The following FAQs may help to answer your question on WebVista 3 Assessment settings. For a more detailed look at using the assessment tool visit the University Technology Training Center page and download the pdf file of our UTTC WebVista 3: Assessments class manual.
Assessment Setting Options
What does the Dates Available setting mean?
The Dates Available setting refers to the dates and time that the assessment component will be available to begin the assessment. Once the assessment has been started, then the Duration and Answer Submission settings take effect.
Figure 1: A screenshot of the Dates Available option
What does the Duration setting mean?
The Duration setting is used for a timed assessment. You can specify the timed length in minutes, hours, or days.
Figure 2: A screenshot of the Duration option
When does a timed assessment begin and end?
The test duration begins when a student selects Begin Assessment and stops when s/he selects Finish.
What setting determines which assessment results the student will be able to view?
The choices made in the Results Setting determine what assessment items the student will be able to view once the Student Score is released. Choices include:
- assessment total score,
- individual question scores,
- question titles,
- question text,
- student responses,
- evaluation of the student's response,
- question feedback,
- the correct answers values/percentages of points for the correct answer, and
- grader comments.
Figures 3—5: A screenshot (top) of the Results Settings options as they appear to an instructor; a screenshot (middle) of how an assessment question will appear to students based on these settings; and a screenshot (bottom) of how an assessment score will appear to students based on these settings (the numbers in the bubbles on the bottom two screenshots correspond to the numbers of the options listed in the top screenshot)
Which setting affects students' ability to see the results?
Students' ability to view assessment scores and results is tied to a positive Student Score Release setting, not the Dates Available setting. Once an assessment has been submitted and graded and the results have been released, then a student can access the results even if the assessment link is not available because the Dates Available is past.
Figure 6: A screenshot of the Student Score Release options
Saving and Submitting Assessments
Should students SAVE answers as they go along, or just SAVE ALL at the end?
Students should both SAVE after answering each question and SAVE ALL when they reach the end of the assessment.
Figure 7: A screenshot of the Assessment tool save options as they appear to students
If the time allowed for the test Duration expires, and the Assessment Setting, Disallow Answer Submission If Time Has Expired, is selected, a student will not be allowed to Save any more answers, but s/he will be allowed to Finish and submit the test questions they have already Saved. This is a strong reason to recommend that students SAVE answers throughout the duration of the assessment.
If a student tries to Save an answer after Time Has Expired, and the Assessment Setting has selected Disallow Answer Submission If Time Has Expired, they will receive the warning Time Has Expired, Unable to Save Answer. They should select OK and submit the Assessment they have completed to that point.
Can a student submit an assessment if the time has expired?
If Time Has Expired and an assessment is not finished, students will be allowed to select the Finish button and submit the assessment and any Saved answers. If there are unanswered questions, they will receive the warning You Have Not Answered Question(s) #. Submit The Assessment Anyway?
If they are not allowed to submit answers after time has expired they should select OK and submit the Assessment they have completed to that point. If they are allowed to submit answers after time has expired they may select Cancel and continue Saving answers until they select Finish and submit the assessment.
How will the instructor know if the assessment was submitted after time expired?
If the assessment settings allow submission after the time has expired, the Time Log will mark in red any answers submitted after the expired time. The time to complete the assessment also is visible in the Time column from the Assessment Submissions page for any Attempt.
If the assessment setting has chosen a Duration of Unlimited, then Disallow Answer Submission If Time Has Expired has no influence on the submission of the assessment.
Figure 8: A screenshot of the Time Log window
Visibility and Accessibility of Assessments
What would affect a student's ability to view an assessment component?
There are three items that could affect why an assessment component would not be visible to students on an Organizer Page, a Learning Module listing, or as an Action Menu item:
- In the Assessments Tool there is an Availability setting for each assessment. If the Availability is set to Yes, the component will be visible. If the Availability is set to No, the assessment component will be Hidden and students will not see the component.
Figure 9: A portion of a screenshot of the Availability setting (see the entire screenshot)
The Dates Available setting in the assessment's settings do not include the day the student is looking for the assessment component. See Figure 1 above. - There could also be Selective Release criteria on an assessment component which has not been met yet and which would keep the item hidden.
Figure 10: A portion of a screenshot of the Selective Release setting (see the entire screenshot)
How does Selective Release affect the visibility of an assessment?
Selective Release effects whether the link to the assessment component is visible or not. If the Selective Release criteria are met, and the assessment Availability selection is Yes, then the link will be visible.
What would affect the accessibility of an assessment?
A student's ability to access an assessment component depends on the Dates Available setting and Selective Release criteria for each individual assessment. If either of those items is not met the student will not see the assessment component on an Organizer Page, a Learning Module list, or as an Action Menu Item. A student may see the component in the Assessment tool if he or she meets the Selective Release criteria, but only will be able to access it if he or she also meets the Dates Available criteria.
A screenshot of how a student would see an assessment component if he or she met the Selective Release criteria
The assessment appears in the Assessment tool but students cannot access the assessment. Why?
In the Assessment tool look at the Start and End dates and times in the Availability column. The link to that assessment only will be available during that assessment's Start and End dates and times.
A screenshot of how a student would see an assessment component during specified Start and End dates
Releasing and Viewing Assessment Results
Why wouldn't a student see his or her results after completing an assessment?
A student can see the score and/or results of am assessment only if the Student Score Release setting is set to allow display of the results. In the assessment settings there are two choices that would release the results for student viewing:
- "Release the score once the assessment has been submitted" or
- "Release the score once the assessment has been submitted and all of the questions have been graded."
See Figure 1 above. If one of these is selected, when the assessment is completed, the assessment score and results will be released as specified in the Results Settings. The instructor also can manually release the score and results from the Grade Book by clicking the Column Settings button and then changing the Released to Students option to Yes.
How do the assessment settings influence the grade book column settings for releasing results?
In the Assessment Setting the Student Score Release marking is tied to the Grade Book Column Settings.
- "Release the score once the assessment has been submitted" will set the Grade Book Column Release setting to Yes.
- "Release the score once the assessment has been submitted and all of the questions have been graded" will set the Grade Book Column Release setting to Yes.
- "Do not release the score" will set the Grade Book Column Release setting to No.
How does the instructor manually release the score and results?
To keep the results hidden until the full class has completed an assessment:
- Choose "Do not release the score" under Student Score Release in the Assessment Settings. See Figure 1 above.
- Select the Column Settings button in the Grade Book.
- Change the Released to Students option to Yes for that column and item.
A screenshot of a Grade Book with the Released to Students option changed to "Yes" in the first two columns