Features, Improvement, and Fixes
These Release Notes contain a summary of the changes made for the May 11, 2024 release of EchoExam. For changes made in previous deployments, visit the Deployment Notes section of our Knowledge Base or contact support@echo360.com.
New Features
Multiple Organization Support
Instructors, Administrators, and Learners have the ability to join multiple organizations using a single email address. Users can have different roles in each organization, join using domain matching, and log in to one or more organizations using Single Sign On. When logging into EchoExam, users will select the organization they are accessing.
NCLEX Case Studies
Case studies can be enabled for organizations using NCLEX-style questions. Case studies will replace narratives in these organizations, providing additional options for instructors to create tabbed information. Case studies support up to 4 tabs to mirror a patient chart. Instructors can attach any number of questions to a case study, and the learner will be presented with the case study when they interact with and respond to an attached question.
NCLEX-NGN Questions
In addition to the 10 existing question types, instructors can create any NCLEX Next Generation (NGN) question - bowtie, choice matrix, drop down table, highlight, select group, and select matrix. These question types will allow instructors to create tests and exams that assess learners' critical thinking, comprehension, and cause-effect relationship understanding of complex scenarios.
Ordered Response Questions
Instructors can create ordered response questions to assess their learners. In this question type, learners are presented with a set of options that they must put in the correct order to score points for the question.
Matching Questions
Instructors can create matching questions to assess their learners. In this question type, learners are presented with a set of items that they must match to the correct option in a list, either as a multiple choice or dropdown selection. Matching questions will be mapped to the correct question type and layout when importing new .bnk or .tst files to the instructor's library.
Hotspot Questions
Instructors can create hotspot questions, where a learner must select the correct point on an image based on the correct answer region or regions configured by the instructor. Instructors can set one or more acceptable regions for the learner's response using rectangular, oval, or freeform shapes. Accessibility tools for this question type include keyboard navigation support, customizable colors for correct regions and learner response indicators, and alternate text for the hotspot region. Instructors can also choose from five available options for the learner response indicator.
Partial Scoring Options
Partial scoring rules from the NCLEX-NGN can be set for any of the associated multi-part question types. Partial scoring types include: 0 / 1 partial scoring, where learners score points for correct parts, and no points for incorrect parts; + / - partial scoring, where learners to score points for correct parts, and lose points for incorrect parts; and rationale scoring, where the learner response to the first part of the question determines if they will receive any points for subsequent parts.
Instructor Alerts & Warnings
Instructors will see alerts in the test editor, question editor, and narrative / case study editor when their question includes content that is not supported with browser lock or when the content is not supported or not ideal for display on mobile devices. Instructors can still create and use this content, using the available warnings to inform their decisions on best delivering the content to their learners.
Lock Answer Options
Instructors will see a lock icon next to questions with multiple options that could potentially be randomized. The lock icon will appear for each answer option and will be unlocked by default. Instructors can choose to lock any one or more answer options to ensure it is always in the same position in the answer options, even if answer option randomization is turned on for the exam or printed test.
Learner Equation Support
Instructors have the option of setting an equation as the correct answer for a short answer, essay, or numeric question. When an equation is set, learners will see the option to use the equation editor to add their answers. The equation editor is fully accessible and supports both mathematical and chemical equations.
In-Exam Calculator
Instructors have the ability to mark specific questions in an exam as allowing a calculator. When the calculator is allowed, learners will see an icon on the exam to open the calculator tool. The calculator tool is built into the exam and fully supported with the browser lock option for exams. Learners can toggle between a basic calculator and scientific calculator functions, and keyboard shortcuts are available to interact with all calculator keys.
Question Rationale
Instructors can add optional rationale information to any question. The rationale typically consists of an additional explanation for the correct answer to the question. Rationale will always be displayed in the instructor reports and can optionally be made available in the learner report for any exam. When importing new .bnk or .tst files, any associated rationale will be imported along with the questions.
