This article will describe the usage of style guides, to be used during the question writing process.


TABLE OF CONTENTS



Style guide

Style guides are a support tool during the question writing process. It helps the writers to create good questions, and avoid the most basic pitfalls during the creation process.


Types

The following style guides are available:

  • Uniform option length

Warn if the correct answer is conspicuously longer or shorter than discriminators (only applicable to SBA's)

  • Uniform option count

Verify that all questions conform to a standardized number of options. This style guide will affect the following questions types (SBA, True/false, EMQ, Short answer, and Multiple choice - many correct answers)

  • Dictionary

Word(s)/Term(s) to avoid spelling variations, recommended words to replace 

Feedback type

You can configure each style guide to act, in one of the options below:

  • Treat violations as errors (meaning, you have to change before you can save the question)
  • Treat violations as warnings (you get a warning inside the editor)
  • Disable (the style guide is not active = no action during question writing)


Create a style guide

  • Go to the left menu Question Bank/Style Guides
  • Click at the Add guide drop-down menu
  • Select a style guide from the dropdown list



  • A blank line appears, click on the wrench button




Samples

Clear questions

If you want to create a question, stating a clear question; 


  • Click at the Add guide drop-down menu
  • Select Punctuation from the dropdown list
  • Title: Clear question
  • Description: Question stem should end with a question mark, to clarify what is being asked
  • Error message: Please add a question mark, to finalize the question
  • Check punctuation for: End of text 
  • Validate that punctuation is: Present
  • Validate question body: Yes
  • Validate question options: No
  • Accepted punctuation marks: ?


Negative wording

To avoid a question that elicit a negative response from a candidate


  • Click at the Add guide drop-down menu
  • Select Dictionary from the dropdown list
  • Title: Negative Wording
  • Description: Question that elicit a negative response from a candidate 
  • Error message: Please do not use negative wording
  • Term to avoid: NOT
  • Term to prefer (optional): -


Replace a word

Look out for synonyms, to avoid and replace with a standard wording


Style Guide - Dictionary (same spelling of a word)