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DATA FAQs

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Q. How can I be sure who is taking the test over the web?

A. This is a feature of any web test - there is no way to ensure who is taking the test, whether they are taking it alone or using external materials, etc. DATA can still be used for chapter reviews, surveys, and other evaluations. One solution is to use DATA in a lab environment where all students are present taking the test at the same place and time.

Q. How can I keep someone from outside the class from joining and taking a test?

A. Anyone can become a member. But you can set the parameters of the test so only members on your list (in Set Parameters) can access the test.

Q. How can I keep a student who is enrolled in the class from taking a test from outside a lab or off campus?

A. You can set the parameters of the test so only certain computers (or a range of computers) can access the test.

Q. How can I keep a student from viewing another student's screen in lab while taking a test?

A. You can randomize the order of the questions on a test. This makes it more difficult to find a particular question. The answer keys are also different. Randomized tests can have different color backgrounds, so it is easy to spot pairs of adjacent test versions that are the same.

Q. How can I create a survey?

A. Choose Create a new survey on the DATA Preferences page. This can also be used for an essay or for a short answer test.

Q. How can read essay test or survey results?

A. The data is easily placed into a spreadheet (like Excel). Once there, open your original questions in MS Word and set up a Mail Merge with the data coming from the spreadsheet. After the merge is performed, you will have a page (or several pages) for each person that answered the survey. You may want to replace <BR> with a return so it will resemble what was originally typed into the text box. (Thanks to Barbara Moran for the idea to use Mail Merge in this way)

Q. What happens if my answer key is wrong?

A. You can change the answer key, convert it to the formula file (or just modify the formula file) and regrade the test.

This will replace the original answers and grades file with a new one (you may want to save your original file first). The two files will be the same except for the changed response columns (i.e., 'correct' or 'incorrect') and the new scores.

If the answer to question 5 was 'A', this would be the original line in the formula file:

1	test005	correct	incorrect, the answer is A	field005=="A"

If you wish to change the correct answer to 'C', this is the new line in the formula file:

1	test005	correct	incorrect, the answer is C	field005=="C"

If you want both answers 'A' and 'C' to be counted as correct, change the line to:

1	test005	correct	incorrect, the answer is A or C	(field005=="A") OR (field005=="C")

To regrade the test after changing the formula file, you must go to this URL:

http://yourServer.edu/yourSite/DATA/regrade?c=yourCategory&t=yourTest

(Of course, you must replace "yourServer", "yourSite", "yourCategory" and "yourTest" with the names appropriate to your situation).

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