(C1,iii) Add Short Answer Feedback Assistant (Enhanced)

The Short Answer Feedback Assistant (ShortAnsFA) provides suggested marks and auto-generated content-related feedback for Free-Response Questions for any subject and level.

Important:

• As ShortAnsFA uses generative AI, its response is probabilistic in nature. Thus, it may not be suitable for questions involving mathematical computation and may at times be inaccurate. Teachers can consider using FA-Math for questions that require mathematical computation instead. Also, Teachers can review the feedback generated before returning it to students. Also, teachers can review the feedback generated before returning it to students.

• ShortAnsFA can provide feedback on a wider variety of responses, including more open-ended responses such as composition writing or reflections.

• File Submission is disabled when using ShortAnsFA.

Create a ShortAnsFA question

1. ShortAnsFA can be used in standalone questions and all types of quizzes. Depending on the selected mode (i.e. standalone question or quiz), teachers determine how students will receive the feedback from ShortAnsFA.

   Mode	Feedback
   Teacher Marked Quiz	Students receive feedback after teacher marks and releases the quiz
   1. Progressive Quiz 2. Auto-Graded Quiz 3. Standalone Question	Students receive feedback automatically after submitting each question

   To learn more about the different quiz modes, click here.
   • To use ShortAnsFA in a quiz, click Add New on the Module Editor page, then select Quiz. Proceed to Step 2 to continue creating a quiz.
   • To use ShortAnsFA in a standalone question, click Add New on the Module Editor page then select Activity. Proceed to Step 3 to continue creating a standalone question.
2. After selecting Quiz, you will see that the default Quiz Mode is Progressive Quiz. You can change the Quiz Mode, add Description and Instruction to Students by clicking on the Quiz Component. To add a question, click [+] on the collapsed question list.


3. Select Short Answer Feedback Assistant under Free-Response Questions from the Component Bar. The Create New Question subpage will open.

   • Alternatively, you can choose Default Free-Response then click the checkbox next to Use and select Short Answer Feedback Assistant.

   
4. Additionally, you may choose to use Annotated Feedback Assistant concurrently to allow students to receive more than one type of feedback in a single response.


5. From the Leniency dropdown list, select the intended leniency of the feedback and marks provided by ShortAnsFA. High leniency would cause feedback generated to be more open and diverse, with a looser interpretation of the Suggested Answer. The default Leniency is set to Medium. Check ‘Allow file submission’ if you wish to allow students to submit PDF or images in their response (subject to existing file size limits on SLS).

   Note: From March 2025, you can provide suggested answers in PDF or image format, and students can also submit their responses using PDFs or images. This feature is particularly useful for subjects requiring handwritten responses, diagrams, or visual work, such as mathematics, science, or geography.  Enable this option if students’ answers are better represented visually rather than through typed responses.

   

6. From the Response Size dropdown list, select the response size, or estimated length of students’ response. A short response would be approximately 100 words long, a medium response would be 300 words long, and a long response would be 500 words long. The default Response Size is set to Medium.

   Note: If students need to submit longer responses, consider breaking the question into multiple FRQs. For example, teachers can create two FRQs to divide the response or structure it as one FRQ per paragraph to facilitate structured and manageable submissions.

   

   Specify a detailed mark scheme in the Suggested Answer. You can include PDFs or images here for assessment of students’ responses.

   

   Note: When using images or PDFs for suggested answers, ensure clarity and readability by using high-quality scans or images with legible text or handwriting. Clearly indicate key points through annotations, highlights, or labels, and align the marking scheme by providing a text-based breakdown of criteria where necessary.

   If multiple answers are acceptable, specify alternatives either within the image or as a separate explanation. PDFs can be useful for structured responses, such as worked solutions, annotated diagrams, or essay-style answers, with clear indications of how each section aligns with the marks awarded. Where possible, providing an exemplar response can help guide students in understanding expected formatting and content depth.

   

   To learn more about writing the Suggested Answer, click on this e-Poster.

7. Alternatively, to mark more open-ended responses based on rubrics, click Add Rubrics.
   Note:
   For each question, feedback from ShortAnsFA can only be provided using either Suggested Answer or Rubrics at a time.

8. Enter the following fields:
   • Title
   • Band Descriptor
   • Criterion
   • Mark Range

   Note: A maximum of 6 bands (columns) and 6 criteria (rows) can be added in a Rubrics. Click the Overflow (3-dot icon) to Add Band, Add Criterion, Delete Band, or Delete Criterion.

   
9. Click outside the Component to save.
10. Click the Up/Down arrows to set the Marks for the question.
11. Tag the question to the Subject/ Level/ Learning Outcome or Content Map to increase accuracy of the response.
12. When you are done editing, click outside the Component to save.
13. Before assigning to students, you can preview the feedback by clicking Preview as Student to ensure that the question has been configured correctly.

14. For standalone questions, Progressive Quiz and Auto-graded Quiz, feedback from ShortAnsFA will be shown immediately after students have completed the question. For Teacher Marked Quiz, feedback will be shown after you have marked and released the quiz. Click here for more information on how to return the feedback for Teacher Marked Quiz.
15. You may still review and edit the feedback generated by ShortAnsFA (refer to Table A and B). Under the Monitor Assignment page and clicking Teacher Comments. You are encouraged to check that the feedback and marks are accurate and appropriate; and engage in further discussions with your students.

Supporting Resource: