For far too long, “instant” assessments has meant multiple choice polling, or voting, questions. This question format has been easy to produce and (until now) unique in providing a “closed answer” outcome which can be auto-assessed easily. Ingenuity and careful design leads to very effective use of MCQ’s in many settings. There are however, disadvantages to multiple choice questions, particularly when it comes to designing MCQ’s to test higher level understanding.
Now, Instant Hotspots (available only from Xorro-Q) take these values miles further.
“Hotspot questions”, in which participants answer by clicking within an image sent to their device, have been availabe in Xorro-Q since mid 2014. Hotspot questions are powerful in that they demonstrate the participant’s ability to successfully interpret a visual cue, hence disclosing relevant underlying contextual recognition and / or conceptual understanding, They are appropriate to virtually every subject (click on parts of a map or aerial photo in earth sciences; on parts of an ultrasound image in physiotherapy; on sections of a graph in economics; within a block of text when studying languages …).
Just as you’d expect from a Xorro “instant hotspot” question, no preparation is required whatsoever. When the relevant image is on display – perhaps in a slide show, or maybe within a paused video – the Facilitator “asks” the instant hotspot question by clicking a single button in the Q-Launcher toolbar. Participants receive the image in a response form on their devices. A second later, the participant “clicks” start appearing on the Facilitator’s screen….
Instant questioning around learning materials, using Xorro-Q’s automated scoring and recording, makes formative assessment a breeze for any educator. With instant hotspot questions, the possibilities and flexibility available to the educator is endless.
