Items

An Item is a set of a certain question and - depending on the Item type - the possible answers for that question.

New Item

There are different Item types available in the LearningSpace system.
Once a Section is added, any type of Item can be inserted by clicking it on the list in the NEW Item panel (left side of the screen).


The toolbar at the top of the checklist allows formatting of each added item, and media files can also be inserted.


Media items, e.g., pictures or videos, can be attached to any item. See How to Upload a Media Item.



Features available for Items

The following features are available for the Items however, not all features for all Item types:

Information - text field for additional information (Viewable Additional Notes) pertaining to the question.

   Copy - a fully created Item can be duplicated, thereby copying the question and all the answers provided.

Three dots  - Answers horizontally displayed - in case of multiple brief answers (radio button or checkbox), the answers may be better displayed horizontally (yielding more screen estate).

    Pointing finger: Reported correct Item - if activated, the Item will be listed in the Incorrect / Not Done report of the Preset Reports in the Reports module.

     Asterisk: Answer required - if activated, a user cannot submit the checklist until that Item is answered. That is, they cannot leave it blank.

    Comment box - when activated (darker blue), a text field is displayed at the Item during data entry, providing space for additional notes.

Points button -  prompts the score value fields to be displayed next to the added answers, along with the NS (not scored) and the B (bonus) buttons, which can be activated by a response.



Decimals and minus points can also be used to determine score values via the Points button. However, when assigning the same score to different answer options (e.g., at the Checkbox Item type) or assigning only negative values, the system cannot determine the correct answer (e.g., by highlighting it on the checklist in Reports).

  • Set Answers button - alternative for the Points button; prompts the Answer Setup pop-up window where answers can be entered with the point value determined, including options for NS (not scored) and B (bonus).

  • Copy - a fully created item can be duplicated, thereby copying the question and all the answers provided. 


As with any added Item, a copied one can be freely modified. You can add more fields by clicking the Add New Answer button or delete any extra field by clicking the icon appearing when hovering over the row to be deleted.

A complete Item can be deleted by the red dustbin icon appearing when hovering over the Item to be deleted.



Items cannot be added independently to a Checklist, only within a Section; consequently, a checklist always contains at least one Section.
When clicking an Item without adding a Section, a Section will automatically be added. Therefore, the settings should be specified.



Reuse

Sections and Items created within any Case checklist are stored in the system and can be readily reused in any newly created checklist.
The REUSE panel is below the NEW Item panel; clicking it opens the panel instead of the Item list.




By default, the Question category is activated and displayed in dark blue. To reuse a Section, switch to the Section category.
When typing in the Search field, all Items/ Sections that contain the letter combination entered will be listed below the search bar.


In the case of Questions, the search results are listed with the Item type icon.


Hovering over the listed Item will prompt a tooltip window displaying the entire Item or Section.


Once an Item or Section is reused, it can be modified as desired.

See also How to Reuse Items.

Virtual sections - Tagging


Items can be given specific tags, which can be linked to create a Virtual Section unit. With the help of this feature, you can regroup certain items of the Case into a separate Section and review the results for this Section in certain reports. 
Like common Sections, a Virtual section is also a group of items - which items are already present in the Case. Thus, respondents do not have to 're-answer' the questions of a Virtual section since these responses are already saved.

  • A tagged item (or virtual section) does not affect data entry, but reporting: its scores will be visible in specific reports.

  • Tagged questions can be included in different Sections or even parts but then be observed as one Section at score calculation (e.g., one of the Sections can be that of the FON, the other one of the SP part).

    With this setup, the scores for the items appearing both in the SP/FON part and the Virtual Section will count with double effect in the reports. 
    If you wish the scores to count only once - for example, in the Virtual Section - set the Section in the SP and FON part to not affect case total and skill area, make sure that checkboxes 'Affects case total' and 'Affects skill area  (cross-case section total)' are not selected.




Learn more at How to Create Virtual Sections - Tagging.


For further information, visit our Case Manager and Cases - How to pages or watch our Case Manager Training Videos.