03 - Test A Assessment

Test & Assessment Documentation
Helmut Schottmüller
Helmut Schottmüller
Published June 2007

Copyright © 2005, 2006, 2007 Helmut Schottmüller
Table of Contents
1. Basics ..................................................................................................................................... 1
Why tests in ILIAS? ............................................................................................................. 1
Basic components ................................................................................................................. 1
2. Question pools .......................................................................................................................... 3
Who should read this chapter? ................................................................................................ 3
Creating a question pool ........................................................................................................ 3
Elements of a question pool .................................................................................................... 5
Creating and importing questions ............................................................................................. 5
Filtering questions ................................................................................................................. 5
Editing questions in the question browser .................................................................................. 6
Question pool properties ........................................................................................................ 6
Exporting the question pool .................................................................................................... 7
Permissions .......................................................................................................................... 8
3. Question types .......................................................................................................................... 9
Who should read this chapter? ................................................................................................ 9
General question design ......................................................................................................... 9
Question edit modes ............................................................................................................ 10
Cloze questions ................................................................................................................... 11
Description ................................................................................................................. 11
Create a cloze question ................................................................................................ 11
Edit text gaps ............................................................................................................. 12
Edit numeric gaps ....................................................................................................... 14
Edit select gaps ........................................................................................................... 14
Feedback ................................................................................................................... 15
Essay questions ................................................................................................................... 15
Description ................................................................................................................. 15
Editing essay questions ................................................................................................ 16
Using keywords for automatic scoring ............................................................................ 16
Feedback ................................................................................................................... 17
Imagemap questions ............................................................................................................ 17
Description ................................................................................................................. 17
Adding the image and uploading an imagemap ................................................................. 18
Adding clickable areas ................................................................................................. 19
Imagemap tweaks ........................................................................................................ 20
Feedback ................................................................................................................... 21
Java applet questions ........................................................................................................... 22
Description ................................................................................................................. 22
Adding a java applet .................................................................................................... 22
Creating your own java applets ...................................................................................... 24
Feedback ................................................................................................................... 26
Matching questions .............................................................................................................. 27
Description ................................................................................................................. 27
Adding matching pairs ................................................................................................. 28
Advanced editing ........................................................................................................ 29
Feedback ................................................................................................................... 29
Multiple choice questions (multiple response) .......................................................................... 29
Description ................................................................................................................. 29
Adding choices ........................................................................................................... 30
Feedback ................................................................................................................... 31
Multiple choice questions (single response) .............................................................................. 31
Description ................................................................................................................. 31
Adding choices ........................................................................................................... 32
Feedback ................................................................................................................... 33
iv
Numeric questions ............................................................................................................... 34

Description ................................................................................................................. 34
Editing numeric questions ............................................................................................. 34
Feedback ................................................................................................................... 35
Ordering questions .............................................................................................................. 35
Description ................................................................................................................. 35
Adding answers .......................................................................................................... 36
Feedback ................................................................................................................... 37
Text subset questions ........................................................................................................... 38
Description ................................................................................................................. 38
Editing text subset questions ......................................................................................... 38
Feedback ................................................................................................................... 39
4. Tests ..................................................................................................................................... 40
Who should read this chapter? ............................................................................................... 40
Creating a test .................................................................................................................... 40
Editing a test ...................................................................................................................... 41
Questions ................................................................................................................... 41
Settings ..................................................................................................................... 43
Information ................................................................................................................ 54
Participants ................................................................................................................ 55
Export ....................................................................................................................... 57
Manual Scoring .......................................................................................................... 58
Statistics .................................................................................................................... 58
History ...................................................................................................................... 61
Permissions ................................................................................................................ 61
Taking a test ...................................................................................................................... 61
Who should read this chapter? ....................................................................................... 61
Starting a test ............................................................................................................. 62
Actions during a test .................................................................................................... 64
List of Questions ......................................................................................................... 65
Finishing the test ......................................................................................................... 66
Test results ................................................................................................................. 66
5. Advanced assessment editing ..................................................................................................... 68
TinyMCE editor .................................................................................................................. 68
Text formatting ........................................................................................................... 69
Paragraph formatting .................................................................................................... 71
Editing images ............................................................................................................ 71
Table functions ........................................................................................................... 72
Editing functions ......................................................................................................... 73
v
List of Tables
2.1. Question pool permissions ........................................................................................................ 8
3.1. HTTP GET parameters needed by the java applet ....................................................................... 24
3.2. Additional HTTP GET parameters which could be sent to an applet ............................................... 24
3.3. HTTP GET parameters needed by the java applet ....................................................................... 25
4.1. Measurements ....................................................................................................................... 53
4.2. Test permissions ................................................................................................................... 61
5.1. TinyMCE text formatting options ............................................................................................. 70
5.2. TinyMCE paragraph formatting options .................................................................................... 71
vi
List of Examples
3.1. Example for a cloze gap ......................................................................................................... 12
3.2. Examples for additional applet parameters ................................................................................. 25
vii
Chapter 1. Basics
Why tests in ILIAS?
ILIAS allows you to create a lot of different tests to verify the learning success of learners. These test characteristics
differ in the variety of restrictions for the learners. Possible scenarios are:
• Self assessment tests
Self assessment tests are used to let the learners check their level of awareness independent and without the
pressure of exams. This is a way to use tests not only for monitoring and controlling purposes but rather as
a “learning instrument”.
• Assessment tests
Assessment tests should help teachers to simulate the restrictive terms of an exam for a test. You are able to
define restrictions such as the number of available test passes, IP-address restrictions, time restrictions etc
• Anonymized tests
You are able to anonymize the user data for a test. This enables you to use tests for statistical purposes and to
reduce the pressure for learners to take sign up for a test.
• Random tests
Random tests are used to let the learners check their level of awareness especially to prepare themselves
for exams or to check their basics in a certain field of knowledge. A random test chooses a certain number
of questions randomized from a pool of questions. With every new test pass the learners get a new random
selection of questions.
Basic components
ILIAS test & assessment comes with three basic components which are illustrated shortly in the following list:
1. Question pools: question pools are containers which are needed to store the questions. Question pools are
only of concern if you are a test or question editor with the sufficient permissions in the ILIAS system. How
many question pools you create to store or organize your questions depends on your personal or organisational
preferences. You can use question pools as content specific containers, to store questions of the same type,
questions with the same amount of points and so on.
2. Questions: questions are the essence of every test in the test & assessment system. A question consists (roughly)
of a question type, a question text, predefined answers, points, a processing time etc.
At the moment the following question types are supported in the ILIAS system:
• Cloze questions
• Essay questions
• Imagemap questions
• Java applet questions
• Matching questions
• Multiple choice questions with multiple response (“Multiple choice”)
• Multiple choice questions with single response (“Single choice”)
• Numeric questions
1
Basics
• Ordering questions
• Text subset questions
3. Tests: a test contains a certain amount of questions in an order the author of the test defines (or as a random test).
2
Chapter 2. Question pools
Who should read this chapter?
You only need to work through this chapter if you are a designer or editor of ILIAS test &
assessment tests or questions. If you just want to perform a test you don't need to know about
question pools.
To work with question pools you need at least the following permissions in the Question pool test section of the
ILIAS role based access control system:
• Question Pool for Test is visible
• Read access to Question Pool for Test
• Edit Question Pool for Test
Question list of a question pool
Test question pools are not the same object type as the survey question pools of the survey tool.
You cannot exchange the questions of these pools!
Creating a question pool

Before you start creating a question, you must create at least one question pool in a category or any other ILIAS
container object. A question pool is a simple container for your questions. Of course you can create more than one
question pool for your questions. How you use the question pools to organise your question storage depends up
to you. There are a lot of scenarios for the use of question pools: One could be content, theme or subject based
question pools, another one to put only questions of the same question type in a question pool.
And don't worry: when creating tests you have access to all question pools you created and have write permissions.
There are powerful filters which easily support you to find the questions you need.
3
Question pools
Create a question pool in the repository
To create a new question pool just choose Question Pool Test from the combo box in the upper right corner of
the repository and click the Add button.
Adding a question pool to an ILIAS container
There are two alternatives to create a question pool in ILIAS. The first one is to import an existing question
pool from your hard disk into ILIAS. To do so, press the Browse button in the Import question pool test section
and select a zip file containing a question pool which was exported from another ILIAS installation. To import
the question pool, press the Import button. The second alternative is to duplicate an existing question pool. Just
choose a question pool from the Question pool test check box in the Duplicate question pool section and press
the Duplicate button.
Fill out the title and description field or enter the filename of an exported question pool and add the question pool to
your ILIAS container. Inside a category or another ILIAS container object a question pool is displayed a follows:
4
Question pools
A question pool in the repository
Click on the question pool title to edit the question pool.
Elements of a question pool

The questions are displayed in a question browser which shows the relevant information for every question in your
question pool. You can sort the question list by it's columns if you click the column titles on top. One click sorts
the list in ascending order by it's column the next click sorts the list in descending order.
Question browser of a question pool
Creating and importing questions

To create a new question, select the question type in the combo box on the upper right and press the Create button.
You'll get an input form for the selected question type.
Import one or more questions
The import file format must be a zip file containing an ILIAS content XML file, a QTI (Questioning
and Test Interoperability) XML file and (if available) media files used in the questions.
At the moment ILIAS only supports the import of QTI files which were exported from ILIAS. A
generic QTI support is planned but not yet integrated in ILIAS.
Filtering questions
If you have a lot of questions in your question pool the filtering could be useful. Just insert a filter text [1] (a
full word or a part of a word you are looking for) in the filter field on top of the question browser, select the
filter category [2] (title, description or author) and activate the filter with the Set filter [3] button. To deactive
the filtering, just press the Reset filter [4] button.
5
Question pools
Filtering in the question browser
Editing questions in the question browser

