QTI Implementation and Delivery

Is there a community of developers I can join?
The CETIS Assessment Special Interest Group maintains a JISCMAIL mailing list which you can join. This is a low volume list providing members with updates on standards and specifications developments, news on CAA initiatives and activities, and details of forthcoming events.

For technical discussion on QTI development and implementation, we recommend that you join the IMS QTI developers' forum, an international forum for developers.

An IMS QTI interactive documentation and resources site, which includes discussion and commenting facilities, is also available.

What does a typical multiple choice question look like in QTI?
QTI uses XML (Extensible Markup Language), a standard type of text file similar to HTML that can be used to define structured information for computers. A big advantage of XML is that there are many useful tools and code libraries available for developers. However, the files are intended to be created and read by computers and so are not always easy for human readers to follow.

The code below defines a simple four option multiple choice question (MCQ) with separate feedback for correct and incorrect responses. (Colour and emphasis have been added to make it easier to read.) A simple MCQ authoring program could use this code and substitute new text for the emphasised sections to create new QTI questions.



Can I use QTI to assess numeric subjects?
Yes, Version 2.1 of the QTI specification supports numeric answers, including support for assessing format (such as ‘to two significant figures’). The numbers given to the student can be randomized and can be displayed ‘in scientific notation’ or to a given number of decimal places or significant figures.

Extensions to cover the input of mathematical expressions as answers and manipulating, displaying and judging such expressions, have been proposed and implemented by developers, and may become part of a standard set of ‘extensions for maths and science’ in future versions of the QTI specification.

Many of the long structured answers that would be typical of a conventional maths, physics or engineering exam can be translated to computer input in QTIv2.1, which supports multi-part questions and carrying variable values from one part to another, or even from one question to another.

Can I use QTI to assess text based subjects?
It is possible to use QTI to define a question that is not marked by a computer, and to include information such as guidelines for markers or a specimen answer. The computerised assessment of content (rather than style) within extended text responses is still very much in its infancy, and is not likely to be addressed by the QTI specification for some time.

For formative assessment, it is possible to use string matching to identify specific words or phrases within a student’s response, and to give the student some immediate feedback based on the presence or absence of these words.

How can I package QTI files for sharing?
In the simplest scenario, a QTI item can be saved simply as an XML file and shared in this way. However, in version 2 of the specification, QTI metadata will be moved from within the QTI XML itself to a separate IEEE LOM manifest file. In order to associate the metadata file with its item, it will be necessary to use IMS Content Packaging to create a zip file containing the item, the manifest, and any additional resources such as images (together with their own metadata files). The Best Practice Guide for QTI version 2 will include information on working with IMS Content Packaging and IEEE LOM, particularly for more elaborate scenarios in which multi-item sections or assessments are to be packaged.

Can I randomise the order of exam questions?
Yes. The structure of assessments in QTIv2.1 allows you to specify whether some or all of your questions are presented in a random order.

With randomised exam questions, can I have a basic order so that question Y is only asked after question X?
In version 2.1, there can be several sections within a test, which enable questions in one section to be presented in random order before the questions in the next section. The order of presentation can, in general, be specified using logical rules, which gives the test author great flexibility in designing an assessment.

Can I choose whether or not the student sees the result of the exam after it is finished?
Section 4.3 of the Results Reporting Best Practice and Implementation guide indicates that reporting the result to the student is coded as feedback and it should therefore be possible to exclude it, although this would depend on the particular tool you were using. The QTI specification itself certainly allows you that flexibility.

Can QTI handle the results of assessments?
The Results Reporting parts of the version 1.2.1 specification provide a great deal of information on how the results of items, sections and entire assessments can be aggregated and controlled. However, there has been little take up of results reporting and so no real test of the quality of the definition. Examination and amendment of the results reporting sections are out of scope for version 2, but may be looked at in subsequent revisions.

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