A proper question will get you the right answer, isn’t it? Creating a question paper takes so much time because teachers know the importance of selecting the necessary topics and framing the questions correctly. Each educational institution has a different format for the exams.
We have discussed ways to create MCQs and factors to consider. But what about long answer questions? These questions belong to the descriptive type, where students are expected to write their answers and explain things in detail. For example, a history question on World War II would be about the particulars of the event. However, you cannot expect students to summarize the entire event in a long answer. The question has to be more specific.
What happened in Germany during WWII? This narrows the scope but still has a lot of years to cover. So how do you frame a long answer question for an exam? Furthermore, how do you create the questions using a question generator tool? After all, manually going through the entire syllabus, question banks, and previous question papers is a stressful and time-consuming task.
How to Create Long Answer Questions
There are various question generator tools in the market. Some are easy to use and rely on artificial intelligence algorithms to process input data and automate the creation of a question paper. PrepAI is an AI-based question generator that automatically creates questions or the given input data. Instead of spending hours and days creating a question paper, you can finish it in a few minutes by using the online tool.
PrepAI has a user-friendly and clean interface that makes it convenient for everyone. Teachers don’t require technical expertise to use PrepAI. Follow the below steps to use the platform to create long-answer questions anytime you want. Additionally, anyone can use this AI-powered question generation tool to create test papers on varied topics, themes, and subjects. Whether you want to conduct a class test, a term exam, or the annual one, PrepAI will be useful in generating a question paper with short and long descriptive questions, multiple choice questions, true or false, and fill in the blanks.
Follow the below steps to use the platform to create long-answer questions anytime you want.
1. Free Signup and Registration
Go to the PrepAI website and click on the Get Started button. Then, select Sign up and fill out the registration form. Submit the application on the site to create a free account. Your details will be verified, and a code will be mailed to your Email ID. Enter the code on the PrepAI website and complete the verification process.
2. Creating the Questions
Every user gets their own dashboard to create question papers and save and access them. Currently, there are two modes for quiz generation – content and subject – for creating tests. The ‘standard tests’ mode will be available shortly. For long answer questions, use the content mode. You can also activate Bloom’s Taxonomy framework by sliding the toggle switch beside it (top right). This AI question generator for teachers is useful for creating HOTS (higher-order thinking skills) questions.
Start by entering the topic name for the question paper you want to create. Then choose the input format/ type of data for the platform. The AI algorithm will ‘read’ this data and generate questions automatically.
3. Input Formats
There are four input options to use.
- Topic search is PrepAI’s search engine. It lets you select the topic and collects relevant content from its database..
- Type/ Copy-paste text is where you can manually enter the input data.
- The video option allows you to upload video files from your local system or provide a YouTube video URL. The platform will convert video data to transcripts. You can provide the start and end times for the tool to convert only that portion of the video into questions.
- PDFs and Word documents (doc and docx) files can be uploaded from the device, drive, or cloud.
We used the topic search option in this example.
4. Selecting Question Type
It is important to select the type of questions you want to generate. PrepAI has multiple options, so you can use the same platform for all kinds of question papers. The other question formats are MCQs, fill-ups, and true or false questions. This helps to create question and answer quizzes of any type or format.
Since you want to create long answer questions, select the ‘descriptive questions’ option from the drop-down list. You can also determine the number of questions to generate. The default option is ‘all possible’. Keep this and then edit/ delete the unwanted questions. Shortly, you will be able to include visual content (drawings, graphs, charts, tables, etc.) in the test papers.
5. Editing Questions
Now that the questions are ready, you can go through them to make the necessary changes. Edit the questions or delete the ones you don’t want. Add more questions if you can’t find them in the generated list. Check whether the answers are correct and rate the questions to give feedback to the platform.
Spend more time during this phase to ensure the questions are free of errors and the answers generated by the tool are accurate. Do all the necessary corrections and edits before finalizing the test paper.
