Tips & Tricks

Upload .txt Questions into a Test/Survey

Creating questions outside of Blackboard has some advantages over developing questions within Blackboard; ability to use Excel and Word; to spell check, ability to see all information on one page, reuseable files (.txt), and all question types or supported.

Creating Questions in Excel
Creating Questions in a TEXT tool
Creating a Test / Survey
Upload Questions into Test/Survey

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Creating Questions in Excel

The following are rules that must be followed when creating questions for Blackboard:

• All question types must follow a specific format.
• All files must be saved as a “Text (Tab delimited)(*.txt)”. Do not save as an Excel (.xls), MS-Word (.doc), or WordPerfect (.wpd) document.
• In order for point values to be assigned, you must create and assign default point values first in the assessment. Otherwise all questions uploaded will have a point value of zero.
• It is very important to know that each question is created from left to right with each part of the question being in a separate cell.

Note: If you are using this method to create a Survey, you must still define one response as “Correct” and all others as "Incorrect". Blackboard will have an error uploading the file if it does not have an answer labeled as “Correct”.

To create a multiple choice question, use the following formula:

1. MC | question text | answer text | ‘correct’ or ‘incorrect’
2. Note: The maximum number of answers to create per multiple choice question is 20.   
   

To create a multiple answer question, use the following formula:

1. MA | question text | answer text | ‘correct’ or ‘incorrect’
2. Note: The maximum number of answers to create per multiple choice question is 20.
   

To create a true/false question, use the following formula:

1. TF | question text | ‘true’ or ‘false’
2. 

To create essays, use the following formula:

1. ESS | question text | “essay sample text
   

To create ordering questions, use the following formula:

1. ORD | question text | answer
   Note: The maximum number of answers to create per multiple choice question is 20. The system will randomly order the answers and matches.
   

To create matching questions, use the following formula:

1. MAT | question text | answer text | matching text
   Note: The maximum number of answers to create per multiple choice question is 20. The system will randomly order the answers and matches.
   

To create fill in the blank questions, use the following formula:

1. FIB | question text | answer text
2. Note: The maximum number of answers to create per multiple choice question is 20.
   

To create file response questions, use the following formula:

1. FIL | question
   

To create numeric response questions, use the following formula:

1. NUM | question | answer | [optional] tolerance
   

To create short response questions, use the following formula:

1. SR | question | sample_answer
   

To create opinion/likert scale questions, use the following formula:

1. OP | question
   
   

To create multiple fill-in-the-blank questions, use the following formula:

1. FIB_PLUS | question | variable1 | answer1 | answer2 |  | variable2 | answer3
   Note: The format consists of a list of variable-answers where each variable-answer is composed of the variable name and a list of correct answers.
   

To create jumbled sentence questions, use the following formula:

1. JUMBLED_SENTENCE | question | choice1 | variable1 | choice2 | choice2 | variable2
   The format consists of a list of choices-answers where each choice-answer consists of a choice followed by the list of variables for which the choice is the correct answer.
   

To create quiz bowl questions, use the following formula:

1. QUIZ_BOWL | question | question_word1 | question_word2 | phrase1 | phrase2
   

 

Saving Questions in Excel

When complete, remember to save your file FIRST as an XLS file, then Save As a “Text (Tab delimited)(*.txt)” file . Next, we will develop the assessment and upload the questions into Blackboard.

from Microsoft Excel:

1. Choose File > Save (Microsoft Office Excel Workbook (*.xls))
2. Choose File > Save As
3. Change the document type to Text (Tab delimited)(*.txt)

Uploading Questions into Blackboard

• Survey Manager
• Test Manager

 

Creating Questions in a Text tool (word, notepad, textpad, textedit)

The following are business rules that must be followed when creating questions for Blackboard 6:

• All question types must follow a specific format.
• All files must be saved as a .txt (text). Do not save as a MS-Word (.doc) or WordPerfect (.wpd) document.
• In order for point values to be assigned, you must create and assign default point values first in the assessment. Otherwise all questions uploaded will have a point value of zero.
• It is very important to know that each question is created from left to right with a tab separating each part of the question.

