Question Formats

You can create a question in one of four formats:

You can also clone an existing question.

Create a Multiple Choice Question

To create a multiple choice question, you add the question and as many choices as you like.

In the Question field, use the content editor to create a question that can be answered by multiple choice.

For example, “Which morning beverage do you prefer?”

Further down the page, find the Choice field. Use the content editor to add one of the answer choices.

For example, the first answer choice might be

“coffee”

To add other choices, click Add a choice.

Keep in mind that your questions and answer choices can be more than simple text. Use content editor components to include images, code, formulas, video, and more.

Other details

  • Randomize Choices - randomize the order in which the choices are presented or always present them in the order in which you added them
  • Selection - whether a student can select multiple choices
  • All or Nothing - whether to award partial credit (when there are multiple correct choices, partial credit can be awarded if only some of the correct answers are selected)
  • Display Correct - whether to display the correct answer if the student’s answer is incorrect
  • Description - the text that will appear in drop-down menus for selecting questions

Skills

You can associate one or more skills with a question to track students’ progress in learning the skills in the course. Learn more about working with skills.

Create a Short Answer Question

For a short answer question, you enter the question and as many correct answers as you will accept. To allow the default automatic grading method, answers cannot be free-form.

In the Question field, create a question.

For example, “Which planet is the third from the sun?”

In the Hint field, provide an optional hint that users can click a button to see.

If you would like to provide feedback when a student enters an incorrect response, click Add feedback and enter the feedback in the field provided.

Keep in mind that your questions, hints, and feedback can be more than simple text. Use content editor components to include images, code, formulas, video, and more.

In the Rows and Columns fields, enter dimensions (in characters) for the question’s answer field.

Entering answers

A short answer question can have multiple correct answers. You can provide as many answers to your question as make sense. Each answer has the following fields:

  • Score - the number of points awarded if the answer is correct

  • Type - what type of text the automatic grading method should base the results for matching the student’s answer for a match. For example, if you asked “How many arms does an octopus have?”, then you would want to accept:
    • “eight” as a Case insensitive string match
    • “8” as a Numeric answer
    • “(eight|8)” as a Regular expression (to allow either format)

  • Answer - the text that the student’s answer should match according to its Type.

  • Feedback - If you want to provide feedback when this answer is entered, click Add feedback and enter the feedback content into the field provided. This feedback is in addition to generic feedback on whether the answer was correct or incorrect.

To add another answer, click Add an answer.

Skills

You can associate one or more skills with a question to track students’ progress in learning the skills in the course. Learn more about working with skills.

Clone a Question

To avoid having to recreate similar questions from scratch, you can clone a question and then edit its details.

  1. Click the clone icon next to the question that you want to clone. A new question will appear in the bank whose description ends in “(clone)”.

  2. Click the cloned question’s description to edit its details.

Import GIFT Questions

GIFT is a convenient syntax for writing questions. Learn about GIFT.

You can add the contents of a GIFT file to add questions to Course Builder in bulk.

  1. Click Add GIFT Questions.

  2. On the next page, paste the contents of your GIFT file into the Questions box.

  3. Add a Group Description to label this particular set of questions.

  4. Click Save and return to the list of questions.