Real-Time Feedback
Instructors can add optional feedback for any question. Basic feedback can be configured based on whether the learner supplies a correct or incorrect answer, while advanced feedback allows the instructor to specify feedback based on specific learner responses. When completing an exam where the instructor has enabled feedback, learners will see a feedback button that they can click to view feedback for their entered response.
Bubble Sheet Support
When creating a new test, instructors can choose to make the test bubble sheet compatible. Instructors can choose from 12 bubble sheet forms based on their needs. Bubble sheets will print along with the printed test in A4 or US letter and only require an inkjet printer. Once an instructor has administered a printed bubble sheet or Scantron test, they will have the option of manually adding the learner scores to the gradebook.
Instructor Detailed Exam Report
Instructors will have access to detailed exam reports for any exam that they assign. Detailed reports are broken into four sections: the summary, where instructors can see an overview of exam statistics and scores; the question list, where instructors can see the breakdown of statistics by question, as well as the question text and correct answers; the roster list, where instructors can see an overview of question correct or incorrect status by learner; and the learner report, where instructors can review a detailed report of question responses and scores for each attempt from each learner. Instructors can determine the reliability of their test by reviewing the student performance histogram chart and the ScoreGuardian 20 value, which calculates the exam reliability on a scale of 0 to 1 using the KR-20 calculation.
Learner Exam Report
Learner reports are available for all learners after the exam is closed. The learner reports will include the question and learner response for all questions. Instructors can choose to enable scores for the learner report, which will display the learner's pass / fail status and score information, along with statistics for the overall exam. Instructors can also choose to enable results for the learner report, which will show the correct / incorrect status for each question, along with statistics for each question for the overall exam.
PDF & CSV Report Downloads
For any exam report, instructors will have the option to download a .pdf or .csv file with the exam details. The .csv export includes all exam statistics, question metrics, and learner responses. The .pdf export includes all report visuals, including all charts, statistics, and expanded question details. Learners will have access to download a .pdf only of the exam report. Learner downloads will include only the report sections that the instructor has made available to the learner for the exam.
Dedicated Publisher Landing Pages
Publishers working with Echo360 to provide EchoExam content will have a dedicated landing page for their instructors to sign up and redeem their subscription. Publisher landing pages can be customized with brand colors, logo, text, and images from the publisher.
Publisher Customer Redemption Codes
Instructors who are working directly with a publisher can redeem an EchoExam subscription using their publisher code. Instructors can redeem content associated with any number of titles from their publisher and use that content to build tests and deliver exams for their learners.
Publisher Titles
Instructors who have redeemed a publisher title will have access to use the associated content in their tests, by manually creating or adding the questions to a test, or using the test generator and selecting the publisher title. Instructors can adjust settings within the question, such as points and scoring method, but they won't be able to make changes to the publisher content.
Improvements
Filter and Search Question Templates
Instructors can quickly find the question template or existing question they want to add using the available search, sort, and filter options. Question templates can be sorted by name or filtered to show only the NCLEX-NGN templates. Existing questions can be sorted by question text, created or updated date, or filtered by question type. Instructors can search by template name or question text to quickly find a specific item.
Print Formatting and Layout Options
When printing tests, instructors will see an updated layout to maximize the number of pages on the printed test and improve the readability for learners. Instructors can configure versions, space for learners to write their answers, test and question instructions, and more. Instructors can also choose between a standard and compact layout on either US letter or A4 paper to minimize total page count when printing.
- Updated question options panel for instructors with icon tabs to reduce cognitive load while expanding the available options.
- Improved accessibility throughout the product by updating contrast ratios, keyboard navigation and focus, alternate text for screen readers, and more!
- Added tooltips to display full metadata text in the Test Generator.
Bug Fixes
- Resolved issue where equations and images were inserted at the top of the edit field, regardless of cursor placement.
- Corrected intermittent issue where instructors could not resize and adjust settings for equations and images.