Open-ended question type that has no preset answer choices, but gives a textual input field for respondents. Due to the freely worded textual answers, these items are evaluated manually, that is, scoring requires faculty participation, referred to as Open-Ended Question Scoring (OEQS).
IMPORTANT: Only users with Open-Ended Question Scoring Data Entry privilege have access to evaluate answers submitted for text items.
The question is to be entered in the Question phrase field, while the textbox below allows for typing in any initial phrase if intended.
Character limit: By default, there is no limitation set for the responses, that is, the character limit is zero. If changed, respondents would not be allowed to exceed the set number of characters.
Use the buttons in the item panel for further options:
Information - text field for additional information pertaining to the question.
Reported comment item - if activated, the item (question) and the answer will be displayed in the Comments Report of the Preset Reports, in the Reports module.
The Comments Report displays comments if:
- the Reported comment item icon is selected for that particular item in Case Manager
- comments are entered into the Comments field during the Open-Ended Question Scoring process.
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 background), a text field is displayed at the item during data entry, providing space for additional notes.
Copy - a fully created item can be duplicated, thereby copying the question with all the settings.
As with any added item, a copied one can be freely modified as desired.
Scoring
Scoring notes are instructions about scoring; displayed for the OEQS user during the evaluation process.
Scoring textual items has three available techniques. When clicking the Points button, a drop-down menu appears for selecting the scoring method: 
- Not Scored - the item will not get any score value and will not be counted within the overall scoring of the checklist.
- Direct - when direct scoring is selected, a Max. Score field is displayed where the maximum point value has to be determined; OEQS users can choose to give any number in the range of zero and the provided score value.
- Keywords - selecting the Keywords method prompts the Set Keywords button to be displayed. Clicking the button opens the Keywords Setup pop-up where any word can be set with fixed value, thus when typed in, the system recognizes and calculates a recommended score for the response (from the sum of the point value of the matching words), which is displayed on the OEQS page by highlighting the relevant words in the response text and also listing them with their values and the recommended score.
- Questionnaire - Evaluation completed by answering a set of questions. The questionnaire can be created on the Special Section part, which then can be selected via the drop-down menus displayed when the Questionnaire method is selected.
Setting up keywords should be regarded as a guideline in scoring - it is recommended that the answers be double-checked and approved by the OEQS users.
If multiple spelling can be considered acceptable, or typos might be disregarded, alternative spelling can be listed within the same keyword field, separated by comma(s). In such case, the system will calcuate the recommended score for either one of the listed words.
If multiple spelling can be considered acceptable, or typos might be disregarded, alternative spelling can be listed within the same keyword field, separated by comma(s). In such case, the system will calcuate the recommended score for either one of the listed words.
For further information, visit our Case Manager and Cases - How to pages, or watch our Case Manager Training Videos.
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