We know the feeling of existential dread you get when someone mentions the words "Test" or "Assessment". We also know they can be boring and repetitive!
Step away from just focusing on box ticking Multiple Choice Questions and think creatively about how you can create more engaging experiences - Assessments are a really useful tool and great way to make sure learning is retained.
Here's a few ideas on how you can make better Assessments!
1. Create Immersive Assessments
It's a great idea to create Assessments that are focused on the 'real life' of work - which is really useful for Customer Support and Sales teams who have to deal with everyday queries and challenging scenarios.
Add in customer service scenario videos and encourage respondents to create a written 'script' for what they'd say using an "Open Answer" option
Alternatively you could provide a scenario and ask your Learner to provide an audio response - to gauge their Tone and Accuracy using the "Multimedia Question" option
2. Add Dependencies to create an assessment 'flow'
Create a pathway for questions by adding a dependency for Users to feel engaged with. Remember those "Create your Own Future" books from when you were young? This takes a similar approach.
Depending on the answer you give to one question, you'll skip ahead to the future question that depends on your answer. This is a great way to explore multiple paths and decision-making questions - and to create a more multi-pronged approach.
We'd usually suggest this approach for a slightly smaller respondent base as it'll take some time for you to collate all the relevant information, and also avoid marking answers as "Correct Answer". But it's a really good idea of engaging your Learners' more lateral thinking skills!
3. Use Assessments to get feedback
You can also use Assessments to get feedback on things! When you're creating an Assessment, just unselect any "Correct Answers" and when your Learners have finished selecting their answers, you'll still see their replies.
This is a great idea for getting feedback from a smaller batch of Learners on a particular Course or Event as a simple follow up. You can even use it as a contact form too!
4. Use multimedia to check people's attentiveness
Consider using Video or Audio to get people to comment on the topic. This is a great idea when you're onboarding or training teams in Cash Handling, Compliance or Health and Safety.
For example, you could add a video of your workplace and ask people to list potential hazards when you're training Office Health and Safety. Get Mental Health First Aiders to identify the signs of a panic attack, or ask any Cash Handling teams to identify miscounts or deviations!
6. Create follow-up content to provide extra information
A lot of people see Assessments as the natural end of a course - but it doesn't have to be so! An Assessment at the beginning is also a really good way of testing base knowledge before moving into the meaty stuff.
It's a very good idea to add follow-up information if you're asking questions on a complex or unfamiliar topic - to ensure your Learners are retaining the information they need.
You can do this by creating a Follow-Up Nugget, and adding it to the Course directly after your Assessment using the "Existing Content" option!
7. Encourage people to use their creative skills
A really good way to encourage your Learners to use their creative skills is by enabling Multimedia Questions. This is a great idea if you'd like to get pitch ideas from your Sales teams for the launch of a new product. or to encourage people to upload a PDF to launch a bid.
All you'll need to do is enable the "Multimedia Question" and select the type of file you're expecting your Learner to upload. This idea also echoes the real life experience that shows how the world of work and the world of learning can coexist - using practical experience as the foundation for theoretical understanding.
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