Our product release webinar took place on 5th February 2024. You can watch a recording by visiting our Help Center.
Our release notes can be found here.
Numerical Simulation
Our popular numerical simulation capability moved into general release this month. It allows you to create auto-marked math questions with programmed parameterization and response outcomes to achieve randomization. Over the course of being in open beta, we have added error carry forward functionality, feedback per response outcome and the ability to award marks for correct answers as well those within an allowed tolerance. Combined with multiple attempts and question randomisation and pulling, it gives educators an ability to use numerical simulation across a wide range of formative and summative use cases.
Whether this is a capability you are familiar with or whether you want to know more about how you could use numerical simulation, you can find full details on our help center, including a video that breaks down how it works
Open API for Test Activation
Our open API library gives you the ability to automate the administration of your assessments. We have extended the library month with a new API that allows you to activate a test. This is particularly useful where you have a booking system for on demand assessments and want to only activate tests when they are booked, or synchronize a test being activated against a specific date or event.
Unlimited Attempts in Multiple Attempts
Our multiple attempt capability for automatically marked questions moved into general release last month. Once in general release, in common with other capabilities, we look to make incremental improvements to benefit you and your candidates. This month we have enabled the ability to set a multiple attempts assessment to be taken an unlimited number of times. Previously, this could be done by setting an artificially high number of limited attempts, e.g. 999, but aside from making the solution more elegant by a single click, we understand the importance to your candidates of seeing the word ‘unlimited’ rather than a random number. This is a small but useful improvement to the user experience.
Grade Scales and Grades in the Candidate Report
We know that some institutions use grading scales when marking and others do not, instead using a mark as the final result to candidates. From this month you can change the default in Inspera to use a grading scale or not use a grading scale. Importantly, both options remain available in Inspera for planners to make decisions per assessment. The improvement in the user experience for them means at an institutional level, you can choose which is selected by default to make the setup process more efficient.
Coupled with this change, where a grade is not awarded but just a mark, we have changed the Candidate Report so that references to a grade are removed. Instead of a section that says Grade and then a message to say one was not visible, this section no longer appears so that only relevant information along with your rich feedback is seen in this useful document.
Welsh Language Support
We are pleased to introduce a new language to our student interface with the introduction of Welsh.
Universal Design for Learning
This month we continue improving our platform accessibility and usability. In this way, users with and without assistive technology and other accessibility tools are now able to interact with Inspera Assessment using improved labels, descriptions, context, ARIA roles, contrast, and tab controls. Updates were made to the candidate report and the planner dashboard header.
With a number of monthly improvements, we are going to refresh our Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) to reflect the latest improvements.
Documentation Update
Help center guides for customers to setup LTI 1.3 and custom parameters between Inspera Assessment and the following LMSs:
- Blackboard Learn
- Instructure Canvas
- D2L Brightspace
- Moodle
- Sakai
Q1 Roadmap Webinar
Our Q1 roadmap webinar can be found here. We took a look back at what was released in Q4 and ahead to the releases in this quarter.
Whether you’re a long-time client or new to Inspera, we’re delighted to share this journey with you. We welcome product suggestions on our Roadmap, involvement in our Community and you can contact our Chief Product Officer directly at brent.mundy@inspera.com
In our community this month, we are particularly interested in your views on how we can make our release and roadmap webinars even more valuable to you. Head over to join the discussion. We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you next month for the March release webinar.