Create or Import Questions

Import Questions

Step 1                   

While editing a quiz, select Add Existing and Browse Question Library.    

Step 2                   

Open the Source Question Library to locate the options available.

Step 3                   

Open the desired source and select the checkbox next to the question(s) you wish to import.

Step 4                   

Select the Import button. If you want to specify where questions will be located in the quiz, select the down-arrow icon next to the Import button to open the Import to menu and choose one:

• Import to top of the Quiz
• Import to Bottom of the Quiz
• Import to Section (and select the section)

Step 5                   

Select the Save button to continue editing the quiz (or Save and Close to save your changes and exit the quiz).

Back to Top

Create True/False Questions

Step 1                   

Select Quizzes from the course navbar.

Step 2                   

Select the Question Library tab.

Step 3                   

Select the name of any Section folder to open it.

Step 4                   

Select the New button.

Step 5                   

Select True or False Question (T/F) from the menu.

Step 6                   

Type or paste your question into the Question Text box.

Step 7                   

Use the round radio buttons to indicate if the correct answer is true or false.

Step 8                   

Enter the number of points this question will be worth in the Default Points field.

Step 9                   

Preview the question to ensure it looks how you want; note that Brightspace automatically shows you how the question will appear on the quiz.

Step 10               

Select the Save button to save your question.

Back to Top

Create Multiple Choice Questions

Step 1                   

Select Quizzes from the course navbar.

Step 2                   

Select the Question Library tab.

Step 3                   

Select the name of any Section folder to open it.

Step 4                   

Select the New button.

Step 5                   

Select Multiple Choice Question (MC) from the menu.

Step 6                   

Type or paste your question into the Question Text box.

Step 7                   

Type or paste the answer choices into the Answers fields. Use the round radio buttons to indicate which answer is correct.

Step 8         

Select Add Answer if you want to add another answer choice.

Step 9              

Select the X icon to delete any empty answer fields.

Step 10          

If you want Brightspace to automatically randomize the order in which those answers appear on the quiz, check the Randomize Answers box.

Step 11            

Enter the number of points the question is worth in the Default Points field.

Step 12          

Preview the question to ensure it looks how you want; note that Brightspace automatically shows you how the question will appear on the quiz.

Step 13      

Select the Save button to save your question.

Back to Top

Create Multi-Select Questions

Step 1                   

Select Quizzes from the course navbar.

Step 2                   

Select the Question Library tab.

Step 3                   

Select the name of any Section folder to open it.

Step 4                   

Select the New button.

Step 5                   

Select Multi-Select Question (M-S) from the menu.

Step 6                   

Type or paste your question into the Question Text box.

Step 7                   

Enter the answers students can choose from. Select the checkboxes for the correct answers.

Step 8               

Enter the number of points this question will be worth in the Points field.

Step 9      

Select how Brightspace should assign points to blanks. The options are:

• All or Nothing: Students must select all the correct answers (and no incorrect answers) to receive points for this question.
• Correct Selections: Students receive points for each correct answer (includes points for answers the student correctly did not select).
• Correct Answers, Limited Selections: Students can only select a specified number of answers, and points are distributed across correct answers only.
• Right Minus Wrong: A student's score will equal points for each correct answer minus points for each incorrect answer (includes points for answers the student correctly did not select).

Step 10              

Check Randomize answer order if you want the answer choices to appear differently for each student who takes the quiz.

Step 11           

Preview the question on the right-hand side of the screen to ensure it looks how you want; note that Brightspace automatically shows you how the question will appear on the quiz.

Step 12

Select the Save button to save your question

Back to Top

Create Matching Questions

Accessibility tip:

With matching questions, students match items in one list with items in a second list. This formatting of two lists and the need to cognitively and visually track items that are left to match presents difficulties for learners using a mobile device and for learners who are blind or have low vision. 

Step 1                   

Select Quizzes from the course navbar.

Step 2                   

Select the Question Library tab.

Step 3                   

Select the name of any Section folder to open it.

Step 4                   

Select the New button.

Step 5                   

Select Matching Question (MAT) from the menu.

Step 6                   

Enter the number of points this question will be worth in the Points field.

Step 7                   

Type or paste your question into the Question Text box.

Step 8                   

If this question has an image, select the Insert Image button to upload it from your computer. Use the Description field to provide information about the image.

