Some Background
Instructors are always seeking ways to provide students with scaffolds that enhance their learning experiences. For some students, such as Multilingual Learners, these scaffolds might include comprehensible input or realia, helping them connect to their learning through more than just text. For others, like those on IEPs or 504 plans, additional support may be needed to ensure their success. Sometimes, all students need is an extra boost to help them thrive.
Recently, I was tasked with exploring ways to incorporate student supports within New Quizzes, with the aim of sharing these strategies with our district's ESL teachers to assist our Multilingual Learners. However, just like many other supports designed for English Learners, these strategies are beneficial for all students. In this post, I’ll walk you through different types of quiz questions and highlight the various supports that can be included. While some of these supports can also be used in Classic Quizzes, several of the examples in this post focus on question types available exclusively in New Quizzes.
The key to adding these supports in New Quizzes lies in the Rich Content Editor (RCE). If the RCE is available to modify directions or answer options in a quiz, it’s possible to enhance the content with modified text, images, sounds, or even videos. Let's take a look at some of these supports.
What is the Rich Content Editor (RCE)?
Audio Answers for Multiple Choice
This is a Multiple Choice question. The vocabulary word at the center of this question is emphasized with a larger font size, bold text, and a green highlight. Each answer option includes an audio file, recorded in the Rich Content Editor, that students can listen to before making a selection. There may also be times when you encourage students to use the text-to-speech accessibility feature on their devices to have the highlighted word read aloud to them, helping them connect the audio with the correct answer. Students can listen to each audio response as many times as needed before selecting their answer.
How do I create a Multiple Choice question in New Quizzes?
This question has also been set up to provide audio feedback for both correct and incorrect answers specific to this question, allowing students to listen to their feedback submitted and graded, The audio feedback was recorded using the RCE in the feedback editor.
Clicking On an Image to Answer a Question
This is a Hotspot question type, where students need to click on a specific area of an image to answer the question correctly. Hotspot questions offer three tools to select the correct area: a rectangular tool, an oval tool, and a polygon tool, allowing you to define the correct region on the image. For example, notice the blue area around the stem in the second image below, indicating the correct selection. Once the quiz is submitted and graded, this question is set up to give students text feedback based on whether their answer was correct or incorrect. In the works is an option to have multiple hotspots in a single image. Can't wait to see how this enhances the Hotspot question!
As the saying goes, "a picture is worth a thousand words," and this is often true in learning contexts. When used purposefully, images can serve as powerful visuals that support and enhance learning, helping students grasp concepts more effectively.
How do I create a Hot Spot question in New Quizzes?
The screenshot below is from the teacher view while editing the quiz. Students will not see the blue area, but as long as they click inside of the blue area on the image they view when taking the quiz, their answer will be correct.
Working with Word Banks
This is a Matching type question, where students match the labeled parts of a plant in the image to the corresponding names of those parts. With the visual and labels provided, students will need to know the key vocabulary from the word bank associated with each answer. An extra answer option, called a distractor, is included among the options. While distractors are not required, you can add more than one if you choose. In New Quizzes, matching questions also allow for partial credit.
I've always been a bit wary of matching questions, especially since we always tell kids NOT to play with matches! 😉
How do I create a Matching question in New Quizzes?
More Visuals with a Stimulus
This is a Stimulus (on the left) paired with a Multiple Choice question based on the stimulus. The stimulus can include text, images, audio, video, or a combination of these. Once the stimulus is created, you can associate it with any type of question you choose. (In Classic Quizzes, if you wanted to use the same text or media across multiple questions, you'd have to include it in each question separately.) In this example, the key vocabulary words in the stimulus are bolded and highlighted.
The Multiple Choice question attached to the stimulus uses the key vocabulary from the stimulus and includes a visual image for each answer option. Additionally, an image of paper towels is included to help activate students' prior knowledge about their use, in hopes to provide context to relate the question to the correct answer.
How do I insert stimulus content in New Quizzes?
Mix and Matching Word Banks with Multiple Fill in the Blanks
This is a Fill in the Blank question with multiple blanks. The first blank offers support as a word bank of options in a dropdown menu, while the other blanks feature answer options (including a distractor, which is not required) in a drag-and-drop word bank. Depending on the students' level and abilities, I may choose not to use both the dropdown and drag-and-drop features in the same question. Please note that Fill in the Blank questions in New Quizzes do not currently support partial credit; the score is all or nothing.
Although it would be great to add images for the answer options, this feature is not currently available.
How do I create a Fill in the Blank question in New Quizzes?
More Visuals while Sequencing
This is an Ordering question type, where you can arrange a variety of answer options in any order you choose. Students will click and drag each answer option to place them in the correct sequence. The answer options offer support by including text, images, or audio recordings to assist learners. The directions for the question also include an audio recording so students can listen to the instructions read aloud. Please note that this question type does not currently offer partial credit; the score is all or nothing.
How do I create an Ordering question in New Quizzes?
Categorizing Words from Word Banks
This is a Categorization question type, where you can include multiple categories and various words, phrases, or sentences for students to drag to the appropriate category as a word bank to support students. (This is another area where I’d love to integrate images for categorization, but adding images is not currently available.) Students will click and drag the options to the correct category, and distractors can also be added to the answer choices. In this example, there is one distractor included. Please note that currently there is no partial credit for this question type; the score is all or nothing.
How do I create a Categorization question in New Quizzes?
Hint Box
What makes this question unique is that it includes a hint for students who choose to use it. You might wonder how a green box in the middle of the question provides a hint. Well, it depends on what you do with the green box. This green box is actually a one-cell table, where the cell background matches the color of the text inside it. When students select the text, it is highlighted in a different color, making it stand out and providing a helpful clue. This support can be added to any question type while using the Rich Content Editor.
How do I insert a table using the Rich Content Editor?
Since the previous example is an image, triple click in the middle of this box to see what the hint says for the question.
| What part of the plant is underground? |
Using 360 Degree Videos to Help Strengthen & Activate Background Knowledge
This is an Essay type question. Embedding a 360-degree video used as a support to help enhance students' background knowledge and activate prior knowledge. These videos are often available on YouTube and come with an embed code that can be pasted into the question using the Embed tool in the Rich Content Editor. For additional supports there are sentence starters that students can use as prompts to help guide their responses below the video. Spell check and word count options have also been enabled in the question settings. Additionally, the Rich Content Editor is activated, encouraging students to answer the question using text or media, including the option to record an audio or video response.
How do I create an Essay question in New Quizzes?
How do I embed media from an external source in the Rich Content Editor?
For your viewing pleasure, here is the the actual video that is embedded in the question.
Start the video, then click and drag within the frame.
In Conclusion
Incorporating these supports into New Quizzes not only helps create a more accessible learning environment but also frees up teachers by providing students with resources like audio recordings to have content read aloud. This can be especially beneficial for Multilingual Learners or students who need additional support with reading.
Additionally, consider editing the quiz settings to show one question at a time. This can help prevent questions from blending together and allows students to focus on each one individually, reducing the possibility of becoming overwhelmed.
The beauty of these strategies is their flexibility. They can be applied to any content and any grade level, making them useful tools for all educators. By using these supports, you’re not just helping students complete quizzes — you’re giving them the resources they need to succeed and build confidence in their learning.
Have you used any of these supports? Do you have other ideas? I would love to hear what you have done to support students through the use of the Rich Content Editor. Please reply to this post and share your thoughts and ideas.
