Quiz Questions - Brightspace Instructor Help

Add Questions
- Create Questions in the Question Library
Browse Question Library
Creating Questions
Sections
Question Pool (Randomized Sections)
- How to Add a Question Pool to a Quiz
Updating Questions
Question Types
Adding Feedback, Hints and Other Options
Understanding Brightspace rounding rules
Bonus Questions
Auto-Save
- Written Response Questions

Add Questions

To add questions, go to the Questions area and choose either Add Existing or Create New. We recommend using the Question Library to create and organize questions before creating a Quiz. If you have already created your questions, click the Add Existing button. You’ll have the following options:

Upload a file – for help with this, please contact EdTech
Browse Question Library – import questions that you’ve already created there (recommended)
Import from Learning Repository (LOR) – add questions to your quiz from a LOR you have access to.

Create Questions in the Question Library

Navigate to Quizzes, Self Assessments or Surveys.
Click Question Library on the assessment area menu.
Select a question type from the New drop-down menu.
Enter the Question Title if desired.
Set a points value.
Select a level of difficulty from the drop-down menu.
Write your question in the Question Text field box.
Set the rest of the question according to the type selected.
Click Preview to get a view of the question and feedback.
From Preview, click Done to exit preview mode.
When you are satisfied with the question, click Save to return to the question list.

Turnitin recently introduced an AI tool designed to assist instructors in detecting AI-generated content in student submissions. This tool potentially analyzes writing styles and may detect anomalies that could possibly indicate the use of generative AI. However, while this technology represents a significant step forward, caution is advised in its application. It’s important to recognize that the tool is not infallible and may not catch every instance of AI-generated content. Instructors should not rely on the AI tool to detect AI generated content, but rather, use it as one of several strategies in a comprehensive approach to uphold academic standards and encourage genuine student learning and creativity.

Browse Question Library

Select “Browse Question Library
Click the sections and/or questions that you want to add by clicking the box next to them and then click Import on the bottom left.

Note: Choosing Add Existing and then Browse Question Library, also allows you to access questions that are in another Quiz. To add questions that are in another Quiz, but have not been added to your Question Library, change the source (1). You can also search for questions to insert by question type using Filter (2) or by question type, points, title or text using Sort (3).

Creating Questions

Questions are managed in the same way in all of the assessment tools. Questions can be added or edited from the Quiz’s edit page.

The detailed instructions to add questions are:

Click on Create New and Select New Question.
Select the type of Question you want to create.
Fill in the Question Text and answers as required by the Question type you have selected.
Add points for each question you create.
Click Save once you are done, to save the question you created.

Sections

Sections are the organizational building blocks of the Question Library. Questions can be grouped into sections based on any number of organizing criteria, including topics, textbook chapter or type of assessment. You can import sections from the Question Library directly into a quiz, survey, or self-assessment. Importing sections from the Question Library will transfer section folders and all of their associated properties, including section name, messages, images, or feedback.

Navigate to Quizzes.
On the Quizzes Area menu, click Question Library.
Select Section from the New drop-down menu.
Enter the name of the section in the Section Name field.
Enter a Message (optional). You can choose to display this message to users at the beginning of a section or repeated before each question in a section (refer to Step 8).
Enter Private Comments (optional). These comments are for your personal use and view only.
You can add an image to a section by clicking Add a File and select an image you want to use. You can choose to display this image at the beginning of a section or repeated before each question in a section (refer to Step 8).
Set your Display Options:
- shuffle questions in this section Reposition questions within this section.
- show section name Displays a section name in quizzes, surveys, and self-assessments that contain this section.
- insert a line break after section name Inserts extra space below a section name.
- display message and image
  - Select display section message and image once to display these items once at the beginning of a section.
  - Select repeat section message and image before each question to repeat both the message and image before each question in a section.
You can add Section Feedback.
Click Save.

Question Pool (Randomized Sections)

Create a Question Pool (formerly Random Sections) in quizzes to distribute a unique set of questions to each student. Question Pool pulls questions from a designated pool of questions stored in the Question Library. Specify how many questions students will receive from the random section question pool after you import questions from the Question Library into the random section folder.

Since you can only access random sections within quizzes, you must create a quiz before you can create its random sections. You can import an infinite number of questions from the Question Library into each random section, but you cannot create new questions within question pool folders.