Step 9                   

Select how Brightspace should mark correct answers:

• Equally Weighted: Students receive points for each correct match. Brightspace will automatically do the calculations based on how many points the question is worth.
• All or Nothing: Students must select all the correct matches (and no incorrect matches) to receive points for this question.
• Right Minus Wrong: A student's score equals points for each correct match minus points for each incorrect match (to include correct matches not selected).

Step 10               

Create the appropriate number of choices (this is the list of items students match to). Type or paste the choices into the Choices Value fields.

• Select the Add Choice (plus sign icon) to add more choice fields.
• Select the Remove Choice (trashcan icon) to remove choice fields.

Step 11               

Create the appropriate number of matches (this is the list of items that students match to the choices created in step 10). Type or paste the matches into the Matches Value fields.

• Select the Add Match (plus sign icon) to add an additional matching option.
• Select the Remove Match (trashcan icon) to delete any unneeded matches.

Step 12             

Use the dropdown menus in the Correct Choice column to create your matches. Select "1" to connect a match to the first item in the choices list. Select "2" to connect a match with the second item in the choices list, and so forth.

Step 13              

Select the Preview button to see how the question will look to students.

Step 14

Select the Save button to save your question.

Back to Top

Create Ordering Questions

Step 1                   

Select Quizzes from the course navbar.

Step 2                   

Select the Question Library tab.

Step 3                   

Select the name of any Section folder to open it.

Step 4                   

Select the New button.

Step 5                   

Select Ordering Question (ORD) from the menu.

Step 6                   

Enter the number of Points this question will be worth.

Step 7                   

Type or paste your question into the Question Text box.

Step 8 

If this question has an image, select the Insert Image button to upload it from your computer. Use the Description field to provide information about the image. 

Step 9                  

Select how Brightspace should mark correct answers:

• Equally Weighted: Students receive points for every item that is in the correct order. Brightspace will calculate this automatically based on the number of points the question is worth.
• All or Nothing: Students must order all items correctly to receive points for this question.
• Right Minus Wrong: A student's score equals points for each correctly ordered item minus points for each incorrectly ordered item.

Step 10               

Create the appropriate number of items that students must put in order. Type or paste the answer choices into the Value fields.

• Select the Add Item (plus sign icon) to add an additional answer choice.
• Select the Remove Item (trashcan icon) to delete any unneeded answer choices.

Step 11             

Use the Correct Order drop-down menus to put your items in the correct order.

Step 12           

Select the Preview button to see how the question will look to students.

Step 13             

Select the Save button to save your question.

Back to Top

Create Likert Questions

Step 1                   

Select Quizzes from the course navbar.

Step 2                   

Select the Question Library tab.

Step 3                   

Select the name of any Section folder to open it.

Step 4                   

Select the New button.

Step 5                   

Select Likert Question (LIK) from the menu.

Step 6                   

Add instructions explaining how participants should reply to each question in the Introductory Text field.

Step 7                   

If you want to add an image, select the Insert Image button to upload it from your computer. Use the Description field if you want to provide information about the image.

Step 8                   

Select the round radio button to indicate the Scale that you wish to use. Options:

• One to Five (1 -5)
• One to Eight (1 - 8)
• One to Ten (1 - 10)
• Agreement Scale (Disagree - Agree)
• Satisfaction Scale (Dissatisfied - Satisfied)
• Frequency Scale (Never - Always)
• Importance Scale (Unimportant - Important)
• Opposition Scale (Oppose - Support)

Step 9                   

Create the appropriate number of statements you want participants to evaluate. Add the statements (people will evaluate) in the Value fields: one statement per field.

• Select the Add Option (plus sign icon) to add an additional statement.
• Select the Remove Entry (trashcan icon) to delete any unneeded statement field.

Step 10           

Select the Preview button to see how the question will look to students.

Step 11           

Select the Save button to save your question.

Back to Top

About Open Ended Questions

Open-ended questions require students to respond with original answers. These types of questions range from one-word responses to full essays. Typically, open-ended questions are manually graded. To facilitate manual grading, instructors using the new Quiz Evaluation Experience can attach rubrics to individual open-ended questions. Brightspace can also machine grade open-ended questions (new Quiz Evaluation Experience and Classic Mode) provided students' responses are an exact match to the correct answer or if Regular Expressions are used to account for variations. 

Create Fill-in-the-blank(s) Questions

Step 1 

Select Quizzes from the course navbar.

Step 2 

Select the Question Library tab.

Step 3 

Select the name of any Section folder to open it.

Step 4 

Select the New button.

Step 5 

Select Fill in the Blanks Question (FIB) from the menu.

Step 6 

Enter the number of points this question will be worth in the Points field.

Step 7 

If this question has an image, select the Insert Image button to upload it from your computer. Use the Description field to provide information about the image.

Step 8 

Set up the structure of your Fill in the blank question. By default, this question consists of a starting text field, a blank, and a finishing text field.

Step 8a

If you want students to have more than one answer blank, select the Add Blank (plus sign) icon

Step 8b

Unless the blank needs to be at the end of the phrase, sentence, or paragraph, you will need to add a text field, which you do by selecting the Add Text (plus sign) icon.

Step 8c

Use the Remove Answer (trashcan) icon to the right of any blank or text field you want to delete.

Step 9

Enter the text of your sentence(s) within the text field(s).

Step 10

Enter the correct answer(s) in the blank field(s).

Step 11

Specify how you want Brightspace to assess the question.

Step 11b

Select the radio button to indicate the evaluation criteria you want Brightspace to use for each answer:

• Case Insensitive: capitalization does not affect the score.
• Case Sensitive: proper capitalization is required.
• Regular Expression: uses letters and other symbols to create a pattern that describes a range of acceptable text strings. For an introduction to Regular Expressions, watch this Brightspace video (opens in new tab) and/or see Auto-Grading Options, Regular Expressions. 

Step 11c

Create variations on the correct answer. For example, if the correct answer is "10 cm", you will give partial credit for the answer "10." Select the Add Answer option and assign a partial weight for the additional answer(s).

Step 12

Select the Preview button to see how the question will look to students.

Step 13 

Select the Save button to save your question.

Back to Top

Create Short Answer Questions

Step 1 

Select Quizzes from the course navbar.

Step 2 

Select the Question Library tab.

Step 3 

Select the name of any Section folder to open it.

Step 4 

Select the New button.

Step 5 

Select Short Answer Question (SA) from the menu.

Step 6 

Type or paste your question into the Question Text field.

Step 7 

Select the Add Blank button until you have the desired number of answer choices for this question.

Step 8 

Type or paste the correct answers into the Answers fields—one answer per blank. The order of the answers does matter.

Step 9 

For each answer, use the dropdown menu to select one of the following:

• Text: if the answer is not case-sensitive.
• Case-Sensitive Text: if letter case matters.
• Regular Expression: uses letters and other symbols to create a pattern that describes a range of acceptable text strings. For an introduction to Regular Expressions, watch this Brightspace video (opens in new tab) and/or see Auto-Grading Options, Regular Expressions.  

Step 10 

Enter the number of points the question is worth in the Default Points field.

Step 11 

To designate how points will be assigned to blanks, use the dropdown menu and select one of the following:

• Students will receive part marks: students receive points for every correct answer; Brightspace automatically calculates based on the number of points the question is worth.
• Students must answer all blanks correctly: Brightspace will give points only if a student provides all the correct answers.

Step 12

Preview the question on the right-hand side of the screen to ensure it looks how you want; note that Brightspace automatically shows you how the question will appear on the quiz.

Step 13

Select the Save button to save your question.

Back to Top

Create Multi-Short Answer Questions

These questions allow for multiple correct answers to a single question prompt. For example, students can be asked to name any 4 of the 50 state capitols. 

Step 1 

Select Quizzes from the course navbar.

Step 2 

Select the Question Library tab.

Step 3 

Select the name of any Section folder to open it.

Step 4 

Select the New button.

Step 5 

Select Multi-Short Answer Question (MSA) from the menu.

Step 6 

Enter the number of points this question will be worth in the Points field.

Step 7 

Type or paste your question into the Question Text field. 

Step 8 

If this question has an image, select the Insert Image button to upload it from your computer. Use the Alternative Text field to provide information about the image.

Step 9 

Create the number of answers in the Input Boxes field – one box for each answer you expect students to provide.

Step 10 

Size the answer fields by adjusting the number of Rows and Columns that will fit each. 

Step 11

Add Answer fields by entering the number of fields you need (e.g., one for each of the 50 state capitols) in the Add Answers field and selecting the Add Answer button.

Step 12

Enter the correct answers into the Answer fields.