There are several options to edit existing questions in the question browser:
Editing questions
The numbering for the points below,corresponds to the numbers on the graphic above.
1. By checking the check boxes on the left of every question, you can run an action for every checked question.
The available actions are displayed at the bottom of the question browser.
2. Click on Edit to modify an existing question
3. The buttons Delete, Duplicate and Export are applied to every checked question in the question browser.
Delete removes the checked questions from the question pool when you confirm a security check. Duplicate
creates a 1:1 copy of the checked question(s). This allows you to make small modifications of questions without
entering the complete question text and the answers again. Export creates a zipped archive file containing the
checked questions. It is stored in the export directory and can be accessed through the Export tab on the top
of the page.
In ILIAS versions >= 3.6 on there is also the possibility to copy or move questions from one question pool into
another. Press the Copy button to copy the selected questions to the clipboard and the Move button to mark
the selected questions for moving. After copying or selecting questions for moving a Paste button appears next
the Copy and Paste buttons. If you press this button, the questions in the clipboard will be either copied or
moved into the question pool where you pressed the Paste button.
4. Clicking on Preview displays a preview of the question in the way the question will be used in a test.
5. Clicking on the chart icon creates a simple statistical evaluation (assessment of questions) for the question. The
evaluation contains the total number of answers for the question and the total percentage of correct solutions
of the question.
Question pool properties

When you press the Properties tab, the question pool properties are shown.
6
Question pools
Question pool properties
The following question pool properties can be set:
• Online
This is the online status of the question pool. If the question pool is not online (the checkbox isn't checked, the
question pool is offline) the contained questions could not be used in tests. To set the question pool online, just
check the associated checkbox and press the Save button
Exporting the question pool

In the export section of the question pool you can see a list of all previously exported questions. You are able to
manage that list and to delete export files or create new exports. By selecting the export file type from the combo
box and pressing the Create button you can create an export file of the complete question pool. If you just want
to export single questions, go to the question browser, check your questions and press the Export button.
The following file types could be created:
• QTI XML file
This selection creates a QTI XML file which could be used to import the questions in another ILIAS installation
or any QTI capable environment
• Microsoft Excel file
This is a simple overview in Microsoft Excel about all questions in the question pool. This may be used for
documentation
Question pool export
When you click on the Download button, the checked export file will be downloaded to your local hard disk.
When you click the Delete button, all checked export files will be removed.
Remember: Don't rename the downloaded export files! ILIAS calculates the names of the contained
XML files from the filename. If you rename the file, the question pool cannot be imported to ILIAS.
7
Question pools
Permissions
Permission for question pools can be configured with the following RBAC settings:
Table 2.1. Question pool permissions

Permission Description
Delete Question Pool for Users with that permission are able to delete the question pool when it is displayed
Test in the repository.
Read access to Question Users need that permission to enter the question pool and read its content.
Pool for Test
Question Pool for Test is Users need that permission to see the question pool in the repository.
visible
Edit Question Pool for Users need that permission to edit the content of a question pool (add new
Test questions, edit existing questions, export questions).
8
Chapter 3. Question types
assessment questions. If you just want to perform a test you don't need to know creating and editing
questions.
To work with questions you need the same permissions as for working with question pools.
Test & assessment questions are varying in different question types. These types are:
• Cloze questions
• Essay questions
• Imagemap questions
• Java applet questions
• Matching questions
• Multiple choice questions with multiple response (“Multiple choice”)
• Multiple choice questions with single response (“Single choice”)
• Numeric questions
• Ordering questions
• Text subset questions
General question design

All question types have a set of similar properties which you can find at the top of every question editing form:
• question title (obligatory)
• author (obligatory)
• description
• question text (obligatory)
• estimated working time
• suggested solution
9
Question types
Properties common to all question types
Question edit modes

Every question consists of four different edit modes. The edit modes are displayed as subnavigation on the top of
the page when you're editing a question. Clicking one of the tabs gives you the selected editing view.
Content editing view of a question
The four editing modes are: Edit content, Preview, Edit properties and Statistics.
Edit content allows you to use the ILIAS content editor to add graphical or multimedia elements to your question
improving the readability and information given by the question text. Preview gives you a preview of the question
as it will be shown when you perform a test containing this question. Edit properties is the authoring tool which
allows you to define the question text, predefined answers, suggested solutions etc.
Statistics presents you a short statistics on the usage of your question. It shows the number of tests which use your
question and the percentage of the correct solutions of the question.
If you are in the Edit properties form you have different choices to save your data. Clicking the Save button
saves your changes and remains in the Edit properties form. Clicking the Save and edit content button saves
your changes and switches to the Edit content form of the question. Clicking the Cancel button switches back
to the question pool without saving your changes.
10
Question types
Edit buttons in the properties form
The illustration above shows you the content editing view of a multiple choice question. For further information
on using the ILIAS content editor please refer to the content editor documentation.
The Question pool test hyperlink brings you back to the parent question pool which contains the question.
Cloze questions
Description
A cloze question (representing a spoken abbreviation of closure) is a form of examination technique. It is an
activity where the learner uses clues from the context to "fill-in-the-blanks" in a sentence or text. It is characterized
by a passage of text with the removal of certain key words deleted and replaced with blanks. The blanks consists
either of a text or a numeric gap where the learner has to fill in text on his own or of a select gap where the learner
has to choose from existing choices. A mix up of both techniques is also possible.
Example of a cloze question (mixed text, numeric, and select gaps)
Create a cloze question

Creating a cloze question is a bit tricky. Before you can start you should know the text and the position of the gaps
of your cloze question. Enter the text in the Cloze text field and use a special syntax to mark the gaps.
Edit form to create a cloze question
To mark a gap in the cloze text field, please use the following syntax: [gap][/gap].
You need at least these opening and closing tags to mark a gap. If you like you can also enter the choices (for a
select gap) or the correct fill-in-the-blank (for a text gap) as a comma separated enumeration between these tags,
for example:
11
Question types
Example 3.1. Example for a cloze gap

[gap]North Sea,Denmark,Baltic Sea[/gap]
Please note: If you want to add values to the choices list which contain commas, you'll have
to “escape” the comma chars by adding a backslash char in front of the comma char, e.g.
[gap](a\,b),(a\,c),(b\,c)[/gap], which defines the following gap values:
• (a,b)
• (a,c)
• (b,c)
When you finished the cloze text, just press the Create gaps button to create the edit forms for every cloze gap.
When these forms are created you are able to add and remove choices and set other options for every gap without
changing the text in the cloze text field.
You can even change the cloze text field when you already did some changes in the edit forms and click the Create
gaps button again. ILIAS tries to save your changes and extends the edit forms.
An example for an initial cloze text could be:
Germany or the [gap]Federal[/gap] Republic of Germany (German: Deutschland or

Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is one of the world's leading industrialised countries,
located in the heart of [gap]North America,Europe,Asia,Africa,Australia[/gap].
It is bordered to the north by [gap]North Sea,Denmark,Baltic Sea[/gap], to the east
by Poland and the Czech Republic, to the south by
[gap]Austria,Switzerland,Austria and Switzerland[/gap], and to the west by France,
Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Germany is a democratic federal parliamentary nation, made up of [gap]16[/gap] federal s

which in certain spheres act independently of the Federation.
Edit text gaps

The following actions are allowed:
Edit form of a text gap
Note: The numbering for the points below corresponds to the numbers on the graphic above.
1. Change the gap type choosing it from the Type selection. You'll need to save the question to apply the changes
2. Change the existing gap values using the Value fields. You'll need to save the question to apply the changes.
This is also possible if you change the values in the cloze text field and click the Create gaps button.
12
Question types
3. Enter the points the learner receives when he/she types in the text gap value. Note that every value in a text
gap should specify a correct solution! You can define different points for the gap values to rate the learner
answers in a different way. This could be very helpful for language teaching and testing if certain less important
mistakes could be rated differently. Usually every text gap value should have the same point value (which is
supported when you add a new gap text. The points of the first gap entry will be taken by default). You may
use negative points.
4. Add another value which specifies a correct solution for the text gap by clicking the Add Gap Text button.
This is also possible if you add another value in the enumeration of that gap in the cloze text field and click
the Create gaps button.
5. Delete a value by clicking the Delete button on the right of every value. This is also possible if you remove the
value in the enumeration of that gap in the cloze text field and click the Create gaps button.
Scoring variations for text gaps

For the scoring of text gaps you are able to select from a variation of methods to compare the learners input with
the predefined solutions.
Text gap rating in cloze questions
A text gap solution is correct when a comparison of the learners input with one of your predefined solutions
succeeds. For this comparison you may select one of the following comparison methods:
• Case insensitive text comparison (default)
The learner input and the predefined solutions are compared case insensitive. If one of the comparisons
matches the learner receives the points. If the predefined solution is: example, the following inputs are correct:
example, Example, EXAMPLE, eXaMpLe etc.
• Case sensitive text comparison
The learner input and the predefined solutions are compared case sensitive. If one of the comparisons matches
the learner receives the points. If the predefined solution is: example, the only correct input is: example
• Levenshtein distance comparison with a Levenshtein distance of 1
The learner input and the predefined solutions are compared using the Levenshtein distance algorithm. The
Levenshtein distance is defined as the minimal number of characters you have to replace, insert or delete to
transform the solution into the learner input. If one of the comparisons matches with a maximum of one of the
previous defined operations the learner receives the points. If the predefined solution is: example, the following
inputs are correct: example, Example (replace the starting e with E), examplee (delete the last e), exmple
(insert the a) etc.
The learner input and the predefined solutions are compared using the Levenshtein distance algorithm. The
Levenshtein distance is defined as the minimal number of characters you have to replace, insert or delete to
transform the solution into the learner input. If one of the comparisons matches with a maximum of two of the
previous defined operations the learner receives the points. If the predefined solution is: example, the following
13
Question types
inputs are correct: example, Example (replace the starting e with E), Exampl (insert the last e and replace
the starting e with E), exampel (replace e with l and l with e) etc.
The same as the Levenshtein distance of 2 but there are three allowed operations for the matching process
The same as the Levenshtein distance of 2 but there are four allowed operations for the matching process
The same as the Levenshtein distance of 2 but there are five allowed operations for the matching process
More information on the Levenshtein distance can be found at
• Wikipedia [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levenshtein]
• Merriam Park Software [http://www.merriampark.com/ld.htm]
Edit numeric gaps