How to Add a Question Pool to a Quiz

Navigate to Quizzes.
Select the quiz you want to add a question pool to.
Under Quiz Questions, click the Add/Edit Questions button.
From the New dropdown menu, select Question Pool.
Enter a Question Pool Title.
Inform the Number of Questions to Select.
Inform the Points per Question
Browse the questions from the Question Library.
Click Save.

Note: All questions within a question pool are assigned the same points value.

Updating Questions

If you want to make any changes to a Question that is used in a Quiz and exists in a Question Library, go to the Question, either through Quizzes or Question Library (creating questions in the Question library is recommended over creating them first in a Quiz). Make the required changes to the question and hit Save. Then it will ask you to select the items you want the changes to apply to. It will provide a list where these questions currently exist- in both Quizzes and Question Library.

You can hit Save once you are done and the questions will be updated where you have chosen.

Question Types

You can create the following types of questions in your D2L Question Library and Quizzes.

True or False Questions

True or false (T/F) questions present a statement that students must determine is correct or incorrect.

In the Question Text field, enter your true or false question. A preview of the question appears in the preview pane as you begin creating the question.
In the Answers area, select True or False as the correct answer.
Set the number of points for the true or false question.
From the Options drop-down list, optionally, specify the following:
- To add feedback for each answer, select Add Feedback.
- To add a hint to the question, select Add Hint.
- To add a short description to the question, select Add Short Description.
- To select how you want your options to be enumerated, select an option from the Add Enumeration > Enumeration drop-down list.
Click Save.

Multi-Select Questions

Multi-select (M-S) questions require respondents to identify one or more correct answers in a list of possible answers. Unlike multiple-choice (MC) questions, multi-select questions enable you to choose a grading format and allow users to select more than one answer.

In the Question Library, from the New button, click Multi-Select Question (M-S).
In the General area, enter your multi-select question details.
In the Options area, do the following:
- From the Enumeration drop-down list, select how you want your options to be enumerated.
- Select how you want your question to display.
- Select your grading method.
- Enter a choice in each Value field. Select the Correct check box for every right answer.
To verify your question, click Preview.

Grading methods for multi-select questions

For determining how points are assigned to blanks, the following grading methods are available in the multi-select question experience:

All or Nothing – Students earn full points only when all correct answers are selected and all incorrect answers are left blank. Students cannot earn partial points.
Correct Selections – Points are evenly distributed across all answers. Students earn partial points for each answer correctly selected and left blank.
Correct Answers, Limited Selections – Points are evenly distributed across correct answers only. The number of selections allowed is limited to the number of correct answers. Students earn partial points for each correct answer selected.
Right Minus Wrong Selections – Points are evenly distributed across all answers. Learners earn partial points for each answer correctly selected and left blank. Students lose points for answers incorrectly selected or left blank. Students cannot receive less than 0 points.

Written Response Questions

Written response (WR) questions require respondents to write detailed answers in response to open-ended questions. You can enable users to respond in multiple sentences, paragraph answers, or mathematical explanations and calculations. Users can also respond in HTML code.

Note: HTML code is sometimes stripped from saved written responses if a learner refreshes the page while taking the quiz. As a best practice, encourage users to save a version of their HTML response locally in case they need to refresh the page.

Written response questions are not auto-graded. If a written response question is not graded, the status shows a pending evaluation message for the student. Students always see the message “This question has not been graded” until the instructor grades the question.

In the Question Library, click New, then click Written Response (WR).
In the Question Text field, enter your written response question details.
If you want learners to be able to format their answer, select the Enable HTML Editor for learner responses check box.
To allow learners to attach files and images to support their answers, select the Enable inserted images and attachments check box.
In the Default Points field, enter the points learners will receive for answering the whole question correctly.
From the Options drop-down list, do one of the following:
- To add feedback for the answer, select Add Feedback.
- To add a hint to the question, select Add Hint.
- To add a short description to the question, select Add Short Description.
- To add an answer key to assist evaluators in their marking, select Add Answer Key.
- To add a custom size to the response box, select Add Custom Response Box Size and select the size.
- To add initial text for learner responses, select Add Initial Text and enter the desired text.
To verify your question, click Preview.
Click Save.

Short Answer Questions

Short answer (SA) questions require respondents to create one-word or brief sentence answers in response to open-ended questions.