Step 13

Enter the appropriate weight in the Weight field. For example, the student must provide four answers in the capital example. That means each answer equals 25% of the question's value (5 answers mean each answer is worth 20%, six answers mean each answer is worth 16.66%, and so forth).

Step 14

Select the radio button for the Evaluation criteria you want to use for each answer:

• Case Insensitive: capitalization does not affect the score.
• Case Sensitive: proper capitalization is required.
• Regular Expression: uses letters and other symbols to create a pattern that describes a range of acceptable text strings. For an introduction to Regular Expressions, watch this Brightspace video (opens in new tab) and/or see Auto-Grading Options, Regular Expressions. 

Step 15

Select the Save button to save your question, or Save and Close to save and return to the Question Library. ​

Back to Top

Create Written Response Questions

Written Response questions allow students to provide answers ranging from a single sentence to multiple paragraphs. This flexibility makes them ideal when students must explain complex ideas, show their work on mathematical problems, or submit files such as images, videos, or supporting documents. While this question type usually requires manual grading, rubrics may be attached to questions in order to streamline the evaluation process and ensure consistency.

Step 1 

Select Quizzes from the course navbar.

Step 2 

Select the Question Library tab.

Step 3 

Select the name of any Section folder to open it.

Step 4 

Select the New button.

Step 5 

Select Written Response Question (WR) from the menu.

Step 6 

Type or paste your question into the Question Text field.

Step 7 

Enter the number of points the question is worth in the Default Points field.

Step 8 

Select the Options menu.

Step 9 

(Optional) Select Add Custom Response Box Size.

Step 10 

(Optional) In the Custom Response Box Size dropdown menu, select the size of the response box you want to appear on the quiz. The options are:

• Default size, about a paragraph
• A bit shorter, just a sentence
• Much longer, expecting an essay

Step 11 

(Optional) Add an answer key that only graders, TAs, and instructors can view in the Answer Key (for evaluators) field.

Step 12 

(Optional) To allow students to embed images or to attach files to their answers, select the checkbox for Enable HTML Editor for learner responses and the checkbox for Allow learners to insert images and add attachments. Selecting both checkboxes will allow students to either insert images using the HTML editor or attach images using the Add File option.

Step 13

Optional: Attach a rubric to a Written Response question. Add a rubric by selecting the Add Rubric button. Choose Create New or Add Existing and follow any additional prompts. For more information on rubrics, visit Rubrics (opens in new tab).

Step 14

Preview the question on the right-hand side of the screen to ensure it looks how you want; note that Brightspace automatically shows you how the question will appear on the quiz.

Step 15 

Select the Save button to save your question.

Back to Top

About Math Questions

Formula question types are most commonly used in math and science courses. They allow you to use "curly braces" to ensure each student receives a unique question. Also, you can deduct points when a student answers with an incorrect number of decimal points, a unit of measurement, or scientific notation.

Create Arithmetic Questions

These questions include formulas. You can specify the number of decimal points and units required and set a level of "tolerance" for what counts as an acceptable answer.

Step 1                 

Select Quizzes from the course navbar.

Step 2                   

Click on the Question Library tab.

Step 3                   

Click on the name of any Section folder to open it.

Step 4                   

Click the New button.

Step 5                   

Select Arithmetic Question (2+2) from the menu.

Step 6                    

Enter the number of points this question will be worth in the Points field.

Step 7                   

Enter the problem into the Question Text field. Enclose all variables with curly braces { } if you want to generate random numbers.

Step 8                   

If this question has an image, click the Insert Image button to upload it from your computer. Use the Alternative Text field to provide information about the image.

Step 9                   

Check Allow attachments to support answers if you want students to upload images, documents, spreadsheets, and other files showing their work.

Step 10               

Enter the solution's formula in the Formula field, setting variables inside curly braces.

Step 11               

Use the Answer Precision field to define the number of decimal places the answer may contain; check Enforce Precision if you want to require this number of decimal places in the correct answer.

Step 12               

To accept near-accurate, estimated, and/or rounded answers, enter a Tolerance level:

• Units allow you to specify how far numerically an answer can deviate and still be considered correct (e.g., setting a tolerance of .5 units on a correct answer of 100 will instruct D2L to accept any answer between 99.5-100.5).
• Percent allows you to use a percentage to determine how far off an answer can be (e.g., setting a tolerance of 1 on a correct answer of 50 will instruct D2L to accept any answer between 59.4-50.6).

