Edit a Question During its Availability

Occasionally, a test question will need to be edited while an exam is in progress.

 

Quizzes – Manually Grade a Quiz – Instructor

Short answer questions, although auto-graded by D2L, should be double-checked for grading accuracy.

 

D2L Assessment Analytics

Examining quiz question statistics can help instructors determine if a question is too easy, too challenging, or needs editing for clarification.

The following is a quick guide for D2L Quiz and Grade Item statistics to help you monitor and improve your assessment questions and results.

D2L Quiz Statistics

To see how students performed overall on each of the quizzes, in your own course go to Assessments > Quizzes > Statistics (click on Statistics from the tab view across the top).

This list displays all of your course quiz averages.

Click on a quiz to see more details including User Stats, Question Stats, and Question Details.

Question Stats

The Question Stats list the Standard Deviation, Discrimination Index, and Point Biserial value for each question. 

You can click on the link, “What do the statistics on this page mean?” above the table in your course to learn more. The information is also copied below.

What do the statistics on this page mean?

All statistics are calculated based on each user’s first attempt on the quiz. If a question is changed after attempts have been made, only the attempts on the newest version of the question are included in the statistics (ie. First attempts made before a question was changed are not included in the statistics for that question).

STANDARD DEVIATION

The standard deviation indicates how much scores vary from the average, ranging from 0% to 100%. A high standard deviation indicates that scores are spread out from the average, whereas a low standard deviation indicates that scores are close to the average.

DISCRIMINATION INDEX

The discrimination index indicates how well a question differentiates between high and low performers. It can range from -100% to 100%, with high values indicating a “good” question, and low values indicating a “bad” question.

POINT BISERIAL CORRELATION COEFFICIENT

The point biserial correlation coefficient is an analysis only applied to multiple choice and true/false question types that have only one answer with weight 100%, and all others with weight 0%.

Similarly to the discrimination index, the point biserial correlation coefficient relates individuals’ quiz scores to whether or not they got a question correct. It ranges from -1.00 to 1.00, with high values indicating a “good” question, and low values indicating a “bad” question.

*Note that only first attempts are included in that question’s statistics.

Question Details

This tab will show you the summary of student responses for each question. If you notice a low or negative value for the Point Biserial or Discrimination Index, you may want to investigate the question. It could indicate a badly worded question or improperly keyed question answer.

Grade Item Statistics

To view grade item stats, in your own course go to, Assessments > Grades > (Grade Item) View Statistics – Use the pull down menu by a grade item title and select Statistics to display Class and User Statistics. If you have a grade scheme setup to display, you will also see the grade distribution chart on the page.

Working with student data

• Keep the MSU Institutional Data Policy opens in new window in mind when storing data and making reports public in order to protect the security and confidentiality of student data.
• Read more about best practices for handling data at secureit.msu.edu/data opens in new window from MSU IT Services – Academic Technology.

Addressing Issues of Academic Misconduct

What should you do if you discover cheating in your course? Follow the link to find out more. 

What is an Academic Dishonesty Report

If you give a penalty grade as a result of academic misconduct, you must submit an Academic Dishonesty Report (ADR) to the university. See the link above as an example.