Example

In the question type "Text Area", the students answer by writing a longer text which you then need to correct manually. With this question type students are not given any tools to edit their text, only plain text can be submitted.

Example Text Area

Didactic perspective

In this question type there is no tool bar to format the text. Neither is there any word counting tool.

Due to this, it's a very minimised answer box where the students will enter their texts. It's suitable for shorter texts, but for longer texts we recommed to use "Essay" instead.

Learning support

In this question type there is no toolbar for formatting the text, this can make it more difficult for students to express themselves if they have reading and writing difficulties. It can also make the text the student writes more difficult to read, both for the students themselves and for the examiner. To avoid this, "Essay" may be a better alternative.

Alternative question types

The question type "Text Area" doesn't have any word counter. If you wanna use a minimised answer box where the students only can enter text wthout formatting, but enable word counter, you need to use "Essay" and activate "Use plain text". This will still be the question type "Essay", but it looks almost like a "Text Area". Read more about this on the page Question type "Essay"

Settings in Inspera

After you have entered the question stem on "Replace with question text.", you can select the answer box, see (1) in the screenshot below.

Settings Text Area

The answer box

Click the answer box to see the side panel with the steps (2)- (3)

Prompt

Here you write the text to be displayed above the answer alternatives (default setting is "Fill in your answer here")

Size

Here you edit the size of the answer field that the students see.

Options Text Area

“Set initial number of text lines” is set 3 by default
You also have the option to choose whether the size of the answer field should expand automatically. If you do not select “Expand automatically” the students will see a scrollbar to navigate in the window.
Here you enter the width of the answer field
Here you can choose whether the numbers for the width specified should be in percent or pixels

Essay as "Text Area" with word count

In the question type "Text area" it’s not possible to show word count. If you want a simple answer field where students can only write text without formatting, but at the same time are able to see the number of words, then you need to use "Essay" and activate the setting "Use simple text". It is still the question type "Essay" that is used, but it is more similar to "Text area". Read more about how to do it on the page about question type "Essay".

Tips: At the Inspera Help Center, you can read more about this question type and its settings. Link to Inspera Help Center about the question type "Text Area"