How do I import a test bank

From D2L Wiki

We recommend using the third-party Respondus software for processing test banks. It is available for a 30-day trial or one copy is available in the IDEA Lab (at the computer closest to the hallway door, on the Windows side).

Contents 1 Formatting your test bank 2 Processing with Respondus 3 Importing into D2L

Formatting your test bank

Respondus offers full instructions for formatting your test bank. If you simply have multiple choice questions, here's the info quickly: For example:

1. The research method that focuses on examining the end result of care or in determining changes in a patient’s health status is called: A. experimental. B. correlational. *C. outcomes. D. quasiexperimental.

1. Remove all text other than the questions and answers.
2. Number your questions.
3. Use capital letters (A, B, C, etc.) for the answer choices.
4. Have either a . or ) after the capitals letters of the answer choices.
5. Put a single * in front of the correct answer.
6. If you have used bold or italics to indicate correct answers, be sure to remove this. It will appear in D2L! The easiest way to remove it is to select all the text (control-A or Edit: Select all) and select the bold button on the toolbar.
7. Save as a regular Word file.
8. Close the file. You cannot have it open in Word when importing it into Respondus.

NOTE: If you have questions of types other than multiple choice, you will need to adjust your formatting to include a line above the question indicating the type.

• Type: MT for matching
• Type: MR for multiple response/multi-answer
• Type: S for short answer
• Type: P for paragraph aka essay aka long answer

For example:

Type: MT 2. Match the following items A) Cat = kitten B) Dog = puppy C) Kangaroo = joey

Processing with Respondus

1. Open Respondus.
2. If not already selected, use the Blackboard 6.3-7.x personality at the top of the popup.
3. Choose the Import Questions button.
4. In the import popup:
   1. Choose File Type: Microsoft Word.
   2. Browse for your formatted test bank.
   3. Choose to create a new document and name it.
   4. Preview. (You cannot have the file open in Word when importing to Respondus or else you will get an error message when you try to Preview.)
   5. Check the warnings and fix original file if necessary. Return to 1 above.
      1. Note that some warning messages can be ignored. For instance, Respondus might give the warning “2 duplicate titles were changed by adding `2’ (or 3, 4...)”. This is simply indicating that two of the question titles for the file being imported are identical (remember, question titles are generated from the first 20 characters of the question wording). Since two question titles in Respondus cannot be identical, the warning message is simply indicating that the duplicate title is having a number such as “2” added to the end of it to make it distinct. This change does not affect the question itself (titles aren’t displayed during an exam), so most users can safely ignore this warning.
      2. Respondus can be very picky. You may need to turn on paragraph marks to see unusual characters and remove them.
   6. Finish.
   7. OK
5. Select the Preview & Publish tab.
6. Select Publish to Blackboard.
7. Select the Publish wizard button.
8. Select the 3rd radio button Save pool to local file for...
9. Select Next.
10. At the top, select Save as... and choose where to save your file. I recommend the desktop for easy finding when importing into D2L.
11. If you want to create randomized quizzes using a question pool, select the first option "Pool - no points." If you want to create an individual quiz with all the questions in the order of your Word document, select the third option, "Test with points (Blackboard 7.1+ only...)
12. Select Finish.
13. Select OK.

Importing into D2L

1. Go to your course in D2L.
2. Go to Edit course: Import/Export/Copy Components.
3. Select the radio button for Import Components.
4. Select browse and find your Respondus file (*.zip).
5. Open.
6. Next.
7. Select the listed component (Question Library or Quiz).
8. Next.
9. Next.
10. Next.
11. If using the Quiz option, your new quiz will be available under quizzes named with the same name as the imported file. It is immediately active, so you should go to it immediately to update.
12. If using the library (for creating randomized quizzes), your questions should now be in the quiz library.
    1. Go to Quizzes: Question Library. You will see all of your questions. We recommend that you put them into a section (particularly if you are importing multiple chapters of questions).
    2. In the top dropdown "Create new" choose "Section" and select Go.
    3. Name your section (usually by chapter title) and Save.
    4. Select your questions with the checkbox at the very top (uncheck any sections).
    5. Select Move at the top of the list.
    6. Choose your new section.
    7. When finished importing all sections, you are ready to set up a randomized quiz.