How to Create Select in Dropdown Questions in ActivePresenter 9

by Quynh Nguyen | Oct 17, 2022

Last Updated On: March 28, 2024

Welcome to a new question type implemented in ActivePresenter 9 – Select in Dropdown question. This question type allows you to gather a long list of answer options into a dropdown list which is only visible when learners click the down arrow.

As you may know, ActivePresenter is one of the world-class eLearning tools. It allows you to create many types of interactive questions. From version 9, it adds two new question types to the list and increases the total of question types to 13. One of them is the Select in Dropdown question. You can find this question type at the eleventh in the Questions tab.

This question type is most helpful when a question has too many answer options. A too-long list of answer options can make it hard to follow the question. Also, it may not fit the paper sheet. In this case, a Select in Dropdown question is here to help. The list of answers is invisible until learners click the down arrow. Once they select an option, the list becomes invisible again. Thanks to that, you can avoid lengthy and wordy questions.

This tutorial will discuss how to create it in ActivePresenter 9 through 6 stages:

Insert a Select in Dropdown Question
Customize a Select in Dropdown Question
Set Correct Answers
Set Score & Reporting
Add Events – Actions
Customize Feedback Layers

Let’s get started!

Insert a Select in Dropdown Question

To insert a new question, do either of the following:

Open the Home tab > Interactions > Select in Dropdown.
Open the Questions tab > Select in Dropdown.

After that, a new question slide will appear with three parts as below:

(1) The top text box where you can input the question title.
(2) The dropdown includes a list of options.
(3) The Submit button.

Customize a Select in Dropdown Question

Now, turn to customize this question type. Below are some options that you can consider:

Add and Customize the List of Answer Options

Select the dropdown > navigate to the Properties pane > Interactivity tab > Dropdown section, then:

Hint Item: Click to customize the default text to a meaningful one if you want.
Add a new item: Click the Add button. Repeat this work until you fill in all desired options.

Remove an item: Select it and click the Remove button if you no longer need it.
Edit an item: Double-click it, or select it and click the Edit button.
Move an item up: Select it and click the Move Item Up button.
Move an item down: Select it and click the Move Item Down button.
Index: Identify the sequence of items.
Default: Display one item on the dropdown instead of the default text. Select the corresponding radio button of the item you want to show.
Items: Show the list of items.
Correct: Allow you to set the correct values by checking the checkboxes.
Variable: Define a text variable here to take place. See What is Variable for more information.

Like other question types, you can customize its size or style.

Simply drag the resizing handles of the top text box or the dropdown on the Canvas to resize them. Alternatively, select them > navigate to the Properties pane > Size & Properties tab > Transform section > adjust the values in the Width and Height combo box:

You can quickly format a dropdown by selecting one of the built-in styles in the Dropdown Styles section. Or, create your own style using tools in the Dropdown Tools and Style Tools section.

Note: A Select in Dropdown question contains only one dropdown. You can not add more. If you need more than one dropdown in your question, consider using Select in Dropdowns questions.

Set Correct Answers

As mentioned in the previous part, you can set the correct answers for the question within a second. Select the dropdown > Properties pane > Interactivity tab > Dropdown section > tick the checkboxes of the options which you want to set as correct answers in the Item List.

Set Score & Reporting

ActivePresenter 9 also allows you to set score and report for Select in Dropdown questions. Select the dropdown > Properties pane > Interactivity tab > Score & Reporting section:

set score and reporting for a select in dropdown question

Mode: The default mode is Graded. This mode allows you to measure learners’ performance. Besides, you can select the Survey mode if you want to collect learners’ feedback or information.
Report ID: Track learners’ activities.
Points: Set points for correct answers. You can also set partial scores for this question type. To learn more, see Assign Scores to Questions.
Attempts: Set the maximum attempts that learners can interact with the question.
Timeout: Set a time limit which allows learners to respond to the question in the given amount of time.
Submit: Provide users with two options: Auto and Manual to submit the answer. If you select the Auto option, the answer will be submitted right after you select an option. Meanwhile, you have to click the Submit button to send the answer if you select the Manual option.

Add Events – Actions

ActivePresenter 9 adds some default events – actions for Select in Dropdown questions. For the Graded mode, this question type has 4 events. They are On Correct, On Incorrect, On Incomplete, and On Timeout. The Survey mode has 3 events, including On Complete, On Incomplete, and On Timeout.

Besides, you are free to add more, edit, or delete any events – actions if you want. To do that, select the dropdown > navigate to the Properties pane > Interactivity tab > Events – Actions section.

To learn more, see Use Events – Actions to Add Interactivity to Courses.

Customize Feedback Layers

As can be seen from the image above, ActivePresenter 9 automatically adds some feedback layers corresponding to events – actions to the question. You are free to customize these feedback layers as you wish. Open the View tab > Feedback Master > edit layers as desired > Close Master View to save the changes.

See Work with Feedback Layers for details.

So, you have learned how to create a Select in Dropdown question in ActivePresenter 9.

Download the app and give it a try right now!