[New Quizzes] Create Item Banks from MSWord

[rledda]

It would be useful that when you create a question [item] bank at the account level being able to upload a huge number of questions once by using a word document. Now, the only way to do this is to create them one by one.

Rosalie

[gaminib]

Hello Chris,  That is superb!  A lot of work for you...in addition to all your other IT responsibilities.  FYI I am sending you a solution from another institution. No names. 

"I have a work-around; however, the setup takes longer and will involve more work on the instructor's end. It also would also require students to sign up for a test taking time. (It also has more points of failure.)

This method uses assignments instead of quizzes. The Canvas Scheduler is used for the students to sign up for a test time and then the instructor has to schedule the exam for each student during that time frame. By using assignments you can annotate the students' papers using Speedgrader and the time limit is enforced because the exam is only accessible to them during that time period--along with a due date

There is no easy solution. In both Classic Quizzes and New Quizzes the instructor can create the quiz question(s) on a document, which the student has to download and print. Then they have to scan the completed quiz document (for example, with their phone app) and upload it in Canvas. Students sometimes do not think of emailing the scan to themselves so they don't know how to upload -- then the instructor ends up with tests being emailed to them. When grading in quizzes the instructor must download the documents to grade them. Once they are downloaded, they can annotate and then upload the document in the comments feedback. This method is the most straightforward, believe it or not." 

[nick2]

glenn wiedenhoeft wrote:

I made a quiz/exam yesterday on Canvas, cutting an pasting from MSWord, embedding images/schematics, resizing etc.  Four hours for twenty questions. 

Dr. Gamini, I can appreciate that Repsondus adds steps, and how ridiculous this situation is. However, from your description of the labor you endured, I think Repondus would have saved you about 3.5 hours. Respondus can import quiz material from a Word doc that includes diagrams, math, and formatting; then export into a Canvas quiz or question bank.  Once inside Canvas, some cleanup may be called for; but in my experience, no tedious copy/paste endless loop, no save diagram/import diagram/embed diagram dance.

   It's a half measure that requires a paid third-party app.  Even then, Respondus is neither a comprehensive solution (most of our users are on Macs) and it's not an efficient one for the huge number of quizzes we need to generate as whole schools go online for the first time. 

  That patching up of a quiz (cleanup) can take longer for folks less familiar with Canvas than just building them from scratch as folks fumble with and try to understand the import bugs and platform juggling.

  Importing and exporting of questions to an editable text format should have been one of the first features implemented.   Instructure locking this content behind a labor intensive, primitive build interface was unreasonable at the best of times.  With what's going on now... seriously, it's time for Instructure to step up.

.

[jeff_lau]

I agree with NIck DeMello,

Having to use a third-party app, that sort of works, for what should be a basic function in test creation is ridiculous. This should be a built-in feature in Canvas, not something you have to pay a third party for a work-around.

[gaminib]

And emphasis on "that sort of works"  

[gaminib]

"seriously, it's time for Instructure to step up."  Unfortunately I doubt that happening.  a) scrambling to get everyone online   b) "King of the Hill" mentality.  WordPerfect, Motorola, Xerox, Netscape, Kodak, etc.,  examples abound. 

BTW, the online degree places that some may have dissed... who has the last laugh now? 

[nsweeten]

 @rledda ‌ and  @jeff_lau ‌. This seems like an ideal opportunity for Canvas to program a built-in Repondus-like tool that is friendly to Word Docs, .txt files and common formats. 

[lph]

At this point, would it be possible to release instructions to the new quizzes LTI so that someone in the community could build an importer?

[sarah-canatsey]

We can't get them to create a basic function other LMSs have to upload a txt or Word file for quizzes, but don't worry kiddos--- they did find time to create a celebration for when you have no Link Validation issues.  (See May release notes). 

[chemlectures]

Dr Bandara Gamini wrote:

"seriously, it's time for Instructure to step up."  Unfortunately I doubt that happening.  a) scrambling to get everyone online   b) "King of the Hill" mentality.  WordPerfect, Motorola, Xerox, Netscape, Kodak, etc.,  examples abound. 

BTW, the online degree places that some may have dissed... who has the last laugh now? 

It will come down to whether Instructure really is trying to get more schools online.  Because that’s what this feature would enable.

[gaminib]

Respondus is good but finicky.  For example, if you have three questions "1. Fig 1 A BJT item A is...  2. 1. Fig 1 A BJT item B is  3.  1. Fig 1 the BJT is" it considers this an error.  Also, importing graphics/schematics and formatting is a torture.