Open Authoring

Authentic questions that effectively measure knowledge and enhance learning depend on the knowledge and expertise of subject matter experts (or SMEs) within an organisation. Unfortunately, the process of "harvesting" this content is potentially burdensome for all parties involved. SMEs are usually busy with their own jobs, and may lack the time, resources or skill to learn and use an authoring tool. The alternative, however, is for SMEs to deliver items to assessment authors in a variety of formats -- emails, Word documents or even paper -- that must be manually keyed in, one question at a time.

Questionmark Open Authoring streamlines content harvesting by providing a simple, web-based form that SMEs can use to create multiple choice questions that are saved directly to your Perception repository. Because Open Authoring is browser-based, there is no software to install and it can be made accessible anywhere within your organisation. Open Authoring prompts authors to enter a question stimulus, description, choices, and feedback -- saving the assessment author valuable time from the tedious task of pasting item parts from other resources.

Open Authoring is a simple form that SMEs access using a web browser to enter multiple choice questions directly into a Perception repository. The form prompts authors to enter a question stimulus, description, choices, and feedback, to identify a correct choice, and to specify whether choice shuffling should be used when delivered to the participant.

Open Authoring makes item harvesting more efficient while still maintaining the security and integrity of your organisation's item bank and workflow processes. Upon "submitting" the form, the new item is saved to a holding area in the Perception repository. Open Authoring flags the item as "incomplete", requiring intervention of a qualified assessment author to review and approve the item before it may be deployed in an assessment. Only an assessment author with the appropriate security privileges may review the item, move it to an appropriate topic in the item bank, edit it if necessary, and change the status of the item so it can be used in an assessment.

• Streamlined harvesting of content from Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
• Reduced burden on assessment author
• Secure, controlled deployment of items into the repository
• Simple tools for SMEs to use -- no learning curve
• Browser-based -- No software for SMEs to install
• Accessible throughout the enterprise