7.26.2. Create an Open Response Assessment Assignment

Creating an open response assessment is a multi-step process. Each step is covered in detail below.

For more information about the components of an open response assessment, see Open Response Assessments. For information about viewing metrics and learner responses for released open response assessments, see Accessing Assignment and Learner Metrics.

7.26.2.1. Step 1. Create the Component

To create the component for your open response assessment, complete these steps.

  1. In Studio, open the unit where you want to create the open response assessment.
  2. Under Add New Component, select Problem, select the Advanced tab, and then select Peer Assessment.
  3. In the Problem component that appears, select Edit.

Note

After you publish an ORA assignment, you can no longer change the structure of the rubric or the point values associated with each criterion in the rubric. If you correct typographical errors in the text of the rubric, only learners who have not yet started the assignment will see the corrections. However, you can modify due dates and the weight of the ORA assignment after you publish an ORA assignment.

7.26.2.2. Step 2. Add Prompts

To add prompts, or questions, complete these steps.

  1. In the open response assessment component editor, select the Prompt tab.
  2. Add the text of your question in the text field. Replace any default text if necessary.
  3. Select Add a Prompt to add another prompt in the problem.

7.26.2.2.1. Add Formatting or Images to a Prompt

Currently, you cannot add text formatting or images inside the Peer Assessment component. To include formatting or images within the text of a prompt, you can add an HTML component that contains your text above the Peer Assessment component, and leave the text field in the Prompt tab blank. The instructions for the peer assessment still appear above the Your Response field.

A peer assessment that has an image in an HTML component

7.26.2.2.2. Allow Learners to Submit Images (optional)

To allow learners to submit an image with a response, complete these steps.

  1. In the open response assessment component editor, select the Settings tab.
  2. For Allow Image Responses, select True.

Note

  • The image file must be a .jpg or .png file, and it must be smaller than 5 MB in size.
  • Currently, course teams cannot see any of the images that learners submit. Images are not visible in the body of the assignment in the courseware, and they are not included in the course data package.
  • You can allow learners to upload an image, but you cannot require it.
  • Learners can only submit one image with each response.
  • All responses must contain text. Learners cannot submit a response that contains only an image.

7.26.2.3. Step 3. Add the Rubric

In this step, you add your rubric and provide your learners with feedback options. You add one rubric for each problem, regardless of the number of prompts in the problem.

For each step below, replace any default text with your own text.

Note

All open response assessments include a feedback field below the rubric so that learners can provide written feedback on a peer’s overall response. You can also allow or require learners to provide feedback for individual criteria. See step 2.4 below for instructions. For more information, see Feedback Options.

To add the rubric, complete these steps.

  1. In the open response assessment component editor, select the Rubric tab.
  2. In the first Criterion section, enter the name and prompt text of your first criterion.
  3. In the first Option section, enter the name, explanation, and point value for the first option.
  4. In the next Option section, enter the name, explanation, and point value for the next option.
  5. Repeat step 4 for each option. If you need to add more options, select Add Option.
  6. Next to Feedback for This Criterion, select a value in the dropdown list.
    • If you do not want learners to provide feedback for this individual criterion, select None.
    • If you want to require learners to provide feedback, select Required.
    • If you want to allow learners to provide feedback, but not require it, select Optional.
  1. Follow the instructions in steps 2-6 to add your remaining criteria. If you need to add more criteria, select Add Criterion at the end of the list of criteria.
  2. Include instructions for learners to provide overall written feedback on their peers’ responses. You can leave the default text in the Feedback Instructions field or replace it with your own text.

Note

After you publish an ORA assignment, you can no longer change the structure of the rubric or the point values associated with each criterion in the rubric. If you correct typographical errors in the text of the rubric, only learners who have not yet started the assignment will see the corrections. However, you can modify due dates and the weight of the ORA assignment after you publish an ORA assignment.

7.26.2.3.1. Provide Only Comment Fields for Individual Criteria

When you add a comment field to a criterion, the comment field appears below the options for the criterion. You can also provide a comment field, but no options.

In the following image, the first criterion has a comment field but no options. The second includes options, but does not have a comment field.

../../_images/PA_0_Option_Criteria.png

To provide a comment field without options, complete these steps.

  1. In the criterion, select Remove to remove, or delete, all the options.
  2. Next to Feedback for This Criterion, select Required in the dropdown list.

7.26.2.4. Step 4. Specify the Assignment Name and Response Dates

To specify a name for the assignment as well as start and due dates for all student responses, complete these steps.