Edit form of a numeric gap
1. Change the gap type choosing it from the Type selection. Click the Change button to apply the changes.
2. Change the existing gap value using the Value field. You'll need to save the question to apply the changes. This
is also possible if you change the value in the cloze text field and click the Create gaps button.
You may enter a upper and/or a lower bound for the numeric value to widen the range of the correct answer
for this gap. Every answer >= Lower Bound and <= Upper Bound will be scored as a correct answer if Lower
Bound <= Value <= Upper Bound.
If you don't enter a lower or an upper bound, the value itself defines the lower or upper bound.
3. Enter the points the learner receives when he/she types in the numeric gap value or a value that is in the range
between the lower and upper bound.
4. Delete the gap by clicking the Delete button on the right of the gap value value. This is also possible if you
remove the value in the gap (or the complete gap) in the cloze text field and click the Create gaps button.
Edit select gaps

14
Question types
Edit form of a select gap
1. Change the gap type choosing it from the Type selection. You'll need to save the question to apply the changes
2. Change the existing gap values using the Value fields. You'll need to save the question to apply the changes.
This is also possible if you change the values in the cloze text field and click the Create gaps button.
3. Enter the points the learner receives when he/she selects one of the gap values. Note that the values in a select
gap work in the same way like a multiple choice question with single response. You may use negative points.
4. If you want to enable a shuffled output of the choices, you should select Yes in the Shuffle answers selection,
otherwise No.
5. Add another choice for the select gap by clicking the Add Gap Text button. This is also possible if you add
another value in the enumeration of that gap in the cloze text field and click the Create gaps button.
6. Delete a value by clicking the Delete button on the right of every value. This is also possible if you remove the
value in the enumeration of that gap in the cloze text field and click the Create gaps button.
Feedback
You may define an instant feedback for the question. Instant feedback depends on the answers of the test
participants and it will be shown when the Show Answer-Specific Feedback option is enabled in the instant
feedback section of the scoring and results settings in a test.
You can add instant feedback for the following situations:
• The correct solution was entered
• At least one answer is not correct
Essay questions
Description
An essay question is a short work that treats of a topic from an author's personal point of view, often taking into
account subjective experiences and personal reflections upon them. This question type can only be rated manually
by a test author.
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Question types
Example of an essay question
Editing essay questions

Editing essay questions is not very special. You just have to define a question text and the maximum number of
points which is available for answering the question.
By default the points for answering an essay question are set to 0. The test author must set the points manually in
the evaluation screen after the test containing essay questions is finished. You may also use an automatical scoring
based on keywords if you enter the keywords in the Optional input of keywords section at the bottom of the page.
Setting the maximum number of characters for an essay
The maximum number of characters defines the maximum number of characters a learner is allowed to write. All
characters above will be cut and are not stored in the results. If you leave this field blank, there is no restriction
and the maximum number of characters is (theoretically) unlimited.
Using keywords for automatic scoring

You may add optional keywords for an essay question to prevent that standard scoring of zero points when a learner
answered the question. If one of the keywords is contained in the essay of the learner, the maximum available
points will be scored automatically. Even with this option, you should check the points manually depending to
the content of the essay.
16
Question types
Essay question options for automatic scoring
The Text matching method declares the method which should be used to identifiy the keywords in the essay.
For the effect of the different options on the keyword detection, please refer to the description of the options in
the cloze question documentation.
Feedback
Imagemap questions
Description
An imagemap question is list of coordinates relating to a specific image, created in order to provide areas with
predefined solutions for the question. It is a graphical variant of a multiple choice question with single response.
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Question types
Example of an imagemap question
In the example the areas around the red dots are click sensitive so the learner can select one of the locations as
a possible solution.
Adding the image and uploading an imagemap

You can upload any image to use it as an imagemap in ILIAS. Just browse for the image on your local hard disc
and click the Upload button to bring your image into ILIAS. If you already uploaded an image, click the Change
button to replace the image.
It would be the best if you choose an image format supported by the World Wide Web but ILIAS
tries to determine the image type and converts it to the JPEG format (using a lossless conversion).
18
Question types
Upload fields for images and imagemaps
Instead of creating the imagemap areas with ILIAS you can import an HTML file containing the imagemap for
your image. External tools like Macromedia Dreamweaver, Microsoft Frontpage etc. are able to create and save
HTML imagemaps. Just browse for the HTML file and click the Import image map button to apply this imagemap
to your image.
Adding clickable areas
Working with an imagemap question
Note: The numbering for the points below,corresponds to the numbers on the graphic above.
• Select the area you want to create and click the Add area button to create a new area. This opens the area wizard
(see the bottom section on this page).
• You can add a hint for every created area. Be careful because this text is visible as a tooltip for the learners.
19
Question types
• Enter the points for the choice (default 0) when it is checked. You may enter negative points.
• Shape and Coordinates shows information on the area type and the area position in the image.
• Clicking the Delete area button deletes every checked area in the area list.
• Add more areas or save the question with the Save button. Adding another area also saves the question.
Using the area wizard
Clicking the Add area button opens the area wizard to create a new clickable area. The following instructions
should guide you through the creation process:
1. Rectangles: ILIAS asks you to click on the top left corner of the desired imagemap area.
Circles: ILIAS asks you to click on center of the desired area.
Polygons: ILIAS asks you to click on the starting point of the polygon.
2. Click on the desired point to get to the next creation step. Before clicking the point you are free to enter a hint
text which identifies your area. This text can be entered at any point of the creation process and also later in
the area list.
If you want to interrupt the area wizard just click the Cancel button.
3. Rectangles: ILIAS asks you to click on the bottom right corner of the desired area.
Circles: ILIAS asks you to click on a circle point of the desired area.
Polygons: ILIAS asks you to click on the next point of the polygon.
A newly created rectangle (blue) and an already existing circle (red)
4. ILIAS displays the selected area and offers you again to enter a hint text. If you want to save the area just click
the Save button. For polygons you can continue the last steps until you click the Save button. ILIAS then
closes the polygon automatically (it connects your last point with the first point).
Imagemap tweaks
If you have a lot of areas defined in your imagemap and you have problems to identify which area in the area
list is related to which area in the image, just click on the desired area in the image. The related area in the area
list will then highlighted.
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Question types
Selecting an area by clicking on the related area in the image
In the picture you see the selected area where the Name field is highlighted in yellow.
Feedback
• Feedback for every answer of the question
If all feedback fields are used, a participant will receive the feedback for the answer he/she has chosen and the
general feedback that indicates wheather the solution is correct or not.
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Question types
Feedback for an image map question
Java applet questions

Description
A java applet question is an autonomous java applet which can represent any type of question, even the question
types already defined in ILIAS. To allow such applets to integrate in ILIAS tests the applet creators have to
support a simple interface defined by ILIAS to ensure communication between the ILIAS system and the applet
to exchange the solutions and the points reached by the users.
Multiple choice java applet
The example shows a multiple choice question with single response. Pressing the Save button sends the results
of the question to the ILIAS system. To initialize the applet, ILIAS sends user information and the maximum
available points to the applet.
Adding a java applet
22
Question types
Adding a java applet to the question
Press the browse button, select the java applet on your local hard disk and press the Upload button to store the
applet in ILIAS. You can either choose an applet class file (.class) or an applet archive (.jar).
The maximum available points are sent to the java applet thus it is necessary to enter the points in the Available
points field. Negative points are not allowed.
Alternatively you may use a java applet at a known internet location instead of uploading an applet. In this case
you will see two additional text fields after saving the question:
• Codebase: This attribute specifies the base URL of the applet - the directory that contains the applet's code. If
this attribute is not specified, then the document's URL is used.
• Archive: This attribute describes one or more archives containing classes and other resources that will be
preloaded>. The classes are loaded using an instance of an AppletClassLoader with the given codebase. The
archives in the archive list are separated by ","
Adding parameters of the java applet
Note:The numbering for the points below,corresponds to the numbers on the graphic above.
1. Enter the name of the applet main class when using an applet archive (.jar)
If you did not upload a java applet or archive, you must enter the codebase and - if you use a java archive
- the archive name.
2. Enter the width and the height of the applet (obligatory)
3. If you want to parse additional data to the applet using applet parameters, press the Add applet parameter
button to add a new parameter set.
4. Enter the applet parameter name and the applet parameter value in the corresponding fields. Go back to step
3 and enter as many parameters as you need.
5. Press the Save button to save your changes to the applet question.
Please note that you will need specialized applets supporting the ILIAS java applet interface! There
is a documentation how to create these applets.
23
Question types
Creating your own java applets

