Comparing online assessment tools
Here at the University of Leeds we provide two main tools for the online delivery of assessments - Questionmark Perception and Blackboard. Which tool is right for you depends on the requirements that you have for your assessment.
Use the following comparison table to help you decide which assessment tool most closely matches your needs:
| Function | Description | Available in Questionmark? |
Available in Blackboard? |
Notes |
| Question Types | ||||
| Drag-and-drop | The participant clicks and drags images into position. The feedback and score is dependant upon the final position of the images. | Y |
N |
|
| Essay | The participant answers by typing a large amount of text | Y |
Y |
|
| Explanation | Not actually a 'question type'; but can be used to display large bodies of text at various points throughout the assessment. | Y |
N |
|
| File Upload | Enables participants to upload their documents. | Y |
Y |
Known as 'File Response' in Blackboard |
| Fill in blanks | The participant is presented with a statement where one or more words are missing and completes the missing words. | Y |
Y |
Blackboard also has 'Fill in Multiple Blanks' available |
| Hotspot | The participant clicks on a picture to indicate their choice | Y |
Y |
|
| Knowledge Matrix | presents several multiple-choice questions together where the participant selects one choice for each statement or question presented | Y |
N |
|
| Likert scale | The participant selects one of several options such as "strongly agree" through "strongly disagree" that are weighted with numbers to aid analysis of the results. | Y |
Y |
Called 'Opinion Scale/Likert' in Blackboard |
| Macromedia Flash | Instructors can create customized items using Flash and have the results recorded within the answer database | Y |
N |
|
| Matching | Two series of statements/words are presented and the participant must match items from one list to items within the other list. | Y |
Y |
|
| Multiple choice | The participant selects one choice from a large number of possible answers | Y |
Y |
|
| Multiple response | Similar to multiple choice except the participant is not limited to choosing one response; he/she can select none, one or more of the choices offered. | Y |
Y |
Called 'Multiple Answer' in Blackboard |
| Numeric/Calculated numeric | The participant is prompted to enter a numeric value, and this may be scored as one value for an exact answer and another score if the response is within a range, or have a range of accepted values with the same score. | Y |
Y |
|
| Calculated Formula | This question asks for numeric answers which are not specified as numbers but as folrmula with variables, which have new vales each time the question is deployed | N |
Y |
|
| Pull-down list | A series of statements are presented and the participant can match
these statements with a pull-down list. |
Y |
N |
|
| Ranking | A list of choices must be ranked numerically with duplicate matches not allowed | Y |
Y |
Called 'Ordering' in Blackboard |
| Captivate/RoboDemo | Instructors can create simulations that can provide scoring information for multiple interactions and have the results recorded within the answer database | Y |
N |
|
| Select a Blank | The participant is presented with a statement where a word is missing; words can be selected from a pull-down list to indicate their answer | Y |
N |
|
| Spoken Response | Assessments can record a participant's voice as the answer to a question. | Y |
N |
|
| Survey Matrix | This question type enables you to include multiple rows of Likert questions within a table with column headers included. | Y |
N |
|
| Text Match | The participant enters their answer and this is graded based on an set of 'acceptable' responses are defined by the instructor. | Y |
N |
|
| True/False or Yes/No etc | The participant selects 'true' or 'false'/'yes' or 'no' etc in response
to the question. |
Y |
Y |
In Blackboard, this is possible using the Either/or Question, choosing from possible answers of Yes/No, True/False, Right/Wrong and Agree/Disagree. The latter two options are not available in Questionmark. |
| Audio file | Questions can include audio resources | Y |
Y |
Possible in Blackboard using HTML editor? |
| Video File | Questions can include video resources | Y |
Y |
Possible in Blackboard using HTML editor? |
| Images | Questions can include images | Y |
Y |
In Blackboard, requires HTML knowledge to align? |
| Jumbled sentence | Participants pick from several drop down lists to order the options | N |
Y |
|
| Other features | ||||
| Different View options | For example, vertical, horizontal (where suitable), randomising of choices | Y |
Y |
|
| Partial Grading | There are a number of possible scores for a particular question, depending on the exact answer given | Y |
Y |
|
| Save as You Go | The ability to save answers while the assessment is being taken, and before the participant clicks on 'submit' | Y |
Y |
|
| Randomly Select from Topic | The ability to randomly select questions from various topics when building an assessment | Y |
Y |
Not straightforward to do this in Blackboard |
| Add text in between questions | Y |
N |
This can be achieved using the 'Explanation' type question in Questionmark | |
| Giving general feedback | e.g. 'Thank you for taking my survey' | Y |
N |
May be possible in Blackboard using adaptive release |
| Previewing of content | Easy access to preview facility during creation | Y |
N |
|
| Rich reporting | Powerful reporting and statistical analysis | Y |
N |
|
| Security | Very secure - recommended for summative assessments | Y |
N |
Questionmark is considered the more secure option, in particular due to the 'secure browser' facility |
| HTML editing | HTML editing of questions once created | Y |
N |
|
| Assessment displayed within Blackboard | Is the assessment shown within the same browser instance as Blackboard? | N |
Y |
For Questionmark assessments, a separate browser is opened to display the assessment. |
| Adaptive branching | Participants can be presented with different questions based on previous answers | Y |
N |
|
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