Comparison of Different Testing Methods
| Type of Examination | Time limits1 | Set "Release" time2 | Able to randomize questions | Auto-grading (for MC, T/F, etc.) | Easy-to-grade free response questions | Respondus Lockdown browser |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moodle Quiz |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
×3 |
✓ |
| Moodle Assignment |
× |
× |
× |
× |
✓ |
× |
| Gradescope ("Exam/Quiz")4 |
✓ |
✓ |
× |
× |
✓ |
× |
| Gradescope ("Homework/Problem Set" or "Online Assignment (Beta)")4 |
✓ |
✓ |
× |
✓5 |
× |
|
| WebAssign |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓6 |
× |
| WebWork |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓7 |
× |
1. In every type, you can specify a large date range in which to take the exam. This column reflects the set-ups that allow you to restrict the exam once they begin. E.g. "The exam will open at noon and close at 6pm. Once you begin, you have 75 minutes to finish."
2. This allows you to post the assignment beforehand but prevents the students from being able to see the questions. Basically, this is not possible with a Moodle assignment, which must be hidden until the exam starts.
3. In a Moodle quiz, you can ask free response questions (via the "Essay" question type), but you don't get a nice rubric nor can you mark directly on their submissions, like you can on a Moodle assignment. You can download their submissions, mark on them on an iPad, and then return them to the students, or you can just type comments into a window. I use this, but only in classes of <30 students, and I mix them with other question types which are auto-graded.
4. In Gradescope, I recommend "Homework/Problem Set" over "Online Assignment (Beta)" over "Exam/Quiz" (despite their names...). I don't see any advantage to the Exam/Quiz feature.
5. Not a great feature in Gradescope. If you want to give an assessment with lots of multiple choice, matching, true/false, use a Moodle Quiz instead.
6. Free response/short answer/essay type questions are available in WebAssign, similar to the WebWork description below. How the grading can be done is described here, please consult Jenn Burt if you are interested in this.
7. You can create "essay type" questions where the students need to insert the answer to a potentially open ended question (see this image) and the instructor needs to grade the individual answers later (see this image). Note that student's answers can have LaTeX formulas. Thank you, Alina Duca, for the information and the images!
