Help
Using QLA Voice in Chrome and Excel.
Chrome extension
The Chrome extension is waiting for approval on the Chrome Web Store. These instructions apply once it's available.
QLA Voice isn't available to download yet. These steps describe how it works once it's installed.
- Open your marksheet in Chrome.
- Click the QLA Voice icon in the toolbar. (If you can't see it, click the jigsaw-piece Extensions icon and pin QLA Voice.) The side panel opens and stays open while you work.
- Click the first mark box you want to fill.
- In the side panel, choose Move to next box (across the row or down the column) and, if you like, a Max mark.
- Press Start. The first time, Chrome asks to use your microphone: allow it.
- Read the marks, leaving a short pause after each. Press Stop or say “stop” when you've finished.
If the website needs extra permission, the side panel shows Allow on followed by the site's name. That gives QLA Voice access to that website only. You can withdraw it later with Remove access for that site. QLA Voice only works on secure (https) web pages.
If the website moves to the next box by itself after each entry, QLA Voice follows it. If it doesn't, QLA Voice moves to the next box itself. Listening stops if you close the tab or the page changes. Click a mark box and press Start again.
Excel add-in
A school's IT team adds the Excel add-in for staff through the Microsoft 365 admin centre. It then appears on the Home tab.
- Open your workbook and choose QLA Voice on the Home tab. The QLA Voice pane opens.
- Click the first cell of the column (or row) of marks.
- Choose the direction to move after each mark (up, down, left or right) and, if you like, a Max mark for this question.
- Press Start. Allow the microphone if Excel asks.
- Read the marks. Press Stop or say “stop” when you've finished.
Cells containing formulas are never overwritten. If QLA Voice reaches one, it stops listening and tells you. The pane keeps a list of recent entries and the cell each went into.
What to say
| Say | What happens |
|---|---|
| zero … ten | Enters the mark in the selected cell or box, then moves to the next one. |
| back | Undoes the last mark (puts back what was there before) and selects that cell again. |
| stop | Stops listening. |
You can read marks one after another (“one, zero, two”) with a short pause after each. Hesitations such as “er” and “um” are ignored. Half marks and numbers above ten aren't supported.
Messages and beeps
| You see | What it means |
|---|---|
| A beep and “Didn't catch that” | QLA Voice wasn't sure what you said, so it entered nothing. Say the mark again. |
| “Ignored – sounded like conversation. Nothing entered.” | It heard ordinary speech. Numbers said within about a second afterwards are ignored too, so wait a moment and say the mark again. |
| “… was not entered – it sounded like part of a conversation.” | A mark you'd just said was cancelled because talking followed straight away. Say it again. |
| A beep and “… is above the max mark” | The mark is higher than the max mark you set. Nothing was entered and the selection didn't move. |
| “Click a mark box first” (Chrome) | No mark box is selected. Click one. |
Settings
Pause before entering (default 150 ms) is how long QLA Voice waits after you stop speaking before it enters the mark. A lower value is quicker, but more likely to cut off a word or let a snippet of conversation through. We don't recommend going below 150.
Troubleshooting
Nothing happens when I speak
Check that the status says it's listening, that the right microphone is selected in your computer's sound settings, and that QLA Voice is allowed to use it. In Chrome, click the icon at the right of the address bar.
Marks go in the wrong place
Say back to undo the last mark, or press Stop, correct the cells by hand and start again from the right cell. If a word was taken as a mark, the marks after it will be one cell further on. Always check your entries before relying on them.
It doesn't work on my website
Some marksheets aren't made of ordinary input boxes (for example, spreadsheet-style grids that need a double-click to edit). See Where it works. If it doesn't work, enter the marks by hand.
Privacy
Speech is recognised on your computer. Audio isn't recorded, saved or uploaded. See the privacy policy and the third-party notices.