  1. In the component editor, select the Settings tab.
  2. Next to Display Name, type the name you want to give the assignment.
  3. Next to Response Start Date and Response Start Time, enter the date and time when you want learners to be able to begin submitting responses. Note that all times are in Universal Coordinated Time (UTC).
  4. Next to Response Due Date and Response Due Time, enter the date and time by which all learner responses must be submitted. Note that all times are in Universal Coordinated Time (UTC).

Note

Unlike other problem types, ORA assignments are not governed by the subsection due date. Due dates for each ORA assignment are set in the assignment’s settings.

Note

EdX recommends that you set the response due date at least one week before the peer assessment due date and time, to allow enough time for peer assessments to be performed after learners have submitted their own responses. If the response due time and peer assessment due time are close together, and a learner submits a response just before responses are due, other learners may not have time to perform peer assessments before peer assessments are due. For details, see Best Practices for Open Response Assessments.

7.26.2.5. Step 5. Select Assignment Steps

Open response assessment assignments can include learner training, peer assessment, and self assessment steps.

Note

If you include a learner training step, you must also include a peer assessment step. The learner training step must come before peer or self assessment steps. If you include both peer and self assessment steps, edX recommends that you place the peer assessment before the self assessment.

To add steps to the open response assignment, complete these actions.

  1. In the component editor, select the Settings tab.

  2. Scroll down past the Allow Image Responses and Allow Latex Responses fields.

  3. Locate the following headings.

    • Step: Student Training
    • Step: Peer Assessment
    • Step: Self Assessment

    Select the check boxes for the steps that you want the assignment to include.

  4. (optional) To change the order of the steps, drag the steps into the order that you want.

Note

If you include a student training step, make sure it is the first step in the assignment.

7.26.2.6. Step 6. Specify Step Settings

After you select the steps that you want, you can specify settings for those steps.

Note

If you make changes to a step, but then you clear the check box for that step, the step will no longer be part of the assignment and your changes will not be saved.

7.26.2.6.1. Student Training

For the student training step, you enter one or more responses that you have created, then select an option for each criterion in your rubric.

Note

You must enter your complete rubric on the Rubric tab before you can select options for the student training responses. If you later change one of your criteria or any of its options, you must also update the student training step.

To add and score student training responses, follow these steps.

  1. Under Step: Student Training, locate the first Scored Response section.
  2. In the Response field, enter the text of your example response.
  3. Under Response Score, for each criterion, select the option that you want.

For more information, see Learner Training Step.

7.26.2.6.2. Peer Assessment

For the peer assessment step, you specify the number of responses that each learner must grade, the number of learners who must grade each response, and start and due dates. All fields are required.

To specify peer assessment settings, follow these steps.

  1. Locate the Step: Peer Assessment heading.
  2. Next to Must Grade, enter the number of responses that each learner must grade.
  3. Next to Graded By, enter the number of learners that must grade each response.
  4. Next to Start Date and Start Time, enter the date and time when learners can begin assessing their peers’ responses. All times are in Universal Coordinated Time (UTC).
  5. Next to Due Date and Due Time, enter the date and time by which all peer assessments must be complete. All times are in UTC.

7.26.2.6.3. Self Assessment

For the self assessment step, you specify when the step starts and ends.

  1. Locate the Step: Self Assessment heading.
  2. Next to Start Date and Start Time, enter the date and time when learners can begin assessing their peers’ responses. All times are in Universal Coordinated Time (UTC).
  3. Next to Due Date and Due Time, enter the date and time by which all peer assessments must be complete. All times are in UTC.

7.26.2.7. Step 7. Show Top Responses

To allow learners to see the top-scoring responses for the assignment, you specify a number on the Settings tab.

  1. In the component editor, select the Settings tab.
  2. In the Top Responses field, specify the number of responses that you want to appear in the Top Responses section below the learner’s final score. If you do not want this section to appear, set the number to 0. The maximum number is 100.

Note

Because each response can be up to 300 pixels in height, we recommend that you set the number of top responses to 20 or lower, to prevent the page from becoming too long.

For more information, see Top Responses.

7.26.2.8. Step 8. Test the Assignment

To test your assignment, set up the assignment in your course, set the section or subsection date in the future, and ask a group of beta users to submit responses and grade each other. The beta testers can then let you know if they found the question and the rubric easy to understand or if they had any problems with the assignment.

For more information about beta testing, see Beta Testing a Course.