer, or two answers that are both required to answer the question. If this is the case, we need to create a multiple-response item. To do this, we follow the same basic pattern as we did in the basic, single-response item.
First, we need to create a new multiple-choice question. Once this is done, we need to enter in all the same information as in the single response: question name, question text, and others.
The difference in this question is that, in the One or Multiple answers drop-down menu, I will select Multiple answers allowed instead of One answer only. Just so we can see how a different numbering system looks, this time I will use: 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on.
Tip
Numbering
If you are making a test, it is best to go with a single numbering system. If you are pulling in questions from multiple categories, simply go through and renumber everything so that they all match. If you don't keep everything the same, the students might get distracted by formatting, something we don't want to happen.
Now, I have created a new question, filled in all the general question information, written the question text, and given general feedback.
There are two new things that we need to look at before moving on.
When giving a grade in multiple-response items, you need to first determine how much each response is worth. You may base the percent you assign to the responses on several factors. For a question that requires two responses, those responses both being equally correct and required, a 50 percent grade for each correct selection would seem appropriate.
To select the score, I go to the Grade drop-down directly under the Answer text box, and select the score we want, in this case, we will select 50% for both correct responses. The grades available are preset, so you can only work within these bounds. However, the selections are varied and should cover all needs.
You are also able to take points away for mistakes. The grading scale goes down to a score of -100 percent, using an identical scale as the positive percentages.
If you select Multiple answers allowed, students can select all the responses they want. Note that Moodle does not give any hint as to how many options should be selected. There is no way to limit them to two or three choices. So, for example, if you have four possible responses in your question, students are able to select all of them and get a perfect score unless you take away points for incorrect responses.
In our question, I will be giving 50 percent for both correct answers and -50 percent for both incorrect answers. So, if the students make two selections and get both correct, they will receive a score of 100 percent. If they get select two answers and one is correct and the other is wrong, they will receive a score of 50 percent. If they choose two wrong answers, they will receive a 0 percent. It is not possible to give students negative scores for a question.
Now, some students might select three or four options. This is one reason to offer partial points for correct responses. For example, 50 percent for correct responses and -25 percent for incorrect ones. This would give the students a 25 percent if they answered one correct and one incorrect and 50 percent for selecting everything.
You can also select NONE from the Grade drop-down menu. If it is selected, you will not be given any points, nor will the student lose any points for selecting it. If you do not want to penalize students for incorrect responses, this is the way to do it.
There is another feedback category that we haven't looked at yet called For any partially correct response. Here, we are able to give some feedback to students if they were only able to answer part of the question. Partial here means any score greater than 0 percent but less than 100 percent. This category can be useful to help direct the students to find the rest of the answer or show them where they made their mistakes.
Now we need to go to the next section, Choice 1. As in the single-response multiple-choice questions, here is where we determine responses, grades, and item feedback.
First, we need to fill in a response to the question. The response can be as long or short as you like. Then we need to determine how much each response is going to be worth. Go to the Grade drop-down menu and select the percentage total for each of the responses. The default setting is None, and you may leave it like this if you like.
Repeat Step 1 until you have all the responses you want. Remember, if you want to have only three options, you simply leave the answer area blank. In addition, if you want more response options, you can add more using the Blanks for three more choice buttons.
Preview the question. Look at the formatting to make sure it looks and works as it should. You should also make sure that the correct responses give the results you want.
I've decided to create a question on the Japanese language. I want to confirm that my students are able to recognize two of the three scripts used in Japanese. I've created my question and responses following the steps mentioned previously. The result is shown in the next screenshot:
Looking at the previous screenshot, you can see that it looks almost identical to the single-answer multiple-choice question. The difference is that the radio buttons have become checkboxes, which allow us to select multiple answers.
That's how you make a multi-response question. Now, we will answer the question by clicking on the checkboxes and see the results.
As you can see, we got one response correct and one wrong. We gave 50 percent for correct responses and -50 percent for incorrect responses, so my score is 0 percent. The scoring we entered is working properly.
The feedback I gave is located directly under choice 4. It is all spelled correctly, and looks the way I want it to. So, we can say sayonara to this part for now and move on to adding extras to multiple-choice questions.