On this tab, enter the items and choices, how they match up together, and the instructions for matching them. The learner's task is to correctly match the choices to the items. You specify which choices go with which items. Up to three choices can be matched to each item.
Question Parts List
Note the identifying labels in the leftmost column of each row in the list: "Instruction", "Item 1", etc. Each row represents a part of the question. When you select a row, the full contents of that question part appear in the bottom panel, where you can edit the part.
Tip: Double-clicking on a row conveniently moves the cursor into the bottom editing panel, for editing the part.
Instructions
The matching instructions are the "question stem" for a matching question. Enter instructions for the learner. Here are some examples:
•Match each item to the corresponding choice(s). There could be more than one choice per item. Not every choice is necessarily used.
•For each item, enter the letter(s) of the matching choice(s) in the blanks provided.
•For each part indicated on the diagram of a gate valve, identify its function from the list below. Functions can be used more than once, but you can indicate only one function per part.
Items & Choices
The item rows are colored blue to help distinguish them from the choices, in the adjacent list. This color is not an attribute of the actual item text, but merely the color of the list row. The choice rows are colored green to help distinguish them from the items, in the adjacent list. This color is not an attribute of the actual choice text, but merely the color of the list row. When a matching question appears on a test, the items and choices appear below the instructions, with the items on the left and the choices on the right.
Items List
When first created, a matching question initially doesn't have any items; items are created by clicking the New button, just below the list.
•New Item: Click here to create a new item. Type the item text in the panel below.
•Delete Item: Click here to delete the item selected above. The button is disabled if no item is selected.
•Move Item: Move the selected item up or down in the list above. The up/down buttons are disabled if no item is selected.
Points and Scoring
Enter the point value for the item selected in the list above (VISION enters 1 by default). The point value can have up to two decimal places, such as 2.25. If the Instructions row is selected above, rather than an item row, then the Points box shows the question's total point value.
Each item on the list should have a point value, as VISION will take the sum of these values for the overall point value of the question. For example, if a matching question has four items, each worth one point, the question will be worth four points total. This may make a matching question worth many more points than any other individual question on a test, so be sure to take that into account when creating these questions. If you wanted to make this matching question worth only one point total, you could assign 0.25 points to each item.
Note that, if one item has a point value of 2.5 and another item has a value of 0 (zero) points, VISION will still allow this question to be selected on a test, because its total value is nonzero. It is up to you to make sure each item has a valid point value.
Choices List
Choices
When first created, a matching question initially doesn't have any choices; choices are created by clicking the New button, just below the list.
•New Choice: Click here to create a new choice. Type the choice text in the panel below.
•Delete Choice: Click here to delete the choice selected above. The button is disabled if no choice is selected.
•Move Choice: Move the selected choice up or down in the list above. The up/down buttons are disabled if no choice is selected.
•Shuffle Choice: Rearranges all choices in a randomized order. The button is disabled if no choice is selected.
Defining Matches
Click on an item in the Items list. Then check up to three Choices for that item. (The checkboxes are enabled only when an item is selected.) That establishes the "answer" for each item. The same choice can be matched to up to three items.
If you are using this question in the VISION Learning Station, you can only match one choice to one item. Any choices matched to more than one item will not be included in the question).
Question Part Editor
This panel shows the contents of whichever question part was last selected from the two lists above. Here is where you write or edit the question parts.
Note that the label for this panel (just above the panel's top-left corner) indicates which part currently appears here.
When you have finished editing a question part in this panel, there is no button to click to save your changes to that part. Eventually, of course, you will need to click the OK button to save all the changes you made to this question while its workscreen was open. But while you are still editing the question, you can safely select a different list row, above, without losing edits you made to the previously selected row.
Answer Explanation
Optionally explain, justify, or clarify why the answer is what it is. VISION does not require an entry in this field. The answer explanation can be presented to instructors or learners through reports or through the VISION Learning Station.
See also the following Advisor topic: Guidelines for writing matching questions
