In MemoryLab, you can ask different types of questions to test knowledge. Below you can read more about the possibilities and what the questions need to meet.
1. Type question
- To add a typing question to a lesson, choose ‘Typing’ under the ‘Answering method’ heading.
- Under ‘Question’ you can ask a text question. To add an image or audio file, click on the icons below the text field. Images must be .png, .jpeg or .svg. Audio files must be .mp3 or .wav format.
Under ‘Answer text’ you write the correct answer.
- ‘Add alternative’ allows you to add multiple correct answers. Each of these answers is shown to the student when the fact is presented and will be approved when the student enters it.
- ‘Add alternative spelling’ can be used to add alternative spellings that should be considered correct. These are not shown to the learner.
2. Multiple-choice question
- To add a multiple-choice question to the lesson, click on ‘Answering method’ and choose ‘Multiple choice’.
- Under ‘Question’ you can write a text question. To add an image or audio file, click on the icons below the text field. Images must be .png, .jpeg or .svg. Audio files must be .mp3 or .wav format.
- Under ‘Answer text’ you write the correct answer. With ‘Add alternative’ you can add several correct answers. Each time the fact is presented, MemoryLab randomly selects one of these correct answers to display.
- Under ‘Distractors’ you can add distractors: the wrong answer options. You can add three distractors. To use images as answers, first insert the image of the correct answer by clicking the :images: icon. After it is uploaded, the option to insert other images as distractors appears.
Consider the number of choices you selected when creating this lesson. If you add more distractors than the selected number, MemoryLab will randomly choose which distractors are displayed each time the fact is presented. If you add fewer distractors, MemoryLab will use correct answers from other questions as distractors.
What should the question types in MemoryLab comply with?
Guidelines
- Ask a maximum of 20 questions per lesson
If the number of facts is too large, it will take a long time to introduce new facts. Directions should be as concise as possible. Make sure the fact cards contain a similar amount of information (so that some questions do not take longer to read than others). If there are more than 20 items, split the lesson into two parts.
- Keep answers concise
For more complex answers, we recommend using the multiple-choice format.
- Try to avoid questions that involve the following:
- Reasoning
This question assesses reasoning skills rather than factual knowledge. Thinking time will increase response time.
- Similar answer options
The answer options for this question are very similar, leading to long answer times. It also encourages students to
find the correct answer based on just the first word.
- Long sentences
This question has very long text as a clue, which increases response time and encourages students to relate the answer to one or two keywords rather than the extended definition.
- True/false claims
True/false statements with false as the correct answer do not teach a student facts. This is generally not an efficient strategy.