Step 13               

Use this option if the correct answer should include a unit of measurement (mm, cm, grams, inches, etc.):

• Enter the unit of measurement in the Units field.
• If you want to deduct points for incorrect units, use the Worth field to tell Brightspace what percentage of the question's points to assign to the unit.

Step 14

If case matters, select Case Sensitive under Evaluation Options.

Step 15               

Add or remove Variables, as needed, to match the number of variables in the formula.

• Add a variable by clicking the Add Variable link.
• Remove a variable by clicking the Remove Entry (trashcan) icon.

Step 16              

Assign values to your variables using the following fields:

• Name: The name should exactly match the corresponding variable in your formula.
• Min/Max: Assign a range from which Brightspace can randomly assign a value to that variable. If you do not want Brightspace to randomly assign a value, set the same number in both the Min and Max fields.
• Decimal Places: Use this field if you want to specify a number of decimal places for the variable.
• Step: This field instructs Brightspace to use intervals when drawing random numbers (e.g., if you set Min at 10 and Max at 100 and a Step of 5, D2L will randomly pull a number between 10-100 using intervals of 5).

Step 17               

Click the Preview button to see how the question will look to students.

Step 18               

Click the Save button to save your question, or Save and Close to save and return to the Question Library.

Back to Top

Create Significant Figure Questions

These questions include formulas that use significant figures. It is possible to deduct points when a student uses the incorrect number of significant figures in an answer.

Step 1                   

Select Quizzes from the course navbar.

Step 2                   

Click on the Question Library tab.

Step 3                   

Click on the name of any Section folder to open it.

Step 4                   

Click the New button.

Step 5                   

Select Significant Figures (x10) from the menu.

Step 6                   

Enter the number of Points this question will be worth.

Step 7                   

Enter the problem into the Question Text field. Enclose all variables with curly braces { } if you want to generate random numbers.

Step 8                   

If this question has an image, click the Insert Image button to upload it from your computer. Use the Alternative Text field to provide information about the image.

Step 9                   

Check Allow attachments to support answers if you want students to upload images, documents, spreadsheets, and other files showing their work.

Step 10               

Enter the solution's formula in the Formula field, setting variables inside curly braces.

Step 11               

Use the Significant Figures dropdown menu to define the number of significant figures the correct answer should contain.

Step 13               

To accept near-accurate, estimated, and/or rounded answers, enter a Tolerance level:

• The default is to allow an answer that is + or - 0.5 from the least significant figure.
• Units allow you to specify how far numerically an answer can deviate and still be considered correct.
• Percent allows you to use a percentage to determine how far off an answer can be.

Step 14               

Use this option if the correct answer should include a unit of measurement (mm, cm, grams, inches, etc.):

• Enter the unit of measurement in the Units field.
• If you want to deduct points for incorrect units, use the Worth field to tell Brightspace what percentage of the question's points to assign to the unit.

Step 15     

If case matters, select Case Sensitive under Evaluation Options.

Step 16               

Add or remove Variables, as needed, to match the number of variables in the formula.

• Add a variable by clicking the Add Variable link.
• Remove a variable by clicking the trashcan icon.

Step 17               

Assign values to your variables using the following fields:

• Name: The name should exactly match the corresponding variable in your formula.
• Min/Max: Assign a range from which Brightspace can randomly assign a value to that variable. If you do not want Brightspace to randomly assign a value, then set the same number in both the Min and Max fields.
• Step: This field instructs Brightspace at which intervals it should generate the coefficient and power.

Step 18

Click the Preview button to see how the question will look to students.

Step 19

Click the Save button to save your question, or Save and Close to save and return to the Question Library.

Back to Top

Preview a Quiz

Step 1                   

Select the Action Menu icon next to the name of the quiz.

Step 2                   

Select Preview from the menu.

Step 3                   

Select the Start Quiz! Button, then select Preview.

Step 4                   

From within the quiz Preview page, you can view the page layout (e.g., the number of questions per page), answer all questions, and move through each page of the quiz.

Step 5                   

When finished, select the Submit Quiz button.

Step 6                   

Check Allow this preview attempt to be graded in the Grade Quiz area if you want to check how your quiz attempt will be auto-graded by Brightspace. Select the Submit Quiz button a second time.

Step 7                   

When you are finished, select the Exit Preview button (top right corner) on any quiz preview screen.