Select-in-stimulus

The select-in-stimulus (SIS) response type allows test takers to respond to an item by selecting sections of a video, audio clip, or text directly within a stimulus.

Shades of green are used throughout SIS user interface elements to help convey that they are parts of a single interaction.

Cardinality

Like other selected-response item types, SIS items can be single-select (one selection allowed) or multiple-select (multiple selections allowed). In the single-select variant, if a test taker attempts to make a second selection, it will override the first.

In the multiple-select variant, assessment specialists define a maximum selection limit. Once the maximum number of selections has been made, the max-selection alert (see below) appears, and one selection must be deselected before another can be selected.

Text Selections

The following demo presents a select-in-stimulus response type.

The demo is 67% its actual size. To see a full-size demo, click here.
To view alternative presentations and styling, use the Change Theme and Read Aloud buttons in the upper-right of the screen.

Text selections are indicated in a stimulus by a background of varying shades of green, depending on the selection’s state. When selections are adjacent (i.e., when selections are words, phrases, or sentences), there must be one space character between the selections to visually differentiate them. A hairline margin should also appear between lines of selected text (achievable by adjusting the line height).

Text selections in stimuli have the following states.

  • Inactive. Visible when the item to which the selection belongs is NOT on screen and/or when a modal system tool (e.g., Scratchwork) is enabled. The selection has the styling of the surrounding passage.
  • Active. Visible when the item to which the selection belongs is on screen. The selection has a dashed, semi-transparent rgba(0,0,0,0.4) border and a light green #D1F7D3 background.
  • Hover. Visible when the cursor is over the text selection. The selection has the same border and a darker green #5ABF5D background. The pointer cursor is shown.
  • Selected. The selection has no border, a dark green #0E8812 background, and the text color is white #FFFFFF .

In the response area

Once a text selection has been chosen, it appears in the response area (see below). Text selections in the response area have the same green #0E8812 background and white #FFFFFF text as in the stimulus to ensure visual continuity. To avoid mixing multiple typographical styles, all text selections in the response area are displayed at a standardized size in the Calibri typeface.

When presented in a two-column response area, long text selections are truncated to avoid obscuring selection containers that appear below. A gradient helps convey the truncation, and a dark green #0A3C0D See more button is provided at the lower left of the selection container. Pressing the See more button allows the test taker to see the full selection, and changes the button label to “See less.” Pressing the button again returns the selection container to its default truncated state.

Directions Box

Because the select-in-stimulus interaction is likely to be novel to many test takers, directions are provided directly in the item. The directions box has rounded corners, a light green #D1F7D3 background, and an icon representing the expected test taker action on the left side.

In the Default environment, the directions focus on how to make selections: “Tap a [selection] to select it.”

In the eReader environment, a Go button is provided that, when selected, automatically navigates test takers to the location of the first selection in the passage. Directions in the eReader environment focus on navigation given the additional complexity of the Questions Panel: “Tap Go to go to the [stimulus] and choose [selection(s)].”

Response Area

The response area appears below the directions box. The response area has rounded corners, a light gray #F6F6F6 background, and a dark gray #CCCCCC border.

As the test taker makes selections, they appear in the response area, each in its own selection container. When no selections have been made, the response area contains the text, “Your choice[s] will appear here.”

Selection Containers

Each selection container has rounded corners, a gray #6C6C6C border, and a drop shadow.

A Close button is provided at the upper right that allows the test taker to remove the selection. (Test takers can also remove a selection by tapping it again in the stimulus.) Selection containers always have the same width but can have varying heights based on the size of the content they contain.

Response Area Columns

Selection containers can be presented in the response area in one or two columns. Items with only text selections are typically presented in one column, while items with media selections or a mix of selections are typically presented in two columns. (In scenario-based tasks, consistency of presentation across the task is prioritized, so if one SIS item must be presented in two columns, all other SIS items are as well.)

Selection Placeholders

A test developer can elect to display placeholders based on the number of selections specified in the item stem. Placholders have rounded corners, a white #FFFFFF background, and a dashed gray #6C6C6C border. Placeholders disappear as selections are made and reappear as selections are removed.

The presence of placeholders affects the order in which selections appear:

  • When placeholders are present, new selections populate after existing selections.
  • When placeholders are absent, new selections populate before existing selections (to make it easier to see that the selection has been added).

Max-selection Alert

The Assessment Specialist has the ability to define a maximum selection limit for multiple-select variants of SIS items. When a test taker attempts to select more options than the maximum number specified in the item stem an alert will appear. The alert states the maximum number of selections and indicates that the test taker must deselect one option before selecting another.

The alert has a light yellow #F8ECBD background and a dark yellow #E6CB90 border. A warning icon appears at its left side.

If the test taker does not dismiss the alert via the Close button at its upper-right, the alert will automatically disappear after 6 seconds. If the test taker keeps trying to make additional selections while the alert is on-screen, the alert will pulse.

Multiple Sources

The following demo presents a select-in-stimulus response type with multiple sources.

The demo is 67% its actual size. To see a full-size demo, click here.
To view alternative presentations and styling, use the Change Theme and Read Aloud buttons in the upper-right of the screen.

In SIS items that contain mutliple stimuli, stimuli are presented in a tabbed interface (see the Navigation) page) on the left side of the screen.

A source label is provided at the top of all selection containers to help test takers recall which stimulus each selection came from.