To work in an ILIAS java applet question a java applet must meet some special demands. These requirements
are discussed in the following section. You should be familiar with software development in Java to continue
with the next paragraphs.
ILIAS sends the following data to the applet using the param tag in HTML:
Table 3.1. HTTP GET parameters needed by the java applet
Parameter Description
test_id The id of the calling test. The java applet must return this value to ILIAS.
question_id The id of the java applet question. The java applet must return this value to ILIAS.
user_id The id of the user calling the java applet. The java applet must return this value to
ILIAS.
points_max The maximum available points for the java applet question. The applet must
implement it's own scoring system and must return a score from 0 to the maximum
available points when a user finishes the question.
post_url The http URL which is used to send the question results back to ILIAS. The script at
the location of the URL expects a well-defined number of http POST parameters sent
from the java applet.
pass The test pass of the current user, starting with 0 for the first pass, 1 for the second pass
and so on. The java applet must return this value to ILIAS.
session_id The session id of the current user. The java applet must return this value to ILIAS.
client The client name of the ILIAS installation. The java applet must return this value to
ILIAS.
When the applet was alread executed by a user, ILIAS sends additional parameters to the applet containing the
previous reached results. Using these parameters, the applet may display these previous results:
Table 3.2. Additional HTTP GET parameters which could be sent to an applet
value_n_1 (where n = 1 Value 1 of a two value pair which was used by the applet to store informations on a
... maximum number of (partial) solution
previous sent solutions)
value_n_2 (where n = 1 Value 2 of a two value pair which was used by the applet to store informations on a
... maximum number of (partial) solution
previous sent solutions)
When the applet was answered by a user, the applet is able to store an (theoretically unlimited) number of value
pairs to the ILIAS database. These value pairs can contain one or two values (of every data type storable in a
string) which the applet can use later to restore the user input.
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Question types
Example 3.2. Examples for additional applet parameters
• A multiple choice single response java applet could store one value pair using just the first value to enter the
ID of the selected choice.
value_1_1 = 3
value_1_2 =
• A multiple choice multiple response java applet could store as many values pairs as the applet contains choices.
Every value pair contains the ID of the choice in the first value and the checked state of the choice in the second
value.
value_1_1 = 1
value_1_2 = true
value_2_1 = 2
value_2_2 = false
value_3_1 = 3
value_3_2 = true
The java applet must send a well-defined number of parameters as a HTTP POST back to the ILIAS system.
Therefore it must use the URL of the post_url parameter. The parameters are:
Table 3.3. HTTP GET parameters needed by the java applet
test_id The id of the calling test. The java applet retrieved this id from ILIAS.
question_id The id of the java applet question. The java applet retrieved this id from ILIAS.
user_id The id of the user calling the java applet. The java applet retrieved this id from ILIAS.
post_url The http URL which is used to send the question results back to ILIAS. The script at
the location of the URL expects a well-defined number of http POST parameters sent
from the java applet.
pass The test pass of the current user. The java applet retrieved this value from ILIAS.
session_id The session id of the current user. The java applet retrieved this id from ILIAS.
client The client name of the ILIAS installation. The java applet retrieved this value from
ILIAS.
value_n_1 (where n = 1 A solution value for a user solution. This value could be used by the java applet to
... maximum number of restore the solution when the applet is called again by the same user. The value may
solutions) be empty.
value_n_2 (where n = 1 A solution value for a user solution. This value could be used by the java applet to
... maximum number of restore the solution when the applet is called again by the same user. The value may
solutions) be empty.
points_n (where n = 1 The points reached for the given solution value. The sum of points of all solution
... maximum number of triplets (value_n_1, value_n_2 and points_n) may not exceed the
solutions)
Valid return values are for example:
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Question types
• for a multiple choice single response java applet with a maximum of 4 points:
value_1_1 = 3
value_1_2 =
points_1 = 4
(seems to be the correct solution)
• for a multiple choice multiple response java applet with a maximum of 4 points:
value_1_1 = 1
value_1_2 = true
points_1 = 2
value_2_1 = 2
value_2_2 = false
points_2 = 0
value_3_1 = 3
value_3_2 = true
points_3 = 0
(a total of 2 points out of 4)
To reduce the workload of creating a java applet, you can download a java example from the following file list.
The list contains a sample multiple choice single response java applet which is split into three parts:
• A base class called JavaAppletQuestion.java which can be used be every of your applets as the ancestor
class providing most of the functionality.
• A class TestApplet.java containing the implementation of the multiple choice question.
• A class MsgBox.java containing the definition of a simple message dialog which is used to provide a user
feedback when the applet data was sent to ILIAS.
The source files are packed together with an ant makefile in an archive called testapplet_source.zip.
The filelist also contains the compiled java applet of the example classes called testapplet.jar. You can
use this applet to test the java applet question in ILIAS.
Feedback
26
Question types
Matching questions
Description
A matching question is two lists of related words, phrases, pictures, or symbols. Each item in one list is paired
with exactly one item in the other list.
Type selection
ILIAS supports the creation of matching questions with terms and definitions and terms and pictures. To create a
matching question with terms and definitions choose Match terms and definitions from the type selection combo
box and press the Set edit mode button. To create a matching question with terms and pictures choose Match
terms and pictures from the type selection combo box and press the Set edit mode button.
Example of a matching question matching terms and definitions
Example of a matching question matching terms and pictures
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Question types
Adding matching pairs
Working with a matching question
Note:The numbering for the points below,corresponds to the numbers on the graphic above.
1. Add a new matching pair by clicking the Add matching pair button
2. Enter a text for the definition or upload a picture if you edit a matching question with terms and pictures
Upload field for a picture
Please note that images with a width or a height greater than 100 pixels will be limited to a
maximum width or height of 100 pixels. The images are resized automatically constraining the
proportions. The learner gets a thumbnail image which opens the original image by clicking
on the thumbnail.
It would be the best if you choose an image format supported by the World Wide Web but
ILIAS tries to determine the image type and converts it to the JPEG format (using a lossless
conversion).
3. Enter a text for the term
4. Enter the points (default 0) the learner receives when he/she matches this pair. Negative points are not allowed.
5. Delete matching pairs by selecting the pairs and pressing the Delete button.
6. Add more matching pairs or save the question with the Save button
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Question types
Advanced editing
Shuffle matching pairs
You can shuffle the terms of a matching question in the output by selecting Yes in the shuffle option. If you don't
shuffle the matching pairs they will appear in the same order as you created them. The shuffle option is available
for both types of matching questions.
The shuffle option
Feedback
Multiple choice questions (multiple response)

Description
A multiple choice question with multiple response is a type of form to be filled out by checking one or more of
the choices in a list.
Multiple choice questions with multiple response are displayed with a check box aside allowing the users to select
none, one or multiple choices.
Example of a multiple choice question with multiple response
It is also possible to define graphical answers for multiple choice questions with multiple response.
29
Question types
Adding choices
Working with a multiple choice question
Note:The numbering for the points below corresponds to the numbers on the graphic above.
1. Add new choices by selecting the number of answers from the combo box and clicking the Add button
2. Enter a text for the choice
3. Enter the points for the choice, when the choice is checked by the learner (default is 0). You may enter negative
points.
4. Enter the points for the choice, when the choice is not checked by the learner (default is 0). You may enter
negative points.
5. Delete selected choices by clicking the Delete button
6. Add more choices or save the question with the Save button
In the picture above the maximum number of available points is 4 when a learner checks the choices DAT and
Streamer.
Advanced editing
Edit mode selection
Edit mode settings
You can set two different edit modes for multiple choice questions:
• Graphical answer support: Select Show graphical answer support to add upload fields and buttons for every
answer. To hide the upload functionality, you must select Hide graphical answer support.
• Multiline answers: You may choose either singleline or multiline answers for the multiple choice questions. To
activate multiline answers, please select Use multiline answers. If you just need a few words or a single word
without any formatting, please select Use single-line answers.
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Question types
To activate new edit mode settings, please select the appropriate options from the combo boxes and press the Set
edit mode button.
Shuffle choices
You can shuffle the choices of a question in the output by selecting Yes in the shuffle option. If you don't shuffle
the choices, they are always displayed in the same order as you created them. The shuffle option is available for
both types of multiple choice questions.
The shuffle option
Feedback
If all feedback fields are used, a participant will receive the feedback for all the answers he/she has chosen and
the general feedback that indicates wheather the solution is correct or not.
Feedback for a multiple choice question (multiple response)
Multiple choice questions (single response)

Description
A multiple choice question with single response is a type of form to be filled out by checking exact one of the
choices in a list.
Multiple choice questions with single response are displayed with a radio button aside forcing the users to select
only one choice.
31
Question types
Example of a multiple choice question with single response
It is also possible to define graphical answers for multiple choice questions with single response.
Example of a multiple choice question with single response and image responses
Adding choices
Working with a multiple choice question
32
Question types
• Add new choices by selecting a value from the combo box and press the Add button. You may add 1 to 9
answers at one time
1. or add a pair of true / false choices by selecting true/false answers
2. or add a pair of yes / no choices by selecting yes/no answers
• Enter a text for the choice
• Enter the points for the choice (default 0) when it is checked. You may add negative points.
• Delete selected choices by clicking the Delete button
• Add more choices or save the question with the Save button
Advanced editing
Edit mode selection
Edit mode settings
You can set two different edit modes for multiple choice questions:
• Graphical answer support: Select Show graphical answer support to add upload fields and buttons for every
answer. To hide the upload functionality, you must select Hide graphical answer support.
• Multiline answers: You may choose either singleline or multiline answers for the multiple choice questions. To
activate multiline answers, please select Use multiline answers. If you just need a few words or a single word
without any formatting, please select Use single-line answers.
edit mode button.
Shuffle choices
The shuffle option
Feedback
33
Question types
If all feedback fields are used, a participant will receive the feedback for the answer he/she has chosen and the
general feedback that indicates wheather the solution is correct or not.
Feedback for a multiple choice question (single response)
Numeric questions
Description
A numeric question takes the result of a mathematical operation which can result in an exact answer or a
floating-point approximation.
Example of a numeric question
Editing numeric questions

In the case of an exact answer for the numeric question, it is easy to determine whether the answer is correct by
direct comparison. In the case of a floating-point (or decimal) result, direct comparison may not mark the answer
correct if the learner has rounded to a certain decimal place or provided more or less digits than you provided
in your answer.
Editing a numeric question
You must enter the maximum number of characters which could be used to enter the solution to restrict the input
options for the learner.
If you only want to allow an exact solution, please enter the same values for the upper and lower limit fields. If
you want to allow a certain range for the solution, please enter different upper and lower limit. The calculation
of the solution uses the following assumption:
34
Question types
The learner's input is correct, if lower limit # learner's input # upper limit
Feedback
Ordering questions
Description
An ordering question is a list of words, phrases, pictures or symbols, where all items has to be put in a correct
order. This can be done either by drag and drop or by assigning position numbers or characters to every item.
Type selection
ILIAS supports the creation of ordering questions with terms or pictures. To create an ordering question with
terms choose Order terms from the type selection combo box and press the Set edit mode button. To create an
ordering question with pictures choose Ordering pictures from the type selection combo box and press the Set
edit mode button.
Example of an ordering question ordering terms
35
Question types
Example of an ordering question ordering pictures
Adding answers
Working with an ordering question
Note: The numbering for the points below,corresponds to the numbers on the graphic above.
1. Add a new answer by clicking the Add answer button
2. Enter a text for the term or upload a picture if you edit an ordering question with pictures
Upload field for a picture
36
Question types
Please note that images with a width or a height greater than 100 pixels will be limited to a
maximum width or height of 100 pixels. The images are resized automatically constraining the
proportions. The learner gets a thumbnail image which opens the original image by clicking
on the thumbnail.
It would be the best if you choose an image format supported by the World Wide Web but
ILIAS tries to determine the image type and converts it to the JPEG format (using a lossless
conversion).
3. Add a number or a character with the correct ordering. The learners don't need to enter the same numbers or
characters, only the correct order position will be compared.
4. Add the points for the correct order position. Negative points are not allowed.
5. Delete an answer by clicking the Delete button next to the right side of every answer
6. Add more answers or save the question with the Save button
Advanced editing
Edit mode selection
Edit mode settings
You can set two different edit modes for ordering questions:
• Odering question type: You can choose between ordering questions with ordering terms and ordering questions
with ordering pictures.
• Multiline answers: You may choose either singleline or multiline terms for the ordering questions. To activate
multiline terms, please select Use multi-line terms. If you just need a few words or a single word without any
formatting, please select Use single-line terms.
edit mode button.
Shuffle choices
The shuffle option
Feedback
37
Question types
Text subset questions

