Authoring Cognexo Questions

Introduction

This guide sets out to offer some best practice suggestions on how to author Cognexo questions. To simplify the process into logical sub-categories, the advice is delivered (with working examples) under the following headings:

• Writing the Main Question

• Writing Correct and Incorrect Answer Options

• Writing Question Explanations

• Editing Live Questions

There are no rigid rules about authoring questions. Mixing styles, such as questions with TRUE or FALSE or multiple correct answers, can help vary the daily questions and support ongoing engagement. However, we would like to share best practice ways of authoring questions to get the most out of Cognexo.

Writing the Main Question

Avoid writing a partial question statement. A question that is incomplete and vague may be unclear to some readers. Instead, ensure the question is complete and clearly written so it is simple for the reader to understand.

Setting a question within an everyday scenario can make it more interesting for the learner and help them relate the question to their own role.

Creating scenarios can add context to a question and make it more engaging, but try not to include irrelevant information. If only part of the scenario is essential to answering the question, remove any unnecessary detail and focus on what actually matters.

Be careful when using abbreviations or initials. It is not always obvious to all learners what they mean, so we recommend writing words and phrases in full.

Unless learners are being tested on the meaning of an abbreviation, or a word or phrase is much more commonly understood in its contracted rather than extended form (for example, GDPR), include all wording in both the question and the answer options.

Writing Correct and Incorrect Answer Options

Including plausible wrong answers is an essential aspect of good question design. All incorrect options should, as far as possible, be realistic and credible answers that require the learner to read and consider them carefully.

Avoid including silly or obviously wrong answers, as they simply help users guess the right answer and reduce the value of the question.

Try not to make answer options look too similar. Repeating the same words and phrases across every option is unnecessary and may confuse or irritate learners. Where possible, move shared wording into the main question so the answer options are clear and distinct.

Avoid using alternative responses that are grammatically inconsistent. Inconsistent grammar looks untidy, does not read well, and could influence a learner’s choice of answer. Grammatically consistent options are clearer and easier to understand.

Writing Question Explanations

A brief explanation to accompany each question can help reinforce learning. Explanations can be as long or as short as required and may range from a simple restatement of the correct answer to a longer paragraph of supporting information.

Avoid using numbers to confirm which options were correct. Instead, repeat the correct answers in full within the explanation.

Question explanations are useful not only for confirming the correct answer but also for expanding knowledge. They can be used to direct learners to additional resources such as videos, web pages, or policy documents where they can find more information.

You can insert hyperlinks using the following format:

[Link Title](URL address)

For example:

[NHS website](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/first-aid/recovery-position/)

Note: There should be no space between the square brackets and the round brackets. Including a space will cause both the title and the URL to appear in the explanation text.

Editing Live Questions

A question can be edited on Cognexo even after users have started answering it on the live system — but care is required.

A question must be suspended and reloaded if there are major edits, including:

• Significant revisions to the question itself or the correct answer(s)

• Changing which answer option is marked as correct

Making substantial changes to a live question can confuse the system when determining whether previous answers were correct. In these cases, a new version of the question must be loaded.

You can make small amendments to live questions without reloading, including:

• Any edits to the explanation

• Changes to incorrect answer options

• Very minor changes to the main question or correct answers

For example, removing punctuation from an answer or slightly adjusting wording in the question.