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How to use QuizStar

by Erica Schaapveld

Look at all of the ISTE technology standards you meet by using QuizStar!

I. Technology operations and concepts.
II. Planning and designing learning environments and experiences.
III. Teaching, learning, and the curriculum.
IV. Assessment and evaluation.
V. Productivity and professional practice.
VI. Social, ethical, legal, and human issues.

Click here for a detailed description.

uizStar, an HPR*TEC tool, allows educators to create formative quizzes that users take online. Because students can compare their answers with the desired responses, and see their overall scores, it's best to use QuizStar as a learning tool, rather than for final assessment. Educators can include an unlimited number of multiple choice, true or false, and short answer questions. Advanced options also organize students by class name and permit the teacher to activate and deactivate the quizzes. This provides the modern advantages of computer-assisted learning yet also affords the traditional flexibility of individualized, teacher-authored assessments.

What you'll need

All you need to use QuizStar is a valid e-mail address and a browser that is JavaScript compatible. We recommend Netscape Communicator 4.0 or better and Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or better. Try a quick browser compatibility test.

We also suggest that you make a hard copy of your quiz first. Save the questions and answers that you plan to incorporate into the quiz in a word processing application, such as MS Word or ClarisWorks. This allows you to simply copy and paste your quiz items into the appropriate places in QuizStar. You'll also have a permanent copy for future reference. This is a nice safeguard against the rare server error while submitting a quiz.

Logging in

o use QuizStar, you must first set up an account and log in. Go to QuizStar. In the top, left-hand corner of the page display, you'll see a search and navigation area that looks like the image below:

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Although the search area is not on every QuizStar account setup page, you will notice the blue and green navigation and help buttons on every page. You will use most of these buttons in this tutorial. To begin, click Teacher Login. This action directs the browser to the Teacher Login page.

If you already have an account ...

If you are a returning user with a QuizStar account, enter your e-mail address and password in the login form, as you see highlighted in the image below.

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Once you have entered this information, click Submit.

If you do not have an account ...

f you are a new user, you will need to set up an account before you log in. Click the blue Create a New Account button. This action directs your browser to the Create a New Account page. To register, you must enter your name, a valid e-mail address, and a password, as well as verification of the password. Be sure to keep a record of the e-mail and password you use for your QuizStar account registration. You will need these to log in when you want to create a quiz. Below is an image of the account creation form.

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In the image above, the red arrow points to a checkbox. If you want your e-mail address to be public, check the box by clicking on it. Otherwise, your address is private and only for use as a login.

Please double-check that you entered your name and e-mail address without any typos. If you routinely use more than one e-mail account, make note of which one you used for your QuizStar registration. Once you have checked this information, and put a record of your password in a safe place, click Submit.

o verify your account registration, a confirmation page, like the one below, appears with the information you entered. Check to see that all the information is correct. If not, make the desired changes and click Submit. Print out your login information for future reference. Once you have registered, you are logged in. Next time, you'll have to log in as a returning user.

The confirmation page displays two navigation options under your login information.

These are , which links to the Make a New Quiz page,

and , which links to the "teacher options."

Teacher options include class configurations and student lists.

Making a quiz: understanding button functions

he Make a New Quiz page lists frequently asked questions, browser requirements, and General Rules and Guidelines. Please read the FAQs to get the most out of QuizStar. After you read this information, scroll to the bottom of the Make a New Quiz page and click Begin Making Your Quiz.

This links to the Create Your Quiz page. Quiz authors access its major functions by using a variety of buttons, which you see in the image below. As you study the functions of individual buttons, refer back to this image to locate the buttons.

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Click to make new questions or edit existing ones.

Making a quiz: creating a title and selecting options

f you need help while making the quiz, use Help in the top right. In the same area, you'll see the Finish button, which takes you to the Teacher Menu and advanced features of QuizStar. To make a quiz with the basic options however, please follow these steps:

1. Click . Enter a title and description of your quiz. Please make your title descriptive. A strong title, like Mrs. Doe's Freshman English Defoe Quiz or Mr. Mitchell's Junior Chemistry Unit 2 Quiz, tells exactly what the quiz is about.
2. Click . These options allow students to see correct answers or teachers to receive e-mails when the quiz is taken. Click the boxes to the left of the option to toggle them on and off. Consider which options are best for you.

Making a quiz: adding quiz items

hile creating quiz items, you will enter data, such as the correct answer and possible incorrect answers. To help you know the status of each item, the Create Your Quiz page has a key, which you can view below.

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To add quiz items, open the word processed draft of your quiz. Keep this document open as you make your quiz and use the Copy and Paste functions to enter the information as you go. Follow these steps for each quiz item:

1. Click . Type in your first question, using no more than 200 characters.
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2. From the drop down menu shown in the image below, select the type of question you wish to use: multiple choice, true or false, or short answer.
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Possible quiz items: multiple choice

ou can use a combination of question types, or you can use just one type for the entire quiz. Multiple choice questions in QuizStar may have up to six possible answers, but only one correct answer. View the multiple choice form below.

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In the text fields by [ A ] , [ B ] , [ C ] , and [ D ] , type the possible answers. Select the radio button to designate the correct choice. You may have only one correct answer. If you need to add more possible choices, click .

This action will add more text boxes for [ E ] and [ F ] answers. When you have typed in the additional possible answer(s), the quiz item is complete. To start a new quiz item, click .

Possible quiz items: true / false

rue or false questions are the easiest to format in QuizStar. From the drop down menu shown in the image below, select whether the correct answer is true or false.

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After selecting the correct answer, simply click Submit Change and then Add a New Question.

Possible quiz items: short answer

uizStar requires that the student's answer contains all of the words you enter in the correct answer text box, shown in the image below. Type in only the words that must appear in the student's answer. These answers are not case sensitive. In the example below, the words "he," "deserted," and "island" must be in the answer to be deemed correct.

[ Edit Question ]

Alexander Selkirk based his novel, The Life and Strange and Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, upon what personal experience?

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Once you have completed the answer's keywords, click Submit and then Add a New Question.

Finishing the quiz

hen you are done entering the quiz's questions and answers, click the green Finish button in the top right hand corner of the screen. This action takes you to the "View Results for Your Quizzes" page. Your quizzes appear in a list, as you can see in the image below.

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To make changes to a quiz, click Edit. Click Delete to permanently erase a quiz.

QuizStar's ability to provide educators with formative quizzes is an exciting way to integrate technology with learning. Simple formatting coupled with optional advancements creates a platform for all levels of users. Both teachers and students will find QuizStar a welcome new twist to the traditional pen and paper quizzes.