Description
A text subset question takes a certain amount of requested answers for a question and compares the answers with a
given set of predefined answers. The requested answers will be compared and rated with the predefined answers.
Duplicate answers will not be rated. If the number of requested answers is lower than the predefined answers, the
maximum number of points could be reached by entering a subset of the predefined answers.
Example of a text subset question
Editing text subset questions
Working with a text subset question
1. Add new answers by selecting a value from the combo box and press the Add button. You may add 1 to 9
answers at one time
2. Enter a predefined answer text
38
Question types
3. Enter the points that should be given for the answer text if the learner enters the answer. You may enter negative
points.
4. Delete selected answers by clicking the Delete button
5. Add more text subsets or save the question with the Save button.
Advanced editing
Advanced editing options for text subset questions
To complete a text subset question you must enter the number of requested answers, which should be lower or
equal to the number of predefined answers. But you could easily use more requested answers than predefined
answers if you want to give the learner more choices to guess the correct answer values. The maximum available
points for the question will be calculated automatically when the number of requested answers has been saved.
Duplicate answers of a learner will only be rated once. If an answer does not match one of the predefined answers,
the comparison results in zero points for the learner.
The Text matching method declares the method which should be used to compare the requested answers with
the predefined answers. For the effect of the different options on the comparison, please refer to the description
of the options in the cloze question documentation.
Feedback
39
Chapter 4. Tests
assessment questions. If you just want to perform a test you don't need to know how to create and
edit tests.
To work with tests you need at least the following permissions in the Test section of the ILIAS role based access
control system:
• Test is visible
• Read access to Test
• Edit Test
Creating a test
Before you start creating a test, you should create at least one question pool in a category or any other ILIAS
container object and fill it with questions. Alternatively it's sufficient, if you have write access to another question
pool. You don't need to create one by yourself.
If you don't have any questions available, you can't fill your test with questions. But it's possible, even if it's not
recommendable, to create questions from within a test. But then you'll need at least an empty question pool.
Create a test in the repository
To create a new test just choose Test from the combo box in the upper right corner of the repository and press
the Add button.
Adding a test to an ILIAS container
Fill out the title and description field and press the Add test button to add the test to your ILIAS container.
There are two alternatives to add a test to ILIAS. The first one is to import an existing test from your hard disk into
ILIAS. To do so, press the Browse button in the Import test section and select a zip file containing a test which was
exported from another ILIAS installation. Then choose a question pool from the Question pool for test checkbox
to tell ILIAS where it has to store the questions used in that test. To import the test, press the Import button.
If you have already defined default settings for your tests, you will get an additional drop-down list to select a
default configuration for the new test.
40
Tests
Adding a test to an ILIAS container using test defaults
The second alternative is to duplicate an existing test. Just choose a test from the Test checkbox in the Duplicate
test section and press the Duplicate button.
Inside a category or another ILIAS container object a test is shown as follows:
A test in the repository
Click on Edit to edit the test.
If something is wrong with the test, the status is displayed at the bottom of the test field in the
repository and the test cannot be exectuted.
ILIAS versions lower than 3.5 used an attention sign instead of the status display. The attention
sign was displayed besides the test title.
Editing a test
Questions
Edit Test Questions
In the Edit Test Questions subtab of the Questions tab, you may add questions to your test or remove questions
from the test.
When a question is inserted into a test, ILIAS will create a copy of the original question from
the question pool. This is necessary to prevent inconsistencies when you or another user edits or
deletes the original question. Removing a question from a test only removes this copy. The original
question will still be available in the question pool.
Edit questions in non-random tests
41
Tests
The question editor for non-random tests
1. Press the Browse for questions button to open a question browser which contains all questions from all question
pools which are accessable with read permission. The question browser uses the same filtering options as the
question browser used in the question pools. The only difference is an additional column displaying the source
question pool of every question.
You are not able to insert a question twice into your test. Every question which is already contained in your
test is no longer available in the question browser.
2. Select a question type and press the Create button to create a new question and add it directly into your test.
You may use this option but you should create your questions prior in a question pool. Using this option may
lead to confusion because you are switching between many different screens.
3. Pressing the Random selection button allows you to add questions into your test using a random generator. This
option allows you to enter the number of questions you want to add and allows you to choose these questions
from a question pool of your choice or all available question pools. A selection of questions will be presented
and you are free to create a new selection, to accept the selection or to cancel the whole process.
4. Pressing the up and down arrows in the sequence column allows you to change the position of a question
in your test. Users will get the given sequence when they are working through the test.
5. You can also move questions to another position using the Move button. Just check the questions you want
to move and press the Move button. You will be asked to select a target position where you want to re-insert
the questions. Just check one question and press the Insert before or Insert after button which are displayed
after pressing the Move button.
To remove questions from the test, just check the questions you want to remove and press the Remove button.
Don't be afraid. The questions will only removed from the test. They will not deleted from ILIAS.
Edit questions in random tests

