Batch item processing

Batch operations from the item bank enable you to carry out what might otherwise be laborious tasks performed on individual items in bulk.

There are several batch processing options available, and they can be used together as necessary to achieve efficiencies in your workflow.

Operation	Description
Tag items	Tag the selected items using categories within blueprint dimensions.
Remove tags	Remove the blueprint dimension categories from selected items.
Delete items	Delete the current draft version of the selected items.
Start new version of selected items	Create a new draft version of all of the selected items.
Transition selected items	Move all selected items from one state to another (e.g. draft --> approved).
Export items	Download the selected items to spreadsheet format.
Upgrade blueprint maps	Bulk refresh any obsolete blueprint maps so the items inherit the most up-to-date version.
Create item set from selected items	Create a new item set from the selected items (also created a new exam blueprint).
Export exam stats	Export the item bank performance statistics to spreadsheet format.

To access the batch processing functionality, navigate to Items and select the checkbox against the items you would like to include in the operation. There are options to bulk select all items on the page, or the entire item bank. 

Quick Tip: Use the item bank filters to filter the the items you need and then select all.

Click Batch to start the process.

Tag items and Remove tags

Batch tagging items requires all of the selected items to be in a draft state. If they are not already in a draft state, you could consider using the transition selected items operation to make them so.

• Step 1 of 4

  Select the items, Batch, then Tag items (or Remove tags) and Next.

  

• Step 2 of 4

  On the next page you will see blueprint dimensions available to select.

  Remove tags: A list of blueprint dimensions associated to the items selected. 

  Tag items: A list of all blueprint dimensions currently available in the site. Select the category or categories you would like to tag the items with, then Continue at the bottom of the page.

  

• Step 3 of 4

  The system will provide a summary message of the operation it is about to carry out and ask you to Confirm. 

  

• Step 4 of 4

  Once processed, the system provides a list of the affected items.

  

Delete items

Batch deletion will delete the most recent draft version of an item. It does not delete published versions of an item (which is the same as if you were carrying out this task manually and per item). It therefore relies on all of the items being in a draft state.

• Step 1 of 3

  Select the items, Batch, then Delete items and Next.

  

• Step 2 of 3

  The system will provide a summary message of the operation it is about to carry out and ask you to Confirm. 

  

• Step 3 of 3

  Once processed, the system provides a list of the affected items.

  

Start new versions of selected items

Starting new versions of the items creates a new draft version of each. That means it can only be run if all of the selected items are currently in the approved state.

• Step 1 of 3

  Select the items, Batch, then Start new version of selected items and Next.

  

• Step 2 of 3

  The system will provide a summary message of the operation it is about to carry out and ask you to Confirm. 

  

• Step 3 of 3

  Once processed, the system provides a list of the affected items.

  

Transition selected items

Transitioning the items in bulk changes their position in the review and approval process from one state to another. It therefore needs all selected items to be in the same state for the process to be successful. The example below shows the bulk transition of items from the draft to approved states.

• Step 1 of 4

  Select the items, Batch, then Transition selected items and Next.

  

• Step 2 of 4

  On the next page you will be asked to select the target status for the items, then Continue at the bottom of the page.

  

• Step 3 of 4

  The system will provide a summary message of the operation it is about to carry out and ask you to Confirm. 

  

• Step 4 of 4

  Once processed, the system provides a list of the affected items.

  

Export items

Please see the dedicated article on exporting and importing items.

Upgrade blueprint maps

This option allows you to bulk update any items that currently use obsolete blueprint maps. Please see the dedicated article on updating blueprint maps and dimensions.

Create item set from selected items

Creating an item set from the selected items means that the items selected would automatically be put into a new item set. This only possible for written items, not for OSCEs.

This bypasses the process of first creating an exam blueprint and then using that to create the item set. In fact it creates a new exam blueprint automatically but with no defaults set. Please exercise caution using this method.

• Step 1 of 4

  Select the items, Batch, then Create item set from selected items and Next.

  

• Step 2 of 4

  The system will provide a summary message of the operation it is about to carry out and ask you to Confirm. 

  

• Step 3 of 4

  The system will let you know once the process has been finished 

  

• Step 4 of 4

  Navigate to Item sets to find your new item set. Note the automatically-generated name and exam blueprint.

  

Export exam stats

This option enables you to take the item performance statistics stored against the most recent version of each item in the bank and export them to spreadsheet format. 

• Step 1 of 5

  Select the items, Batch, then Export exam stats and Next.

  

• Step 2 of 5

  Select whether you would like to include all selected items, those selected selected items for which data exists or those selected items for which no data exists. You also have the option to include tagging information by selecting a blueprint dimension from the list. Click Continue. 

  

• Step 3 of 5

  The system will provide a summary message of the operation it is about to carry out and ask you to Confirm. 

  

• Step 4 of 5

  Once processed, the system offers a link to download the sheet in either XLSX or CSV formats.

  

• Step 5 of 5

  The output is shown in the image below.

  

Related to

• risr/ assess