Managing Ratings and Rating Scales

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Ratings classify, or group, response scores.  You have complete control over the rating schemes, and you can use different rating schemes (or maximum scores for ratings) for different assessments.

An Assessment normally has multiple Rating records.  These indicate the grade that the respondent got for a particular sub-section, section, segmentation or response. 

For example, they may be

• Red, Orange, Green
• Competency Levels
• Grades (A+, A etc.)

They can have any label you like, and score range and you can have any number of them.

Rating List

1. Add a Rating
2. Rating List
3. Links to: 
   • Edit Form (see below)
   • Section Rating Text (usually maintained through the assessment builder)
   • SubSection Rating Text (usually maintained through the assessment builder)
   • Segmentation Rating Text. (usually maintained here)
4. Advanced Ratings.  Advanced Ratings allows you to add additional Rating Types (the default one is always called the Base Rating Type).  Additional Rating Types have their own ratings, which can be named and scored separately.  You can then report on alternate Rating Types in the Feedback and Cohort Reports using the RatingType parameter. (Read more on Advanced Ratings)   

 Rating Edit

1. The rating name is generally internal to the system (The rating Text is used to describe it in the feedback report.
2. Assessment that this rating applies to
3. The maximum score for this rating. The next highest score implies the minimum score.  If there are no lower maximum scores, this record will apply from 0.  This score is always a percentage but entered as a whole number.  e.g. 66 = 66%.  If you are using Likert scoring convert the Likert score to a percentage.  For example, if you had a rating that went to a maximum of 3.5 out of 5 the value would be 70 (3.5 / 5.0) x 100
4. Rating Colour -  You can select a color or enter the hex code for the color.  It is used on all graphics relating to the rating.  Ensure that you click Apply before you exit the color picker.
5. Is Override - This indicator is used if this rating is used as an Override (or Not applicable).  The Maximum Score should be set to zero.  This feature is used when a subsection should not be scored because it is not applicable to the respondent.  The Subsection specifies the answer that indicates that the Override rating should be used. Read more in Using Overrides.
6. Certified Checkbox. This is an additional field displayed on this screen if the Settings field “Certifications Issued” checkbox is ticked.  If the system is being used to issue certifications, ticking this checkbox indicates that this rating passes the certification.
7. Rating Text. This option only appears if you have selected "Show Alternate Report Texts" on the Settings form.  You can have up to 5 separate versions of the Rating Text, and selecting which one to use on reports using the RepText parameter.  The default is Report Text 1.
8. Save the Rating Text - Use this button to save rating text changes before displaying another Rating Text. 
9. Text Editor -Buttons Row 1
   • Bold
   • Italics
   • Underline
   • Strikethrough
   • Align text left
   • Centre text
   • Align test right
   • Justify text
   • Bullet Points
   • Number
   • Indent (an additional Outdent button appears if Indent is selected)
   • Create a link to an external URL
   • Import an Image held on the Graphics table
   • Insert file (Not Available)
   • Add table.  A selecter is shown to pick the size of the table (rows and columns)  Once a table has been added additional buttons are shown to manage the table (to assist in adding and deleting rows and columns) 
   • HTML - view and modify the underlying HTML for the text.
   • Format - Pick whether this text should be shown as a heading (1-4) or paragraph (normal text).  The default is Paragraph.  
10. Text Editor -Buttons Row 2
    • Clear Formatting - Important for removing all of the hidden formatting when copying text from other systems.
    • Change the font.  This will override the font of the merge string.
    • Change the size.  This will override the size of the merge string.
    • Text color
    • Background-color
    • Ruler - to place a light grey line across the text. 
11. Text Editor Row 3
    • Insert Video from the Graphics table.
12. Text Editor Row 4 - Merge Fields These fields are used for Question and Answer Piping
    • Select Answer Text or Report Text (which you want to merge into the text)
    • Select the Question you wish to merge in the Answer or Report Text from.  Displays a drop-down list.
    • Add.  Clicking the add button will insert the formatted merge string into the text at the cursor location.
13. Text. Enter the text to be shown on the report if this rating is attained.
    • TIP: The text can be formatted in any way you wish, but it is highly recommended that if you cut and paste text from Word or another system you Clear the Formatting (using the button in Row 2) and reformat it in this text editor.  There is often a lot of hidden formatting in copied text. 
    • TIP2: The initial formatting will be specified by the merge string in the Word document.  The formatting here will override that.
14. Rating Image. If you have a badge or similar for different achievement ratings, it is uploaded here. The image is available for display in the Feedback Report. Ensure that it is sized for how you want it to appear on the Feedback Report.
15. The current Image is shown if one is uploaded.  
16. Image Comment. If entered this comment will be used as an Alt Tag for the image.

Using overrides

Overrides are used in a scenario that a subsection is not applicable to the respondent (so the subsection are questions in it are conditional) but you want some specific text to appear in the report.

In this scenario you have

• an extra Rating with a maximum score of 0 and the Is Override checkbox selected (5 above).
• on the subsection/s that you want text for the override, enter the text as normal and specify the answer that it is dependent on in the Override Answer selector. (See the Override on the Subsections)