In random tests the questions for a learner are chosen by random. So the author has just to define the source(s)
of the random selection.
The question editor for random tests
1. Set the total amount of random questions which have to be chosen for a learner. If this value is greater than
zero it overwrites all other question numbers entered in the Source question pools section.
42
Tests
2. Select a question pool and enter the amount of questions which should be chosen by random for the learner. If
the Total amount of questions is set greater than zero only the question pool will be considered. To guarantee
comparable test results the author is only allowed to choose question pools which contain questions with the
same maximum number of points for every question.
3. Press the Add question pool button to add another question pool which feeds the random test. The number of
questions will be added to the total number of questions in the test.
4. Press the Save button to store the selection of question pools for the random test.
5. Press the Delete button to remove the associated question pool from the collection of question pools for the
random test.
In the above picture the random test consists of six questions, five from the Hardware question pool and one
question from New question pool question pool.
Reworking questions in tests
To rework a question, just click on the question title in the questions overview. You will be redirected into the
same edit mode which is used in question pools.
The questions in your test are always taken from question pools but they are copies of the original
questions in the question pools, not references!
This means that you could change question details within your test (e.g. text, points, working time)
without changing these details in the original questions in the question pools.
If you want to apply your changes as well to the original question, you have to answer the question after saving
the test question with Yes :
Saving a reworked question
Print View
This subtab is available for non-random questions. It creates a print view of the actual test.
You may use the Print button to send the print view to your printer.
Settings
The settings for ILIAS tests are divided in several subsections to enhance the usability of the numerous options
to individualize a test.
General
The General settings tab contains the most common settings for ILIAS tests. It is divided in three sections:
43
Tests
• General Properties
• Sequence Properties
• Session Settings
General Properties
The general properties section let you define the most important settings for an ILIAS test.
General properties section of the ILIAS general test settings
• Anonymity
If you check the Anonymity checkbox, the names of the test participants will be anonymized for all
administrative purposes. You will not be able to create a connection between test results and registered users.
This may be helpful if you want to offer tests without giving the participants the feeling that they will be
controlled.
• Random Selection of Questions
This option defines how the questions in this test will be chosen from the question pools. If random selection
is not checked (default), you have to add a fixed set of questions into the test. Every participant gets the same
set of questions. If random selection is checked, you can add one ore more question pools to the test and define
the number of questions which should be chosen randomized from these question pools to build the test. Every
participant will get a unique set of questions in his/her test.
• Introduction
Introduction is a paragraph which is shown to the users on the start page of the test. You can use this field to
give additional instructions how to work through the test.
Sequence Properties
The sequence properties combine all options to change or enhance the sequence of the questions in the test.
44
Tests
Sequence properties section of the ILIAS general test settings
• Postpone Questions
Check this checkbox if you want to enable postponing of questions for this test: If a learner decides that he/she
is not able to answer a question he/she can postpone this question to the end of the test. It will be to the end
of the test. A participant can postpone as many questions as he/she wants. Postponing a question changes the
original question order of a test for the participant. ILIAS remembers the new sequence even if the participant
aborts the test and resumes it later.
• Shuffle Questions
If you check this checkbox, the given sequence of the questions will be shuffled by random, every time a user
starts a new test pass.
• Show List of Questions
This setting adds an overview with the list of questions to the test. The participants may use this list to navigate
directly to a question.
It is turned of by default.
If the list of questions is activated, a List of Questions button will be shown on the top of every question page
during the test between the < Previous and Next > navigation buttons.
Additional you can activate an automated display of the list of questions at the start of every test pass prior to
the first question, at the end of a test, prior to the final submission (this only works with a limited number of
test passes at the end of the last test pass).
You may also define wheather the question descriptions should be shown in the list of questions or not.
Sometimes the question descriptions are for internal use only so the output is deactivated by default.
• Show Question Marking
By checking this checkbox, every test participant gets an additional button to mark a question during the test.
The marking could be used by the participants to indicate that something, the participant intended, happened
with the question (e.g. check again, answered, not answered etc.). If a question is marked, a question marker
is shown on the top of a question page. The markers are also visible in the list of questions if it is activated.
• Show Suspend Test Option
If you check this checkbox, a Suspend the test option will be shown at the top of every test page for the test
participants.
This option is enabled by default.
You should be aware that the participants can easily suspend a test by simple closing the browser
window or entering another URL in the browser, even if you disable the test suspension option.
Session settings
The session settings section combines all the remaining options for an ILIAS test which affect the actual test.
45
Tests
Session settings section of the ILIAS general test settings
• Max. Number of Passes
This defines the maximum number of test passes a user may run during the test. If this value is set to 0, the user
has an unlimited number of test passes. Setting this value to 1 simulates a typical examination test.
This setting does not affect the feature to suspend a test at every time. A test pass is only finished,
if a participant confirmes it by clicking the Finish the Test button which is shown with the last
question in the test.
• Max. Processing Time
If enabled, a participant cannot save any test results after the maximum processing time is reached. The default
value for this option will be calculated from the sum of the processing time values for every test question, but
you can easily enter your own value for a maximum processing time.
The measurement of the maximum processing time will be triggered when a participants starts
the test and it ends when the maximum processing time is elapsed after this given point in time,
even if the participant did something else in between.
• Starting Time
If enabled, this option defines a starting time for the test. No one can start the test when the starting date and
time is not reached.
• Ending Time
If enabled, this option defines an ending time for the test. No one can start the test or save question results when
the ending date and time is reached.
• Use Previous Answers
If checked, a participant may choose to use the previous answers as default values in the next test pass on the
staring page of the test. If this option is deactivated, the previous answers are not shown in future test passes.
• Question Title Output
With this option you can choose the details of the question title output during a test. In the default setting the
question title and the available points will be shown on top of every question. You may also decide to show
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only the question title without the available points or to show nothing, neither the question title nor the available
points.
• Test Password
If entered, all users who want to start the test must enter the test password once, even if they have the ILIAS
permission to start the test. If the test password is empty, it has not effect on the test.
• Participants Restriction
The participants restriction let you define the maximum number of users that are allowed to run the test
simultaneously. This settings could make sense on ILIAS servers with a limited performance to prevent a
workload peak for tests with a given starting time for example.
The idle time for active users in seconds is the maximum amount of time that is allowed to pass between two
actions of a participant to include this participant into the group of active test participants. This value should
depend on the degree of difficulty to answer the test questions.
Scoring and Results
In this section all the scoring and results output options have to be defined for a test.
• Scoring System
Scoring System options in the ILIAS Scoring and Results test settings
If partial solutions are counted (default setting), the points for a question are given dependent on the answers
of a participant. If only complete solutions are counted, a participant must reach the maximum available points
for a question, otherwise the resulting points are set to zero.
This setting deals with the “problem” of negative points. In ILIAS versions < 3.7 it is not allowed
to use negative points for questions. If a test author wants to punish users or prevent users from
clicking through tests without working through the questions in the hope for receiving some
points by random, this setting may be helpful.
• Multiple Choice Questions
Multiple Choice Questions option in the ILIAS Scoring and Results test settings
If Score 0 Points for Unchecked Answers is selected, multiple choice questions without a selected check box
will be scored with zero points, otherwise every check box will be scored dependent to the predefined points.
This could be helpful if no negative points are defined for unchecked choices.
• Cut off Negative Points
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Cut off negative points option in the ILIAS Scoring and Results test settings
If Negative Question Points are cut off, the results for each question that a participant answers with a result of
less than zero points will be set to zero points.
If Negative Test Points are cut off, the results for the test will be set to zero points, if the sum of all question
results is less than zero points.
• Multiple Pass Scoring
Multiple pass scoring option in the ILIAS Scoring and Results test settings
If the last pass is scored, the last test pass of a participant will be used to calculate the test results.
If the best pass is scored, the test pass with the highest number of reached points will be chosen a test result.
This setting only has effect, if more than one test pass is allowed for a test.
• Instant Feedback
Instant feedback option in the ILIAS Scoring and Results test settings
If one of the options is selected, a Check button will be displayed under every question to retreive an instant
feedback for an answered question. The instant feedback information will be shown directly after a participant
clicked the Check button.
If Show Answer-Specific Feedback is selected, the predefined question feedback will be shown, depending on
the answers of the participant.
If Show Results (in points) is selected, the reached points will be shown.
If Show Solutions is selected, the correct solution will be shown.
• Test Results Presentation
Test Results Presentation option in the ILIAS Scoring and results test settings
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The test results presentation options have affect the presentation of the test results for the participants.
If Show Pass Details for running tests is selected, the pass overview with the question titles and the reached
points for every question in the test pass is available, prior to the final results output. If this option is not selected,
at the end of a test pass the participants only get an overview about the total points and the total percentage
they've reached during the test pass.
If Show Solutions in Test Results is selected, a detailed question solution is available for participants in the test
results presentation. This includes the exact scoring of every answer. The detailed question solution is available
by clicking on the title of the question in the results presentation.
If the List of Answers is selected, an overview of all questions with the answers of the participant is generated.
This list will be offered on the Info Page and at the end of a test prior to the final submission. It's a simple
overview of the participants results without any feedback, points etc. Only the answered questions will be shown
in this list. Skipped or unanswered questions will not be shown in the list of answers.
If Show Answer-Specific Feedback in Test Results is selected, any answer specific feedback (if defined) will be
shown in the test results next to the questions.
• Access to Test Results
Access to Test Results option in the ILIAS Scoring and Results test settings
This setting handles the access of the participants to their test results.
If results can be accessed after the test is finished, the participants can access their test results every time after
they finished a test pass.
If a date access restriction is selected, the participants will not be able to access their test results until the specified
date and time is reached. You must choose this option if you want to use the ECTS scoring system of if you
have to score questions manually.
If Always is selected, the participants can access their test results at any time even if the did not finish the test yet.
Mark schema
In the Mark schema settings tab you can define the mark output for the test.
Editing a mark schema
Every test comes with a mark schema to define a least the threshold when a test is failed and when it's passed.
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Editing a tests mark schema
1. If you have deleted all mark steps and you want to go back to the default mark schema which is created for every
new test, just press the Create simple mark schema button. This creates the simplest mark schema available
setting all tests with a minimum percentage of 50% of all reached points as passed and all other tests as failed.
2. Press the Create a new mark step button to create a new mark step for your mark schema. A mark step consists
of a short form, an official form, a minium percentage level which has to be reached to gain the mark and an
indicator if reaching the mark lets a user fail or pass the test.
3. The short form should be a short and pregnant description of the mark, like “A” or “1”.
4. The official form should be an official, human readable description of the mark, like “very good” or
“Excellent”.
5. The minimum level is the lowest percentage of the maximum available points for a test which qualifies a user
to reach the associated mark. If there is no higher percentage which is lower or equal the reached points of a
user, this is mark the user receives for completing the test.
6. If the passed state is checked, a user passed the test when he/she reached the mark. If the passed state is not
checked, a user failed the test when he/she reached the mark.
7. Press the Delete button to delete all checked mark steps from the mark schema. Keep in mind, that every test
needs at least one mark for failing and one mark for passing the test.
ECTS grades
When you have a test with a score reporting date, the test results will not shown to the learners until the score
reporting date is reached. Besides giving you a chance for a late creation of the mark schema this option allows
ILIAS to calculate ECTS grades from the complete set of users who passed the test.
If you are not familiar with the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation
System (ECTS) please refer to the ECTS pages of the European Commission
[http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/programmes/socrates/ects/index_en.html].
With score reporting enabled you can see the ECTS settings under your mark schema:
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The ECTS settings of a test
The ECTS settings comes with the standard ECTS percentiles. Nevertheless you are able to change these
percentiles if your test results differ from the standards or if you use a different percentiles in your institution.
To activate the output of ECTS grades for the learners just select the Show ECTS grade checkbox in the ECTS
settings and press the Save button.
If you want to use the ECTS FX grade please check the associated FX checkbox and enter an appropriate percentage
to reach the FX grade. Press the Save button to save your changes.
The ECTS grade will be shown to a participant in the test results section. It is also available for
the test author in the test statistics.
Certificate
In the Certificate settings tab you can define a custom certificate which will be offered to the participants as a
PDF file.
The certificate settings tab is only visible if the ILIAS Java Server is configured properly.
Otherwise PDF generation is not available.
The status of the certificate is shown on top of the certificate editor. If a certificate is complete, you may create
a preview of the certificate filled with dummy data and you may export your certificate data to import it into
another test.
Status of a valid test certificate
Exported certificates can be imported in the certificate editor using the import option in the Certificate tab.
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Editing an ILIAS test certificate
The following options are available in the certificate editor:
• Page Format
You must select a page format for your certificate. There are some predefined page formats you may choose:
• A4 (297 mm x 210 mm)
• A4 Landscape (210 mm x 297 mm)
• A5 (210 mm x 148 mm)
• A5 Landscape (148 mm x 210 mm)
• Letter (11 inch x 8.5 inch)
• Letter Landscape (8.5 inch x 11 inch)
• Custom
If you choose the custom format and press the Change button, you will get extra input fields to defined your
own page format.
• Background image
The certificate editor does not allow to use images in the certificates to reduce the complexity of the editor. In
order to enable you to put the corporate identity of your institution on the certificate it is possible to define a
background image for the certificate.
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To create a background image that covers the complete certificate, you have to use an image
with 72 dpi resolution and the width and height of your certificate. For an A4 certificate this
would be an image with a width of 595 pixels and a height of 842 pixels.
To upload the background image, press the Browse button, choose your image from your local hard drive and
press the Upload button.
If the background image is smaller than the certificate, it will be tiled and repeated in both, x and y direction.
• Top Padding
You must enter a top padding for your certificate text. The certificate text starts exactly after the top padding
from the top of the certificate. This may be useful, if the background image of your certificate contains a head
and a body. The top padding should be the distance from the top page border to the beginning of the body region.
You may use the following units of measure:
Table 4.1. Measurements

