Importing Test Questions Into Moodle

We are often asked by instructors, "How do I import my test questions into Moodle?"

One easy method is to use a text‐based editor to compose test questions that can be easily imported into Moodle. Proper syntax and file structure is critical for a successful file upload. We have developed two basic processes to quickly and efficiently import question banks into your Moodle shell:

For  true/false and multiple choice questions, we recommend the "Aiken" format. It is simple, easy, and fast. You can do it yourself! Read more here.

For question types beyond true/false and multiple choice (matching, multiple response, fill-in-the-blank, etc.), we utilize a tool called Respondus (don't buy it; we have it). If you deliver a Microsoft Word file in the proper syntax to us, we can take it from there. Read more here. Be sure to include:

1. Properly-formatted Word file
2. Link to your Moodle course shell
3. Question categories ("Chapter 1," "Week 1," or other naming conventions)
4. Whether you also want quizzes created as we upload your questions (including default settings)

Please get this information to us with as much lead time before a term begins as possible, because we are heavily involved with student access support work during the week before, and the first two weeks of each term.

Google Classroom

Low Digital Fluency of Faculty

From the 2014 NMC Horizon Report: 2014 Higher Education Edition (pp 22-23):

"Faculty training still does not acknowledge the fact that digital media literacy continues its rise in importance as a key skill in every discipline and profession. Despite the widespread agreement on the importance of digital media literacy, training in the supporting skills and techniques is rare in teacher education and non-existent in the preparation of faculty. As lecturers and professors begin to realize that they are limiting their students by not helping them to develop and use digital media literacy skills across the curriculum, the lack of formal training is being offset through professional development or informal learning, but we are far from seeing digital media literacy as a norm. This challenge is exacerbated by the fact that digital literacy is less about tools and more about thinking, and thus skills and standards based on tools and platforms have proven to be somewhat ephemeral."