Using checkboxes and variables ....

For each question is a No response the opposite of a Yes response? In other words.. if I click Yes it adds 3 and if I click No it subtracts 3?

That's a really good question .... to which the answer is not necessarily, which is, I think what makes this the challenge!  For example, a 'yes' to question 3  might imply a far grreater risk than a 'yes' to question 2, but a 'no' to question 1 might not completely remove risk, (ie reduce the count by 3).  In some cases, answering 'no' is what presents the risk, and in others, answering 'don't know' might present just as high, if not a higher risk (on the basis that not knowing is worse than knowing).  Changing the construct of the questions themselves is a possibility of course, but the questions are then being framed to accommodate restrictions in scoring rather than to measure risk and there is the danger that the questions become less meaningful (and more torutred) in the process ....!!!

I would build this in excel so you get the correct weighting, or work it out on paper, then it would be simple to create your question and use a variable for each anser setting the score based on the selected state (use button sets0

Then add the score at the end and branch based on this score, I did this a couple of days ago took me 1.5 hours to do 20 questions with three possible answers

Actually working out what I was going to do took longer, but once I had it in my head it was simple

Thanks, Phil.  I have the questions and scoring mechanisms sorted.  

I hadn't appreciated what the 'button sets' function offered, so thanks for that; it's really powerful and of course has resolved the problem of ensuring learners can select only one option for each question. 

I can't however, see how to resolve the problem that arises if a learner selects 'yes' for a question, then changes her / his mind to 'no'.  In this circumstance, both 'yes' and 'no' scores are added together for the same question, presumably because they have both been 'selected'.  If 'yes' for Q1 has a score of +3 and 'no' has a score of -1, I end up with a total of 2 which understates the risk  .....and of course, if the learner changes her / his mind on several questions, the score could become seriously distorted.  Is there some way I can 'reverse out' a score if a checkbox is subsquently unselected when the learner selects an alternative checkbox in the button set?

Instead of adding to the variable, I just set the value to 1 or 2 or 3 this way when they redo it, I also set the score via the next button based on what is selected.  This way the score is set when the user leaves the slide

Not sure whether I've understood the second part of what you've said, but what I've done seems to work!  I'd be really interested to know if what I've done is what you meant or whether through my misunderstanding, I've found an overly cluncky way of doing this!!

• I now have a separate variable dedicated to each of the three checkboxes (1 each for 'Yes', 'No', and 'Don't know') for every question in the risk assessment, (ie 10 questions = 30 variables)
• I have two triggers for each checkbox - 1 trigger sets the value to 1, 2, or 3, (or whatever the risk value) if the state is selected, and a 2nd trigger setting it to 0 if it is n ot selected.
• An additional variable (Sum) adds up all values when user clicks next
• Two final triggers send the learner down one branch or another depending on whether their total risk score is above or below my predefined threshold.

As far as the learner is concerned, the slide is simple, clean and clear ..... behind it, it's a bit mucky, but as I say it works!!!

Thanks for all your help!!!!!

Glad it works, I did it using one variable for each trigger Q1, Q2, Q3

I then set button sets for each question, on the Next button I set a trigger to set Q1 to value of 1 if high = seleceted etc.

This way the variables only get set on the next button and I dont have to worry about unsetting them.

I think both ways work well, they probably use similar numbers of triggers,

Phil

My solution was to use a variable for each question and add them up at the end:

James, nice screenr, my solution was not much different, but went over 7 slides so I added them up on the final slide.  I just had my score set via the custom next button.

To add to the complexity I needed three questions to change the content based on choosing high for each of these (used a T/F variable for this)

Wish I could share but not able.  I also had to allow a manual override for people who did not want to complete online or use different weighting via a downloadable excel spreadsheet

Hey guys, I think Kevin Thorn was noodling this very problem out a few weeks back.  I'll have him chime in as well to see how he solved it.

Mike

Thanks, James!  That's a much cleaner approach than mine!

Just now getting around to this one. I've been smooching on my new granddaughter. And no, I'm not that old!

@G Dian, there's more than one way to approach this as Steve and Phil described above. My challenge that Mike mentioned was a multiple selection and multiple feedback interaction. The learner had the option of choosing one or all selections and based on those choices would display one of six results screens. LOTS of variables to evaluate every possible scenario.

First, the limitation with check boxes and variables is what you referred to once a learner clicks it adds to a variable. However, if they change their mind and click (uncheck) the box, it adds again to the same variable. Instead, the best way I think is what Phil suggested and work off the checkbox states. From there add to your variable based on the state you want to do the calculation. 

Again, echoing above you'll get the best control if  you assign a variable per choice. For instance RiskSumQ1, RiskSumQ2, etc. can be assigned per question group. Then ckboxQ1C1, ckboxQ1C2, etc. for the number of check boxes you have per question - C1, C2, etc. refers to 'choices.'

Example:  

Add+ 1 to RiskSumQ1 if ckboxQ1C1 = selected.

Add+ 2 to RiskSumQ1 if ckboxQ1C2 = selected.

Add+ 3 to RiskSumQ1 if ckboxQ1C3 = selected.

...

Finally, if you're wanting to prevent further selection by way of instructing learners they only get one chance to make a selection you can create a transparent 'shield.' Create a shape just big enough to cover each of the checkboxes and set their transparency to 100%. Set their initial state to Hidden. When a learner checks one of the boxes set a trigger to change the shape to normal - which covers the check box and prevents any further action. 

Great ideas, Kevin!

Thanks again to everyone!!!