Unit Description
cm centimeter
mm millimeter
in inch
pt point (1 pt is the same as 1/72 inch)
pc pica (1 pc is the same as 12 points)
px pixels (a dot on the computer screen)
em 1em is equal to the current font size. 2em means 2 times the size of the current font. E.g., if an
element is displayed with a font of 12 pt, then '2em' is 24 pt.
• Body Margin
You must enter a body margin for your certificate text. The margin defines the space around the certificate text.
You may use the same units of measure as for the top padding.
• Certificate Text
Please enter the text for your certificate in the certificate text area. You may use HTML. Allowed HTML tags
are:
• strong for bold text
• em for ephasised text
• u for underlined text
• p for paragraphs
• font for font types
• li, ul, ol for ordered and unordered lists
• Visibility
Select one of the choices to define the visibility of the certificate for the test participants.
Visible certificates are available for the participants on the test info page.
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You may decide to offer certificates only for users who passed a test or you may turn off the visibility for all
test participants.
For personalized tests an author can generate the certificates for participants in the test statistics.
Besides the Microsoft Excel and CSV export it is possible to export user certificates as well.
Multiple certificates will be assembled and sent in a zip file.
Defaults
In the Defaults tab of the test settings you may save your test settings or apply test settings to your test.
ILIAS test defaults settings
To save the settings of your test, simply enter a name to represent these settings into the text field and press the
Add button.
The settings will be listed in the Available Test Defaults list under the text field. You can apply settings from
this list to every test which has not been started yet. To apply existing settings, select the checkbox next to the
settings you want to apply and press the Apply button.
To delete existing test settings, select the checkbox next to the settings you want to delete and press the Delete
button.
You can use the Defaults settings to define your own test templates. This reduces the recurring
work to define all the test settings for every new test.
Information
This tab page shows an information screen with all relevant settings of the test which a learner may be interested
in. The information screen could be reached from the repository pressing the Info button and for test authors as
well from the test edit mode using the Information tab.
For tests the information screen is also used as the introduction page when a learner is running a test. The
information screen is always the first page of the test when it is executed.
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Information screen of a test
1. When a user has read access to a test and he/she is allowed to execute a test, all buttons to access the test are
shown in the top section of the information screen. This could be a Start or Resume button, a button to Show
the Test Results, the Certificate button to download a test certificate, or a button to show the List of Answers.
2. The information screen itself contains all necessary information a user may want to know before he/she executes
the test.
3. When a user has read access to a test and he/she is allowed to execute a test some interactive elements may
appear as well. This could be a JavaScript setting to deactivate or activate the JavaScript support for matching
and ordering questions or to deactivate or activate the usage of answer values of a previous test pass as default
values in upcoming test passes.
Participants
The participants tab unifies the invitation of fixed participants and monitoring functionality to view the test passes
of all test participants.
Participants Data
In the Participants Data sub tab you can see a list of all test participants who have answered at least one test
question.
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Overview of the test participants
The list of participants contains the login and name of the participants (for personalized tests only), a checkmark
if the test was started and a checkmark if the test was finished (no other test pass available). It also contains the
date and time of the last test access of the participants.
The following operations are available in the test participants list:
• Detailed output of the test results
If you press the Show Test Results of a participant, you will get a detailed output of all test results of the
participant. This includes an overview of the test passes of the participant and a detailed output of every answered
question.
• Deleting results of participants
You can delete the test results of single participants by selecting the checkboxes next to the participants login
and press the Delete Test Data of the Selected Users button.
If you want to delete all results in the test, just press the Delete Test Data of All Users button.
• Overview of test passes
If you select the checkboxes next to the logins of one ore more test participants and press the Show Marked
Pass Overview button, you will get a print view of the result passes of every selected participant containing the
question titles, the maximum and reached points, and the mark of the result.
• Answers of result passes
If you select the checkboxes next to the logins of one ore more test participants and press the Show Users
Marked Answers button, you will get a print view of the result passes of every selected participant containing
the questions and participant answers, and the mark of the result.
If you have fixed participants invited to your test, the list of participants looks a bit different:
Overview of the fixed test participants
The fixed test participants are shown even if a participant has not started a test yet.
It is also possible to overwrite the default IP address settings for every participant by entering an IP address,
selecting the affected checkboxes and pressing the Save button. Participants with a fixed IP address have to use
a computer with the given IP address to run the test. Otherwise the access will be denied.
Fixed participants can be removed from the test by selecting the checkbox next to the login and pressing the
Remove as Fixed Participant button.
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Invite Fixed Participants

On this subtab you can enable the invitation of fixed participants for the test. If the invitation of fixed participants
is enabled, only invited users are able to run the test.
If the invitation is enabled, you will see a search field to invite users, groups or roles into the test.
Search and invite users to a test
Enter the name of the users, groups or roles you are looking for into the Search Term text field and press the
Search button.
To add the results of your search as test participants, simply select the checkboxes next to the results and press
the Add button. The users will then be added as fixed participants into the text. To view the fixed participants,
you have to open the Participants Data subtab.
Disabling the Allow fixed participants in this test checkbox will automatically remove all fixed
participants from the test. If some of these participants already started the test, they will remain
as normal test participants in the list of participants because test results will not be erased when
the invitation mode will be changed.
Export
In the export tab of a test you can see a list of all previously exported tests. You are able to manage that list and
to delete export files or create new exports. By clicking the Create export file button you can create an export
file of the test.
If you click the Export Test Results button, a CSV list of all participants will be generated, containing the name,
the reached points, the maximum available points, and the mark of the test.
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Test exports
When you click on the Download button, the checked export file will be downloaded to your local hard disk.
When you click the Delete button, all checked export files will be removed.
Don't rename the downloaded export files! ILIAS calculates the names of the contained XML files
from the filename. If you rename the file, the test cannot be imported to ILIAS.
Manual Scoring
The manual scoring tab gives you access to all answers of test participants which have to be scored manually. A
question which has to be scored manually is a question which cannot decide automatically how many points a
participant should get for his/her answers. By default these are only Essay questions in ILIAS.
To set the score for a question, you have to select the participant you want to assess from the combobox and press
the Select button.
ILIAS shows the pass overview for the selected participant. Select the pass in which you want to score questions
and press the Pass Details button to display all questions in this pass which require manual scoring.
Setting a score manually for a question
If manual scoreable questions exist, you will see the question, the participants results, and a text field to enter the
score for the question. Just enter the score and press the Change button to set the new score for a question.
Statistics
The test statistics gives you access to the complete results of the test. It is accessible only for test authors and users
with write permission for the test or for users with the Access to Test Statistics permission.
If you have sufficient permissions to open the test statistics, a Statistics button is shown in the repository for
every test.
Statistics button in the repository
When you open the test statistics, you may choose between two types of statistical evaluation:
• Evaluation for All Users
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• Aggregated Test Results
Evaluation for all users

The evaluation for all users lists an overview for the test results of all test participants.
Overview of the test evaluation for all users
The overview contains the name and the login of the participants if the test is personalized. It also contains the
reached points and mark for the test, the number of answered questions, and the working time.
To see the detailed statistics of a participant dataset, please click on the Show Detailed Evaluation button.
The detailed statistics contains all relevant statistical data for a participant dataset:
Statistical data of the detailed test statistics for a participant
The detailed statistics also contains the the question results for every test pass, containing the question title and
the reached points.
Question resuls for a test pass in the detailed test statistics
Filtering
The statistical data could be filtered. You may enter the name of the part of the name of a participant to show
only the matching datasets.
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You may also decide to view only the data of the passed tests. Just select the Passed tests only checkbox to set
this filter.
To activate the filter options, press the Set Filter button. To remove the filter, press the Reset Filter button.
Exporting
The statistical data could be exported by clicking the Export button on top of the page.
The export data could be stored in multiple formats. Choose the format from the associated drop-down list before
you start the export.
If the ILIAS Java Server is configured correctly and you are using a certificate in your test, you may choose the
Certificate (PDF) format for export. This allows you to generate the certificates for the shown participants.
The export function uses the display filter. To export the statistical data of all test participants, you
have to assure that the output filter is not activated.
Aggregated test results
Aggregated test results
The aggregated test results sum up some statistical variables for the total number of test participants. These
variables are:
• Total number of persons who started the test: Every time a participant presses the Start test button on the
information screen, this value will be increased by one.
• Total finished tests: This is the number of users who finished the test using the Finish the test button, which
means, that these users usually have worked through every question of the test.
• Average test processing time: This is the average time one user needed to work through the test. The processing
time for a user is the sum of actions which take part between two measuring points. These points are starting a
test, pressing one of the test buttons offered (like previous, next, summary etc.) or suspending the test. Due to
the restrictions of the HTTP protocol for web pages it is not possible to create a correct measurement so please
use these values with caution.
• Total passed tests: The number of all tests with a total number of points which is greater or equal the percentage
the author defined to pass the test. Even a user who did not finish the test (which means that he/she did not work
through all questions) may pass the test.
• Average points of passed tests: The average number of total points for all users who passed the test.
• Average processing time of all passed tests: The same as the average test processing time, but only measured
for all users who passed the test.
There is also an aggregated list of the average reached points for every question used in the test:
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Average reached points for all questions used in the test
History
The history page lists all changes made to the test object if the Test & Assessment Logging is activated in the
Test & Assessment administration settings.
History of changes of the test
Permissions
Permission for tests can be configured with the following RBAC settings:
Table 4.2. Test permissions