6. Conduct Tests
Preview the question paper and conduct the test online. Give the test name, allocate marks for each question, and set the date and time limits for students to submit the answers. Then, share the link to the test paper via email with a note or instructions.
7. Output Formats
You can download a copy of the questions offline with and without the answer key. There are four output formats:
- Docx (MS Word)
- Xlsx (MS Excel)
- JSON
Access the test papers, answers, and analytics by clicking on ‘My Question Papers’ at the top right of the interface. From here, you can edit the tests again, generate multiple sets, download the files, or conduct more exams.
Best Practices for Creating Long-Answer Questions
While short answer questions allow teachers to test the basic knowledge gained by students, the long question answer format gives them a chance to assess how much each student has actually understood about the topic. When reading the answers, teachers can determine if the students learned the contents through memorization and reproduced the answer or if they understood the concept and presented it in their own words.
Creating a descriptive question sure isn’t as easy as it appears. You need to think from multiple perspectives before finalizing each question. The following factors and best practices should be considered when creating long answer questions.
Clarity and Crispness
The language used to frame the question has to be clear and concise. It should be free of grammatical errors. The question should make sense to the student. Convoluted sentences might work for multiple choice questions but can be tricky for long answer questions. Students shouldn’t waste their time trying to understand the question instead of answering it.
That said, the questions don’t have to entirely be straightforward. You can make it complex but not messy or too confusing to even understand what the answer should be. The stakes are high for a long answer question since it carries more weightage. Lack of clarity can result in loss of marks and disgruntled students.
Don’t Use New Terminology
Don’t use new words or phrases you haven’t used during the classes. The terminology should be something the students are familiar with. For example, if you haven’t used abbreviations during the classes, make sure not to use them when framing the long answer questions. This rule applies to all kinds of questions. Consistency in terminology brings a sense of familiarity and reduces stress. Students will already be under pressure during exams. Creating questions with advanced terms or unfamiliar words will further stress them out. There’s a high chance that students may not write the answers correctly despite being knowledgeable about the topic. That will not give an accurate assessment of their performance.
Relevance & Purpose
This is an important factor. How relevant is the question in the overall scheme of things? What is the purpose of asking this question in the exam? It depends on why you are conducting the exam and whether you want to test the student’s memory power or understanding capacity.
Going through previous question papers and question banks will make it easy to list the important and relevant topics for the exam. For example, a biology paper would have questions about the human digestive system, layers of the skin, nervous system, the functioning of the heart, and so on. However, you need to determine which of these topics should be long answer questions and which ones can be used for other question formats.
Guide the Students
A good question is the one that guides the students towards the answer but doesn’t lead them to it.
The question should trigger a memory about the topic and nudge them in the right direction. It shouldn’t be so detailed and explicit that students are practically told what to write. It’s a fine line to balance.
Furthermore, a question about opinions and evaluations shouldn’t be biased or point towards the answer you want the students to write. If you ask students to discuss the pros and cons of using the internet, the question shouldn’t tell them which side to take. It’s the students’ responsibility to weigh both sides carefully and present their opinions with explanations and examples.
Weightage & Time
How many marks does the question carry? What is the entire duration of the exam? A three-hour exam cannot have twenty or twenty-five long answer questions that require two to three-page answers. The question’s relevance and purpose should be directly proportional to its weightage and the time a student can spend on each question.
Moreover, questions that require graphical representations (drawings, sample programs, balance sheets, graphs, etc.) should be balanced with text-only questions. After all, all students don’t have the same drawing skills, and this shouldn’t become a disadvantage. Additionally, drawings, graphs, and tables take more time leaving students scrambling to complete the remaining questions in the last few minutes.
No Controversial Questions
Questions related to race, gender, sexuality, religion, politics, disabilities, etc., should be carefully framed to prevent misinterpretations or favoritism. Personal opinions shouldn’t influence the questions or lead to controversial statements. Any kind of bias should be avoided when creating the questions and correcting the answers. Using an AI question answer generator can prevent such bias to an extent. However, make sure that source content is also not biased or inaccurate. After all, if the input has an error, the outcome will also have an error.
