The Quiz Tool

The following is a transcription of the WebCT Orientation Video "The Quiz Tool ."

Segment 5 – The Quiz Tool

Many instructors use the WebCT tool to give online tests, quizzes or exams.  It is important to know about some of the features of the quiz tool before you take your first exam.

Let’s talk first about the ethics of test taking in an online course.  Your instructor includes tests and quizzes in the class in order to help assess how well you are mastering the materials, and to know how to assist you in learning the content of the course.  It is important that you view these assessments as more than just a grade, but also as a learning tool to help you see your own progress in the course.  Therefore, it is essential that you adhere to the Academic Honesty guidelines outlined in the NWACC Student Handbook.  You should also know that some teachers will choose to have their online tests administered in the college’s Testing Center or at another location, but your teacher will inform you well in advance if this is the case.

Let’s look now at the Quiz tool.  Remember, your teacher may call it something else in your course – such as exams, tests, or assessments – but the basic tool functions will remain the same.

When you enter the Quiz tool, you will see a list of the assessments your teacher has prepared.  Here we see only two quizzes, but your course will most likely contain several more. 

For each quiz, you will see some very important information here.  The first is the dates between which you can take the test.  Notice that Quiz 1 is available now, as shown by the small pencil icon located to the left of the quiz title.  It is very important that you keep an eye on these dates, because once the availability period has passed, you will not be able to take the test.

The second piece of information you will see here is the duration of the quiz.  This is the amount of time your teacher has allowed for you to take the test.  It is important to know that WebCT will allow you to continue to answer questions even after the specified time period has ended, but questions answered after that time will not be counted toward your score.  So it is important to keep an eye on the time in order to complete the test before the time runs out.

Your instructor may also allow you to take a test more than once, which will be shown here as “attempts allowed”.  And your score will be shown here once the test is completed, graded, and released.

To enter the actual test, click on the test title.  This will take you to a page that contains helpful instructions for the test.  Please be sure to read through this information prior to beginning your first WebCT assessment.

To begin the test, click on the Begin Quiz button.  You will notice at the top right the count-down clock showing the time remaining for the test.  At the top of the screen is some basic information about the assessment, including the number of questions the test contains. 

Depending on how your instructor has set up the quiz, you may see all the test questions listed here, or they may be given to you one at a time.  Either way, you will see a grid on the right that shows the number of questions and their status -- either answered, unanswered, or answered but not saved.  It is very important that, after answering each question, you save the answer using the Save Answer button.  As you can see, the status of the question changes in the right-hand box when you click on the Save Answer button.  Again, it is very important that you save the answer for each individual question as you move through the test.

When you have answered all the test questions, you must click on the FINISH button at the end of the test.  If you have not answered some of the questions, WebCT will prompt you to return to the test and enter your responses. You may also be given the opportunity to change your answers if desired.  Remember, you need to click on Save Answer after every change for each question.  When you are ready, click on Finish at the end of the test.  WebCT will ask you to confirm your submission, and a success message will show. 

Depending on how your instructor has set up the test, you may or may not be able to see your test results immediately.  In this case, I can click on the VIEW RESULTS button to review my answers and the correct responses for each question.  Be aware that if your teacher includes essay questions in the test, the final score will not be released until your instructor grades those questions. 

After you have taken a test and the score has been released, you can also return to the page listing the quizzes to see your scores under the View Scores button, Your teacher may also show your test scores under the My Grades link generally located on the Homepage of the course. 

This concludes the section on the WebCT Quiz Tool.  In the next section, we will talk about some of the other important features of WebCT.

Go to Segment 6

For questions/comments on this content, please e-mail dl@nwacc.edu.