An assessment template is the digital version of the assessment that you would normally print and hand out to students. After you upload your template, Crowdmark will add a unique QR code to each page and generate a printable PDF file containing a booklet for each student. The pages can be any size — including 8.5″ x 11″, legal, A4, portrait or landscape format.
Download an example template
These documents are formatted so you can simply replace the content with your own. Don’t forget to save to PDF before uploading:
This example template is in PDF format and can be uploaded directly to Crowdmark for a test run:
Template specifications
To be compatible with Crowdmark, your template must meet the following criteria:
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PDF format. The template must be exported to PDF.
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A cover page. The first page is where a student will write their name and other personal data. You may include instructions or other information, but note that you will not be able to grade this page. It’s important that this is the only page containing identifiable student information.
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All pages must be the same size and orientation. Crowdmark determines QR code placement based on the center coordinates of the first page. If the following pages are a different size or orientation (landscape or portrait), the QR codes and header information may be superimposed over your assessment content.
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A white space region on the top of each page for QR code placement. A simple way to proceed: leave at least 3.8 cm (1.5 inches) blank at the top of each page.
Formatting your template for automated matching
If you would like to use Crowdmark’s automated matching feature, you will need to add extra space to the layout of your cover page. In addition to the QR code, Crowdmark will add a region for students to write first name, last name, and student ID number. Please leave a blank space between 9 cm (3.5 inches) and 18 cm (7 inches) down the cover page for this region.
The fields will be matched with student data after you upload student work. To read more about this process, see our document on using automated matching.
See examples below of the Crowdmark-generated QR code and automated matching region (shown in blue). Click the images to enlarge.
Formatting your template for multiple choice
If you would like to include some multiple choice questions in your assessment, see Using multiple choice questions. You may include up to 200 questions with responses A–E in your template. Crowdmark will automatically add bubble sheets to the end of your template file after you enable multiple choice.
Including scratch pages in your template
Pages must contain QR codes to be graded in Crowdmark. If students write on pages with no QR codes, they will not be uploaded to Crowdmark and will not be present for grading. If you would like to grade your students’ scratch pages, or have them available to view while grading, include extra blank pages in your template. These QR-coded pages will scan and upload to Crowdmark along with the rest of the student’s work.