.. _Manage Word Cloud Tool:

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Manage the Word Cloud Tool
###########################

.. tags:: educator, how-to

In a word cloud, learners enter words into a field in response to a question
or prompt. The words that all of the learners enter then appear instantly as a
colorful graphic, with the most popular responses appearing largest. The
graphic becomes larger as more learners answer. Learners can see how their
peers answered as well as contribute their thoughts to the group.

For example, the following word cloud was created from learners' responses to
a question about why they think addressing climate change is difficult.

.. image:: /_images/educator_how_tos/WordCloudExample.png
   :alt: Image of a word cloud problem. Contributed words are displayed in
       different colors and arranged horizontally and vertically in the
       resulting word cloud graphic. The more often a word is contributed, the
       larger it appears.

.. contents::
   :local:
   :depth: 2

************************************************
Enable the Word Cloud Tool
************************************************
.. note::

    This tool is enabled by default in Teak. For earlier releases, follow the steps below to enable it manually.
    
Before you can add a word cloud to your course, you must enable the word cloud
tool.

To enable the word cloud tool in Studio, you add the ``"word_cloud"`` key to
the **Advanced Module List** on the **Advanced Settings** page. (Be sure to
include the quotation marks around the key value.) For more information, see
:ref:`Enable Additional Exercises and Tools`.

****************************
Create a Word Cloud
****************************

To create a word cloud, follow these steps.

#. In the unit where you want to create the problem, select **Advanced**
   under **Add New Component**.
#. In the list of problem types, select **Word Cloud**.
#. In the component that appears, select **Edit**.
#. In the component editor, specify these settings.

   * **Display Name**: This name appears as a heading above the problem.
     Replace the default display name with a specific title or name for your
     word cloud. For example, "Why is climate change so difficult to address?"

     Unique, descriptive display names help you and your learners to identify
     assignments quickly and accurately as you navigate through the course.

   * **Inputs**: The number of text boxes provided for learners to enter words,
     phrases, or sentences.

   * **Instructions**: Instructions that give learners specific information
     about how to contribute to this word cloud. For example, "In each the
     provided text boxes, enter a word or phrase to describe why you think
     it has been so difficult to make progress in addressing climate change."

     These instructions appear below the display name for the word cloud. It
     is important to provide clear instructions, especially for learners who
     have accessibility requirements.

   * **Maximum Words**: The maximum number of words that the generated word
     cloud displays. If learners enter 300 different words but the maximum
     is set to 250, only the 250 most commonly entered words appear in the
     word cloud.

   * **Show Percents**: Select ``True`` or ``False``. If this option is set to
     ``True``, after learners have contributed to a word cloud, the
     frequency that each of their own contributed words has been entered is
     shown as a percentage of all words entered.

#. Select **Save**.

.. seealso::

 :ref:`About Problems Exercises and Tools` (concepts)

**Maintenance chart**

+--------------+-------------------------------+----------------+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| Review Date  | Working Group Reviewer        |   Release      |Test situation                                               |
+--------------+-------------------------------+----------------+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| 06/11/2025   | Leira (Curricu.me)            |   Sumac        |Pass                                                         |
+--------------+-------------------------------+----------------+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| 03/20/2025   | Leira (Curricu.me)            |   Sumac        |Fail (https://github.com/openedx/docs.openedx.org/issues/974)|
+--------------+-------------------------------+----------------+-------------------------------------------------------------+