Note: If you are using this method to create a Survey, you must still define one response as “Correct” and all others as "Incorrect". Blackboard will have an error uploading the file if it does not have an answer labeled as “Correct”.

To create a multiple choice question, use the following formula:

1. MC Tab question text Tab answer text Tab ‘correct’ or ‘incorrect’
   Note: The maximum number of answers to create per multiple choice question is 20.
   

To create a multiple answer question, use the following formula:

1. MA Tab question text Tab answer text Tab ‘correct’ or ‘incorrect’
   Note: The maximum number of answers to create per multiple choice question is 20.
   

To create a true/false question, use the following formula:

1. TF Tab question text Tab ‘true’ or ‘false’ (remove quotes)
   

To create essays, use the following formula:

1. ESS Tab question text Tab “essay sample text” (remove the quotes)
   

To create ordering questions, use the following formula:

1. ORD Tab question text Tab answer
   Note: The maximum number of answers to create per multiple choice question is 20. The system will randomly order the answers and matches.
   

To create matching questions, use the following formula:

1. MAT Tab question text Tab answer text Tab matching text
   Note: The maximum number of answers to create per multiple choice question is 20. The system will randomly order the answers and matches.
   

To create fill in the blank questions, use the following formula:

1. FIB Tab question text Tab answer text
   Note: The maximum number of answers to create per multiple choice question is 20.
   

Saving Text tool Questions

When complete, remember to save your file as .txt (text). Next, we will develop the assessment and upload the questions into Blackboard.

from Microsoft Word, Note Pad, or Text Edit:

1. Choose File > Save As
2. Change the document type to .txt (text).

 

Creating a Pool

With the questions completed...

The Pool Manager tool lets you create and organize surveys and exams. You can grade and record exam results in the online Gradebook.

Note: Creating your questions in the Pool Manager first allows you to use them over again. You can then add questions to a test from the Pools. You must also make the test visible by adding it to a content area before your students can take it.

Adding a New Pool

From the Control Panel:

1. Click on the Pool Manager link in the Assessment section.
2. Click on the Add Pool button.
3. Type in information in the appropriate fields.
4. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click on the Submit button.

Upload (TXT) Questions

From the Pool/Test/Survey Canvas:

1. Choose Upload Questions from the drop-down menu.
2. Click on the Go button.
3. Click on the Browse button.
4. Choose the .txt file and click on the Open button.
5. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click on the Submit button.

Creating a Test or Survey

After creating the Pool, you will need to create the Test or Survey.

From the Control Panel:

1. Click on the Test / Survey Manager link in the Assessment section.
2. Click on the Add Test / Survey button.
3. Type in information in the appropriate fields.
4. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click on the Submit button.
5. From the pull down list choose From a Question Pool or Assessment.
   Note: you will need to create the link to this test or Survey within a Content Area.
   - To create a Test link.
   - To create a Survey link.

More Information

Q: When I tried to upload the .txt file it didn't work, why?
A: Try checking the file, make sure it is a .txt file format. Also you may try putting the document layout to landscape so all the question info is on one line.

Q: How do I make my finished tests available to my students?
A: Enter a content area section (Course Information, Course Documents, and Assignments) and click on the Add Test button to add the test to a content area and make your test available.

Q: How do I add an image, URL, or file to my question?
A: Click on the Creation Settings link on the Pool Canvas page. From there, you can choose to provide feedback to individual answers, add images, files and URLs to questions, add images and files to answers, and add categories to questions.

Q: What are the Correct and Incorrect Response fields for?
A: If you would like to display a response to your students for each question, you can do so in these fields. Students will be able to view your response when they see their graded exam.

Q: How do I add a new question between question 4 and 5?
A: Click on the Add Question Here link and fill in the text fields.

Q: I finished my test and saved it. Now I want to make a change and add more questions. How do I do that?
A: Click on the Modify button to the right of the test item. From there you can add more questions or modify existing questions.