Use Open-Ended Questions
A long answer is supposed to be detailed, so make sure to create questions that allow students to write more. For example, if a question is about the pyramids, it should be more along the lines of ‘why are the Egyptian pyramids famous?’ or ‘what is the historical significance of the pyramids?’. This will allow students to talk about when and how the pyramids were built and explain their importance.
But if the question is limited to ‘are the Egyptian pyramids among the eight wonders of the world?’, it would be a short answer question with a yes/ no answer, followed by a couple of lines. Use terms like explain, detail, discuss, analyze, compare, describe, etc., to show the intent. That way, students will know they have to present an in-depth answer to the questions. You can also explicitly ask them to give examples to support their answers.
Determine the Scope for Creativity
The last factor to consider is the extent of creativity the question can allow. Science, math, and social studies leave less chance for creativity. Students have to adhere to facts. One cannot change the answers or come up with alternatives. In such instances, using a question generator from text will make it easy to create long answer questions.
However, questions in language papers, especially the ones related to comprehensions, letter writings, etc., are used to test the creative ability and thought process of the students. Languages also give students a chance to look at the same text from different perspectives and analyze the intent or come up with new interpretations.
Tips for Educators
We’ve got a few more tips for educators to create and grade long answer questions effectively.
Determine the Purpose
Whether you create the questions manually or use a question answer generator, it’s vital to define the purpose of the exam. For long answer questions, the intent will mostly be to measure the in-depth knowledge of the students. However, you still need to consider if creativity, presentation, and proper execution will be given more marks or not.
Don’t Indulge in Personal Bias
We discussed a similar point in the previous section. Here, we extend the same advice when grading the answers. If the test papers are being graded manually, teachers should not let their personal opinions about the subject and the students influence the process. A better way to avoid this situation would be to conduct online tests and use the automated tool for grading. For example, PrepAI allows students to answer the tests online. It grades the papers and shares instant results with them. Teachers can supervise the process and limit their opinions about students from affecting the results.
Share Feedback with Students
While the scores/ marks are self-explanatory, educators should take time to analyze the answer sheets and provide personalized feedback to each student. By automating the process of creating question papers and grading the answers, you will have more time to go through the insights and share feedback with students. This will guide them to work better and improve their performance.
Give Clear Instructions
Though it is not mandatory, some long answer questions will need additional instructions. Or, you can make a list of instructions that apply to all long questions and provide it at the beginning of the test (or section). This is helpful, especially for distance learning or remote learning examinations where all students may not have the same idea about the tests. Clearly state how detailed the answers should be to avoid confusion and misunderstanding.
Explain Grading Standards in Advance
Similarly, let students know how their answer sheets will be graded. How do you intend to allocate marks for long answer questions? Is there a word/ page limit for each question? Will examples and drawings carry more weightage than plain text? Will presentation (dividing the answer into sections or writing long paragraphs) influence the score? Should students try to replicate and reproduce the answers in exact words as taught in the lessons or can they rewrite it in their words? Discuss these issues with students before the tests begin.
Use AI Tools
EdTech tools for educators are convenient, time-saving, and cost-effective. Don’t shy away from using online tools and platforms to create question papers or share feedback with students. Use technology to make your tasks easier. As you’ve seen in this blog, PrepAI is a fantastic tool for creating long answer questions, conducting tests, and sharing results with students in a quick time. Take advantage of its features to streamline the process and enjoy a hassle-free experience.
Conclusion
There’s no denying the advantage of using online tools to ease your workload. PrepAI, with its artificial intelligence algorithm, will automate most of the process while allowing you enough control over the questions. Automation and customization are the two highlights of PrepAI.
Use it to conduct tests anytime you want in a format of your choice. The basic version is free to use once you signup and register. Talk to our team for more information.