In the Question Text field, enter your short answer question details.
In the Answers for Blank 1 field, enter your answer(s).
From the abc drop-down list for blank 1, select the comparison method, that is Text, Case-Sensitive Text, or Regular Expression. All answers for a blank are assessed using the same comparison method.
If you want to add more blanks, click Add Blank and enter your answer(s).
For all additional blanks, select the comparison method.
In the Default Points field, enter the points learners will receive for answering the question correctly.
From the How are points assigned to blanks? drop down list, select one of the following options:
- Students will receive part marks – The default points for each blank are calculated automatically and evenly distributed.
- Students must answer all blanks correctly – The default points will only be awarded if the learner answers all blanks accurately.
From the Options drop-down list, do one of the following:
- To add overall feedback for the answer, select Add Feedback.
- To add a hint to the question, select Add Hint.
- To add a short description to the question, select Add Short Description.
To verify your question, click Preview.
Click Save.

Multi-Short Answer Questions

Multi-short answer (MSA) questions require respondents to answer a multi-solution question and input their answers into individual input boxes. Respondent’s answers are checked against each possible answer stored in the answer fields. D2L recommends that the required number of answers corresponds with the number of input boxes provided.

An MSA question’s maximum point value is reflected by a 100% weight. As a best practice, D2L recommends that each possible answer’s weight calculation equals 100% divided by the number of answers required by the question.

Multi-short answer questions differ from short answer (SA) questions in that the multi-short answer question enables you to create multiple answer boxes which all relate to one answer set; short answer questions also support multiple answer boxes, but each requires a distinct set of possible answers. The short answer question type is ideal if you need to create a multi-part question that cannot share the same answer pool.

For example, the question “Name 3 state capitals” displays three input boxes to users. Each answer users submit is checked against 51 possible correct answers stored in the answer fields and each answer field has a weight of 33.3%.

In the Question Library, from the New button, click Multi-Short Answer Question (MSA).
In the General area, enter your multi-short answer question details.
In the Options area, do the following:
- In the Input boxes field, enter the number of required answer fields you want your question to have. You can assign the number of rows and columns for each answer field.
- In the Answer fields, enter the correct answers for your question, the weight for each answer (you can set different weights if some solutions are more correct than others), and how you want the answers to be evaluated.
- To assign more possible answers to the question, click Add Answer.
- To verify your answer, click Preview.

Fill in the Blanks Questions

Fill in the blanks (FIB) questions require respondents to fill in one or more missing words for an incomplete sentence, statement, phrase, list, or key terminology.

As a best practice, D2L recommends that answers in blank fields be no more than one or two words to ensure auto-grading accuracy. Your listed order of blank and text fields corresponds with the sequence displayed to users.

A FIB question’s maximum point value is reflected by a 100% weight. As a best practice, the combined weight of your answers should equal 100%. If your FIB question has multiple blank fields and each blank field has several possible answers, D2L recommends the combined weight of each blank field’s most correct answer equals 100%.

In the Question Library, from the New button, click Fill in the Blanks Question (FIB).
In the General area, enter your fill in the blanks question details.
In the Question Text area, do the following:
- Enter your text.
- In the Blank #1 area, enter your information, including the answer to the text, the weight you want to assign the answer (you can set different weights if some solutions are more correct than others), and how you want to evaluate the answer.
- To assign more possible answers for the blank, click Add Answer.
- To add more blanks to the question, click Add Blank.
- To add more text to the question, click Add Text.
To verify your question, click Preview.

Matching Questions

Matching (MAT) questions require respondents to choose from a set of possible match choices from drop-down lists and correctly pair them with related items. This question type enables you to assess users’ recognition of information and demonstrate comprehension of specific relationships.

In the Question Library, from the New button, click Matching Question (MAT).
In the General area, enter your matching question details.
In the Choices area, do the following:
- Select the grading method for the question.
- In each Value field, enter a choice.
- To add additional values for the question, click Add Choice.
In the Matches area, do the following:
- In each Value field, enter a choice.
- To add additional matches for the question, click Add Match.
- From the drop-down list for each matching value, select the corresponding Correct Choice.
To verify your question, click Preview.

Ordering Questions

Ordering (ORD) questions require respondents to arrange a series of items into a correct sequence or order.

In the Question Library, from the New button, click Ordering Question (ORD).
In the General area, enter your ordering question details.
In the Options area, do the following:
- Select your grading method.
- In each Value field, enter a choice. To add more values, click Add Item.
- From the Correct Order drop-down list for each value, set the order of the values. The first value in the correct order should be “1”.
To verify your question, click Preview.

Arithmetic Questions

Arithmetic questions enable you to assess users’ knowledge and comprehension of mathematics and number theory. You can ensure each respondent receives a unique question by including variables enclosed with curly braces that randomly generate numbers within the problem. For example, if you set variables x, y, and z with a Min 1 to Max 5 number range in 1-step increments, the question “You have {x} green marbles, {y} red marbles, and {z} blue marbles. How many marbles do you have in total?” will randomly generate a rational number (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) for {x}, {y}, and {z}.

