Of the six options I examined the Quizstar. It is a simple tool for creating tests and posting them for a select number of students. Its simplicity is probably its weakness also. It appears that it does not have some of the capabilities I would like it to have. For example, it is not very easy to post items that include spreadsheet graphs or math equations. A math equation has to be first created in separate file using MS Equation and then saved as a gif image before uploading it to the item. I believe that is also true with graphs created in Excel or other types of spreadsheet.
There also appears to be potential problems if a student is included in more than one teacher's roster. There must be collaboration among teachers for them to use the same username for a student. On second thought this process is really is a benefit... Why should teachers not collaborate.
Quizstar has a decent number of item formats available to teachers. The most commonly used formats are available.
Why would an instructor choose such a tool such as Quizstar if he is already using something like Blackboard. Some test management systems such as Respondus can deploy tests to Blackboard or some similar system. This capability is advantageous given that it is very difficult to create tests on BB. I believe that Respondus has the capability of using selected items and posting them to BB. New tests are thus created with very little effort once the items are available. Respondus can also grab tests/items from item banks made available to instructors through textbook publishers. The cost is not prohibitive.
Another disadvantage with Quizstar might be that students who use the system have to be registered in the system before they can access the tests or the feedback following testing. This is also true of parents who wish to follow their child's academic progress.
I was not able to explore Hotpotato because I got stuck not long after I downloaded the software to my MacBook. I wish I could have seen how it was done. The setup instructions were not easy to follow.
I took a closer look at Blackboard's test manage system and was not too disappointed. I would like to know what others think about BB's test manager system... what are its strengths and weaknesses?
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This blog is my first and will change as my needs and audience change. Please post your comments to help me improve the blog's quality.
I have never used BB to create or manage a test. I have used Moodle and find it to be very effective and versatile. I am assuming that they are fairly similar. I also chose Quizstar to create my online quiz. I thought that it was very user friendly, but I can see what your'e saying about its limited potential. It is a great tool for basic assessments, but its capabilities are definitely limited. But when it's free, we can't complain right?
ReplyDeleteI am also not familiar with creating or managing a test on BB. I actually used our CMS through the district to create my quiz. I did not have time to look at Quizstar. I used Rubistar to create my rubric since I had used it before in a previous class with Dr. Newberry.
ReplyDeleteI used Quizstar for my quiz too but I really can't imagine using on-line quizzes for anything besides self-assessment. I'd like to have the capacity to provide written feedback about wrong multiple choices - a chance to reteach. Dr. Sylva demonstrated a mid-term on Blackboard she created. It was all short essay answers and what I liked was that there was a text box for written feedback under each text box for the answer so grading on-line was all in one place. She also had it set for a particular period of time and then the quiz disappeared. No arguments about what time something was submitted. I think the score also went to the gradebook automatically once it was graded.
ReplyDeleteYou have identified a key point that we also covered to a degree during the guest speaker session. It is usually a good idea to make use of the institution supported tools if at all possible.
ReplyDelete