Permission Description
Delete Test Users with that permission are able to delete the test when it is displayed in the
repository
Read access to Test Users need that permission to watch the contents of a test in edit mode
Test is visible Users need that permission to see the test in the repository
Edit Test Users need that permission to create a test and edit the content of a test (edit test
properties, add questions, edit marks, export the test etc.)
Access to Test Statistics Users need that permission to get access to the test statistics. If a user has write
permission to the test he/she has access to the test statistics too.
Taking a test
You only need to work through this chapter if you are a learner in ILIAS and you are allowed to
take a test.
To take a test you need at least the following permissions in the Test section of the ILIAS role based access control
system:
• Test is visible
• Read access to Test
In some cases it may be necessary that the test author invites you as a fixed participant to the test. In any case you
will get an error message with an explanation if you are not allowed to take a test.
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Starting a test
When you have sufficient permissions to take a test you could click on the test title or the Info link on the right
side of the test to display the test information page.
Takeable tests in the repository
The test information page provides you with all necessary informations about the test (its type, an introduction
text, restrictions, working time etc.). If you have sufficient permissions to start the test, a Start the test button is
shown on the top of the information page.
If you already started the test and you did not finished the test completely, a Resume test button is shown instead
of the Start the test button.
Test information page
To enter the test, just click the Start the test or the Resume test button.
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Starting an anonymous test
Even as an anonymous user without an user account in ILIAS you are able to take tests in the public sections of
ILIAS. If you have the sufficient permissions to start the test, the following page will appear after pressing the
Start the Test button:
Access code page after anonymous test start
You are strongly encouraged to write down the access code. You could use it to resume the test:
Resuming an anonymous test
If you enter your access code in the text field on the test introduction page and press the Submit button, you are
able to resume the test.
If you are in the same web browser session as you were when you started the anonymous test, you
do not need to enter the access code.
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Actions during a test
Typical screen during a test
1. The actual question is shown in the center of the screen (usually marked with a vertical red bar on the left)
2. The position in the test is shown at the beginning of the question title. The position is indicated using the text
"Question x of y" where x is the position of the actual question and y is the total amount of questions in the test.
3. The << Previous button saves your input and goes back to the previous question.
If you are on the first question of the test a << Go to Introduction button is shown instead of the << Previous
button. Your input will be saved and you will be taken back to the test information page.
4. The List of Questions button opens a list of all questions in the test. From the list of questions screen you are
able to jump directly to every question of the test.
5. If you are allowed to postpone questions, the Postpone Question button is visible and allows you to postpone
the actual question to the end of the test. Your question input will be saved.
6. The Next >> button saves your input and goes forward to the next question
If you are on the last question of the test a Finish the Test >> button is shown instead of the Next >> button.
Your input will be saved and your test pass will be finished. If you finish your last possible test pass, an
additional request is made to give you the opportunity to go back and correct some errors.
7. The Check button offers an instant feedback to the answered question, if instant feedback is activated for the
test. Otherwise this button is not visible. The amount of feedback depends on the instant feedback configuration
for the test.
8. At the bottom of a question you will find the same interaction elements as on the top. This is just a help for
test questions which are larger than your browser window to access the navigation buttons without scrolling
back to the top.
9. If question marking is available for the test, a Mark this Question button is shown on the top of the page,
otherwise the button is not available. You may use this button to set a marker for the question. The marker may
indicate, that you have to look at the question again, that you solved the question, that you did not solve the
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question, or anything else that you have in mind by marking a question. If a question is marked, you can see
the question marker instead of the button.
10.If you are running a test with a maximum processing time or a fixed ending time, you will get an overview
of the time left for you to finish the test. If you have JavaScript enabled in your web browser, the time will
count down in real time.
11.The Suspend the test link allows you to suspend the test when you click on the link. You can resume the test at
any time. Your input for the actual question will not be saved if you suspend the test!
Please be aware of the fact that in time controlled tests you may not have sufficient time to
suspend the test and resume it later on. Under these circumstances, it may be possible that the
test cannot be resumed.
List of Questions
The list of questions is shown during the test if the List of Questions button was pressed. The visibility of the List
of Questions button depends on the test settings of the test author.
List of questions view during the test
1. The sequence number of the question
2. The question title and the question description. If you click on the question title you will be redirected to that
question.
3. The number of available points for the question
4. Your working status of the question. A question is marked as answered when you entered at least one value
or answer to the question.
The answered status does not give any information on the correctness of your answer!
5. If a question is marked, the marker symbol is shown.
6. The text will be shown to indicate that a question was postponed.
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7. The Back button could be used to return to the question where the List of Questions button was pressed.
8. The Finish the Test button could be used to finish the test. It's the same button that is used with the last question
of the test.
Finishing the test

When you finish a test you will not be able to enter the test again when you completed the maxium number of test
passes. Depending on the test settings, you may be able to see your test results directly after finishing the test. If
you are not able to enter the test results instantly, a button Show Test Results will be shown at the proper time
on the test information page.
If you are taking a test with a limited number of available test passes, you will be asked for your confirmation if
you want to finish the last available test pass.
The confirmation screen when a test is about to be finished
Test results
To access the results of your test, you have to click the Show Test Results button on the test information page.
The test results always contain the name of the participant, the last access date of the test, the actual date (print
date) and the reached mark.
If you finished a test with multiple test passes, the result output will start with an overview
Pass overview of the test results
If you click the Pass Details button, you will get a results overview of the selected test pass.
If the test has only one test pass, you will not get the pass overview and start directly with the test results overview.
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Test results overview for a test pass
The test results overview shows the reached points for every question and the points for the complete test pass.
If there are suggested solutions for the questions a suggested solution link will be shown on the right side of the
question title.
If you have the sufficient permissions, you can click on the question title to see the correct solution of the question.
A list of your answers is always shown after the overview of the test results.
You may use the Print button to create a printout of your test results. If the ILIAS Java Server is configured
correct, you may also use the PDF Export button to export your test results as PDF.
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Chapter 5. Advanced assessment
editing
TinyMCE editor
With the TinyMCE editor enabled in the settings, and with Javascript turned on in Microsoft Internet Explorer,
Mozilla Firefox or Opera 9 you may edit some in ILIAS in a WYSIWYG way using XHTML tags.
This section gives you a short introduction to the features of TinyMCE. To get a more detailed information, please
refer to the TinyMCE web site [http://tinymce.moxiecode.com/].
TinyMCE editor
If you drag the bottom right corner of the editor window you are able to resize the editor window horizontally
and vertically.
The status line of the editor window shows the exact HTML path at the current position. For example: Path:
ul >> li stands for a list item in an unordered list.
Wheather TinyMCE editor is enabled or not and which editor functions are available in test &
assessment depends on the advanced editing settings in the ILIAS administration.
If the TinyMCE editor is enabled in the administration, you are able to switch between the TinyMCE editor and
a standard text area on all pages where the TinyMCE editor could be used.
Switch to enable/disable the TinyMCE editor
The edit mode swith appears on the top of the page and is valid for all TinyMCE enabled text areas on the page.
Select the edit mode you want to use and press the Set Edit Mode button.
ILIAS will remember the edit mode when you open a new page.
Please save all your page content before you change the edit mode, otherwise all changes made
on the page will get lost.
68
Advanced assessment editing
Text formatting
TinyMCE may contain the following text formatting options:
69
Symbol Text Description
Bold
Table 5.1. TinyMCE Changes
text formatting the selected text to bold text
options
Italic Changes the selected text to italic text
Underline Changes the selected text to underlined text
Strikethrough Changes the selected text to strikethrough text
Subscript Changes the selected text to subscript
Superscript Changes the selected text to superscript
Insert custom character Opens a new window to insert a custom character
Citation Marks the selected text as citation
Insert/Edit link Insert/Edit a link for the selected text
Unlink Remove the selected link from the text
Insert/Edit anchor Insert/Edit an anchor at the current text position
LaTeX Marks the selected text as LaTeX code
70
Paragraph formatting
TinyMCE may contain the following paragraph formatting options:
Table 5.2. TinyMCE paragraph formatting options

Align left Aligns the current paragraph to the left
Align center Aligns the current paragraph to the middle
Align right Aligns the current paragraph to the right
Align full Uses block text for the current paragraph
Block format selection Adds the selected block format to the current paragraph. This
could be a heading, a paragraph, a code format, a div format or a
preformatted format.
Horizontal ruler Adds a horizontal ruler at the current position
Unordered list Adds the selected paragraphs to an unordered list
Ordered list Adds the selected paragraphs to an ordered list
Indent Indents the selected paragraph using non breaking spaces
Outdent Removes an identation with non breaking spaces from the current
paragraph
Editing images
TinyMCE may contain the following image editing options:
71

Edit/insert image Edits/inserts an image URL at the current position
Image editor window to edit/insert an image URL

Image manager Edit/insert an image using an image upload from the local hard disk
into the ILIAS system
Image manager window
Table functions
TinyMCE may contain the following table editing options:
72

Insert table Inserts a new table
Table row properties Displays a window with the properties of the selected table row
Table cell properties Displays a window with the properties of the selected table cell
Insert row before Inserts a table row before the current table row
Insert row after Inserts a table row after the current table row
Delete table row Deletes the current table row
Insert table column before Inserts a table column before the current table column
Insert table column after Inserts a table column after the current table column
Delete table column Deletes the current table column
Split table cells Splits the selected table cells
Merge table cells Merges the selected table cells
Editing functions
TinyMCE may contain the following general editing options:

Undo Undo the last action
Redo Redo the last action
Toggle fullscreen mode Toggle the fullscreen mode. If you need more space to edit the
content, just toggle the fullscreen mode to open a new fullscreen
window which only contains the TinyMCE editor. If you toggle the
fullscreen mode again, you are back in your ILIAS window.
Edit HTML Source Opens a window to edit the HTML source code of the text area
content. This should only be used by advanced users.
73

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Test & Assessment Documentation

Published June 2007

Numeric questions ............................................................................................................... 34

• Self assessment tests

• Java applet questions

• Multiple choice questions with multiple response (“Multiple choice”)

• Multiple choice questions with single response (“Single choice”)

• Text subset questions

• Question Pool for Test is visible

• Read access to Question Pool for Test

• Edit Question Pool for Test

Question list of a question pool

Creating a question pool

Create a question pool in the repository

Adding a question pool to an ILIAS container

A question pool in the repository

Click on the question pool title to edit the question pool.

Elements of a question pool

Question browser of a question pool

Creating and importing questions

Import one or more questions

Filtering in the question browser

Editing questions in the question browser

2. Click on Edit to modify an existing question

Question pool properties

Question pool properties

The following question pool properties can be set:

Exporting the question pool

The following file types could be created:

• QTI XML file

• Microsoft Excel file

Question pool export

Table 2.1. Question pool permissions

• Java applet questions

• Multiple choice questions with multiple response (“Multiple choice”)

• Multiple choice questions with single response (“Single choice”)

• Text subset questions

General question design

• question title (obligatory)

• question text (obligatory)

• estimated working time

Properties common to all question types

Question edit modes

Content editing view of a question

Edit buttons in the properties form

Example of a cloze question (mixed text, numeric, and select gaps)

Create a cloze question

Edit form to create a cloze question

Example 3.1. Example for a cloze gap

An example for an initial cloze text could be:

Germany or the [gap]Federal[/gap] Republic of Germany (German: Deutschland or

Germany is a democratic federal parliamentary nation, made up of [gap]16[/gap] federal s

Edit text gaps

Edit form of a text gap

Scoring variations for text gaps

Text gap rating in cloze questions

• Case insensitive text comparison (default)

• Case sensitive text comparison

• Levenshtein distance comparison with a Levenshtein distance of 1

• Levenshtein distance comparison with a Levenshtein distance of 2

• Levenshtein distance comparison with a Levenshtein distance of 3

• Levenshtein distance comparison with a Levenshtein distance of 4

• Levenshtein distance comparison with a Levenshtein distance of 5