In arithmetic questions, use answer precision to limit the number of acceptable decimal places allowed in a response. You can require that correct answers contain a specific number of decimal places.

In Question Library, from the New button, click Arithmetic Question (2+2).
In the Title field, enter an optional title for your question.
In the Points* field, enter the number of points a learner will receive for answering the question correctly.
Set the Difficulty level for the question.
In the Question Text field, enter your arithmetic question text.
To add an image to your arithmetic question, click Insert an Image and select the image you want to add and enter a description for the image.
To enable learners to add attachments to support their answers, select the Allow attachments to support answers check box.
Enter your arithmetic question Formula. To verify your formula before sharing it with learners, click Test.
In arithmetic questions, use answer precision to limit the number of acceptable decimal places allowed in a response. You can require that correct answers contain a specific number of decimal places.
From the Answer Precision drop-down menu, select the number of acceptable decimal places allowed in a response and select the enforce precision check box to require correct answers to contain this specific number of decimal places.
Use Tolerance levels to accept near-accurate, estimated, or rounded answers.
To assess if answers include correct units of measurement, enter a unit type (mm, cm, grams, inches, etc.), and set one of the following Evaluation Options:
- Case Insensitive – Auto-grading searches for a matching character pattern in the answer text with or without letter case correctness.
- Case Sensitive – Auto-grading searches for a matching character pattern in the answer text that must have letter case correctness.
- Regular Expression – Auto-grading uses meta-characters to search for one or more matching strings in the answer text’s character pattern. What you set as meta-character parameters helps determine letter case sensitivity.
To assign a weighted points value to the measurement unit, from the Worth: drop-down menu, select a percentage.
In the Variables area, do the following:
- Create any variables you want to use with your question by giving the variable a Name, a minimum value in Min, and a maximum value in Max.
- Set the number of decimals to provide in the Decimal Places drop-down list.
- To set the system’s incrementing steps as it generates numbers from the range set by the Min and Max fields, in the Step field, enter a number.
Enter a Question Hint and Question Feedback.
To verify your question, click Preview.
Click Save.

Types of supported enumerations in the Formula field

Enumerations	Description
+,-,*,/,\,^	Basic mathematical operators
%	Modulo (remainder) operator
{x}^{y}	x to the power of y
abs({n})	Absolute value of n
cos({n})	The cosine of n (in radians)
sin({n})	The sine of n (in radians)
sqr({n})	The square root of n
tan({n})	The tangent of n (in radians)
log({n})	Log base 10 of n
ln({n})	Log base e of n
atan({n})	The inverse tangent of n
sec({n})	The secant of n
cosec({n})	Cosecant of n
cotan({n})	The cotangent of n
Factorial({n})	Factorial of n, or (n!)
exp	The power of natural log (e)
pi	pi 3.14159 (accurate up to 50 decimal places)
e	e 2.71828 (accurate up to 50 decimal places)

Significant Figures Questions

Significant figures questions require respondents to answer in scientific notation and provide solutions that contain a specified number of significant figures. Math and science courses commonly use this question type. You can ensure each respondent receives a unique question by including variables enclosed with curly braces that randomly generate scientific notations within the problem.

In Question Library, from the New button, click Significant Figures (x10).
In the Title field, enter an optional title for your question.
In the Points* field, enter the number of points a learner will receive for answering the question correctly.
Set the Difficulty level for the question.
In the Question Text field, enter your arithmetic question text.
To add an image to your arithmetic question, click Insert an Image and select the image you want to add and enter a description for the image.
To enable learners to add attachments to support their answers, select the Allow attachments to support answers check box.
Enter your arithmetic question Formula. To verify your formula before sharing it with learners, click Test.
From the Significant Figures drop-down menu, select the number of significant figures the response should contain.
From the Deduct drop-down menu, select the percentage of the answer’s score to deduct for including incorrect significant figures in a response.
Use Tolerance levels to accept near-accurate, estimated, or rounded answers.
To assess if answers include correct units of measurement, enter a unit type (mm, cm, grams, inches, etc.), and set one of the following Evaluation Options:
- Case Insensitive – Auto-grading searches for a matching character pattern in the answer text with or without letter case correctness.
- Case Sensitive – Auto-grading searches for a matching character pattern in the answer text that must have letter case correctness.
- Regular Expression – Auto-grading uses meta-characters to search for one or more matching strings in the answer text’s character pattern. What you set as meta-character parameters helps determine letter case sensitivity.
In the Variables area, do the following:
- Create any variables you want to use with your question by giving the variable a Name, a minimum value in the Min field, and a maximum value in the Max field.
- To set the system’s incrementing steps as it generates numbers from the range set by the Min and Max fields, enter a number in the Step field.
To verify your question, click Preview.

