The Shading Question provides a visual representation of functions and calculations, including fractions and ratios. Authors are able to format a set of cells, which are shaded by the learner as their response.

Figure 1: Shading Question example.

Create a Question

Enter the Question stem into the Compose question area. Then go to Canvas Options below to create the grid. Specify the number of rows and columns of the grid by putting the number in the Row Count and Column Count fields. In the Cell Height and Cell Width fields insert values to specify cell size.

Figure 2: Creating a grid.

Authors are also able to shade out some of the cells: they will appear highlighted when the learner sees the Question. For this go to the Shade cells section and shade the cells on this grid as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3: Author shaded cells.

Note that learners will be able to deselect author shaded cells. You can, however, prevent this by enabling Lock shaded cells.

You can also make an image appear when the user clicks on a cell. Upload an image you want to use into the Shading image field.

You can also specify colored borders for the main canvas area to create interesting variants of the Question type by providing additional context on the canvas area's orientation.

Figure 4: Colored border options for the canvas area.

There are two validation methods available in Shading Questions:

• byLocation - Used when the task is to highlight specific cells on the grid. Authors will need to click on the correct cells on the grid in order to indicate the correct response.

Figure 5: byLocation validation example.

• byCount - Used when the task is to select the correct amount of cells. Authors set the amount of cells in order to validate the Question. Cells position will not be considered when validating the Question.

Figure 6: byCount validation example.

• Insert value in the Point(s) box to set up a mark for the Question. The default value is 1.
• In the Correct tab select validation Method from the drop down menu and set the correct response using either byLocation or ByCount methods as described above.

More options

Scoring

Under the More options button, in Scoring section, you can change formatting settings, scoring types and apply different styles to your Question.

The following scoring types are available in Shading Question types:

• Exact Match - Learner must answer all parts of the Question correct to receive a mark.
• Partial Match - Each correct response element will be scored individually and the overall Question score will be divided between responses.

Other Scoring options:

• Unscored/Practice usage type - Enabling this option will remove all scoring from the Question.
• Penalty point(s) - The value entered here indicates marks that will be deducted from the learner for an incorrect response.
• Check answer button - If this is enabled, a "Check answer button" will appear to the learner alongside the Question; clicking this button will indicate to the learner if their answer is correct or incorrect, but it will not tell them the correct response. This can be useful for informal assessment.
• Check answer attempts - The value entered here will indicate how many times the learner can use the "Check answer button". A value of 0 indicates an infinite number of times.
• Minimum points if attempted¹ - Points awarded to the learner for attempting the Question, regardless of a correct or incorrect response.

Layout

Some cells on the grid can also be hidden. Authors may use it in order to create custom shape with grid. The Layout section can be found under More Options. Simply click on the cells you want to hide from the grid as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 7: Hiding cells.

Additional layout options include:

• Max selection - By putting a value into this field authors can specify how many elements learners can select when giving an answer. For unlimited amount of selections insert 0.
• Border type - specifies borders around the grid and in between cells. You can choose from the following three types:
  • None - no border will be applied
  • Outer - if you only want to have grid borders but leave out cells borders
  • Full - to keep the default setting with borders around every cell
• Hover state toggle - used to turn hover effects on and off when the user hovers the mouse cursor over a cell.

You can also decide to use an image as a grid background. Upload it in the Background Image section and then specify its width, height and opacity if needed.

'Extra' options

The extras section in the authoring interface allows you to add more information about the Question, information that we refer to as metadata.

There are a number of fields available: acknowledgements, contains math, distractor rationale, distractors, instructor stimulus, rubric reference, sample answer, and stimulus (review only).

To learn more about the options shown in the Extras section, see Understanding the Extras Section of the Question Editor.

1. Note: “Minimum points if attempted” replaces the earlier label “Minimum score if attempted”. Version added: v2026.1.LTS