Likert Questions

Create Likert (LIK) questions to measure subjective information such as personal opinions, knowledge, abilities, and attitudes. Likert questions enable you to create surveys that evaluate the intensity of respondents’ feelings towards statements presented to them.

There are seven measurement scales available to Likert questions: One to Five (1 to 5), One to Eight (1 to 8), Agreement Scale (Disagree–Agree), Satisfaction Scale (Dissatisfied–Satisfied), Frequency Scale (Never–Always), Importance Scale (Unimportant–Important), and Opposition Scale (Oppose–Support).

You can only access Likert questions through the Surveys tool and Question Library. Similar to self assessments, all question types you import into surveys automatically omit point value and difficulty level indicators.

In the Question Library, from the New button, click Likert Question (LIK).
In the General area, enter your Likert question details.
In the Questions area, do the following:
- Select the Scale you want the question to use.
- In each Value field, enter a statement. To include additional statements, click Add Option.
To verify your question, click Preview.

Adding Feedback, Hints and Other Options

All question types allow you to include Feedback and Hints. Feedback enables you to provide added information as a basis for improving content comprehension. Hints are useful for suggesting how to approach a question.
You can provide feedback comments at the end of a question to indicate correct and incorrect answers, where a correct answer can be found in the course content, and what details you are looking for in an ideal answer.

There are the following options that can be added for certain question types:

Add Feedback
Add Hint
Add Short Description
Add Custom weights
Add enumeration
Add custom response box size
Add answer key
Add initial text

Note: If you want students to see hints to questions, you must select the check box allow Hints in the Properties tab when you create or edit quizzes and self-assessments.

Understanding Brightspace rounding rules

When rounding, Brightspace automatically applies the Round to Half Even rounding rule when assessing answers that contain decimal places that end with “5”. Currently, there are no options to change rounding rules. Applying the Round to Half Even rule, answers with decimal places that end with “5” will round down instead of round up.

Example One: 3.41 * 25 = 85.25

If you create an arithmetic question and set the Answer Precision to 1, the correct answer using Round to Half Even is 85.2.

Example Two: -3.41* 25 = -85.25

If you create an arithmetic question and set the Answer Precision to 1, the correct answer using Round to Half Even is -85.2.

You can enter a unit type (mm, cm, grams, inches, etc.) to assess if answers include correct units of measurement. For significant figures questions, you can select a percentage to assign a weighted points value to the measurement unit. If you use units in your question, you can set the following Evaluation options:

Case Insensitive – Auto-grading searches for a matching character pattern in the answer text with or without letter case correctness.
Case Sensitive – Auto-grading searches for a matching character pattern in the answer text that must have letter case correctness.
Regular Expression – Auto-grading uses meta-characters to search for one or more matching strings in the answer text’s character pattern. What you set as meta-character parameters helps determine letter case sensitivity.

Bonus Questions

Bonus questions will not be counted towards a total score unless the student attempts them.

Students are not penalized if they skip a Bonus question or answer it incorrectly. 

Note: Randomly drawn questions from a Question Pool cannot be bonuses. 

To mark a question as a Bonus question:

Go to Assessments > Quizzes
Open a Quiz to edit
Check the box of the question(s) you want to make into Bonus questions
Click the More Actions menu and select Toggle Bonus
The question will be marked as BONUS underneath its point value.
Click the Save button to remain in the quiz (or Save and Close to save your changes and exit the quiz).

Auto-Save

Most questions in Brightspace Quizzes will save automatically almost immediately.

Written Response Questions

Written Response questions with the HTML Editor (format bar) disabled auto-save approximately every 30 seconds, or a student can trigger a save by clicking outside of the text entry box.

If the HTML Editor is enabled, students should be advised to click outside of the text entry box frequently in order to trigger a save.

Note: For particularly long essay questions, it is recommended students be allowed to write and save in an external desktop program like Word, Notepad, or TextEdit, to prevent losing their answers if there is an Internet connection issue.

More information on auto-save in Brightspace Quizzes can be found here.