Important Note
The Respondus software and licensing can be made available to any instructor upon request to cirtlab@unf.edu. While CIRT is available to assist with formatting and uploading quizzes to Canvas, quiz creation requests may take up to three business days to complete. Requests that include multiple quizzes or question banks may take longer.
Summary
Currently, there is no built-in Canvas functionality for importing questions from MS Word to a quiz or question bank. Respondus provides this option by converting Word formatted question sets into a Canvas format so they can be uploaded directly into a Canvas course.
Respondus allows instructors to create exams offline in a familiar Windows environment. With Respondus, instructors may perform the following tasks:
- Import exam questions from Word or text documents
- Retrieve exams/pools from Canvas
- Import questions from publisher test banks
- Upload exams/pools to Canvas
- Save an exam as a Word document
Import Exam Questions from Word or Text Documents
Respondus allows instructors to import multiple choice, true-false, essay, fill in the blank, matching, and multiple answer questions from a file. The questions must be organized in a format that is acceptable to Respondus and the file must be saved as one of the following file types: plain text (.txt), rich-text (.rtf), MS Word (.doc) or tab/comma delimited (.csv) format.
Refer to the Respondus 4.0 User Guide (Appendix > The Standard Format for Importing) for instructions on preparing Respondus-friendly files.
Tips for Successful Importing
- Respondus is not fond of files containing Word auto-formatting. The files will often import into Respondus incorrectly. In order to import these files successfully, try the following trick: save the file as rich-text (.rtf), then re-save as MS Word (.doc) to remove the auto-formatting.
- If your questions contain images, import the questions in a MS Word file (.doc) as you may copy and paste the images into the text of the question.
- Always Preview your file during the Import process. Check for error messages relating to skipped questions and missing answers. Fix these problems in your original document and attempt to import again. Error messages relating to duplicate question titles may be ignored.
Upload Quizzes or Question Banks to Canvas
The Publish to Canvas wizard is available from the Preview & Publish menu and guides a user through the steps of publishing an exam to the Canvas server. You must already have a Canvas account and password in order to use this task.
Refer to the Respondus 4.0 User Guide (Start Menu > Importing Questions) for instructions on uploading pre-formatted quizzes or question banks.
Importing Questions from Publisher Test Banks
Many publishers now offer test banks in a Respondus format through the Respondus Test Bank Network. If your test bank is not offered in the Respondus Test Bank Network, you can reformat the questions using the Respondus Question Format Guide and import the questions into Respondus.
Retrieving Quizzes/Question Banks from Canvas
Respondus allows the retrieval of quizzes and question banks from a Canvas course. Once the quiz/bank is in Respondus, the questions may be used in other Respondus assessments, the quiz/pool may be saved as a file (MS Word, rich-text, etc.) or printed to paper, and the quiz/bank may be uploaded to a different course or learning management system.
Refer to Exporting Canvas Quizzes for instructions on exporting Canvas quizzes or question banks.
Additional Resources
Refer to the Respondus 4.0 Resources page to access user guides and video tutorials.
Submitting Quiz Creation Requests to CIRT
CIRT is available to assist with question formatting, uploading, and Canvas quiz or question bank creation. Please note that CIRT requires up to three business days to complete these requests.
In order to submit a request to CIRT for assistance with formatting and uploading a quiz or question bank to Canvas, please email CIRT and include the following information:
- Course name and CRN
- Is this a single quiz or a question bank?
- If this is a single quiz, include the settings specifications:
- Title
- Points per question
- Available From and Available Until dates
- Time limit
- Randomization of answer choices? (yes/no)
- Students see answers after submission? (yes/no)
- Names of SAS students who receive extra time accommodation (if applicable)
- Attach your quiz document with the correct answers indicated.
A Note About Formatting
The quiz document file must be organized in a “Standard Format” before it can be imported into Respondus. Formatting guidelines can be found in the Respondus 4.0 User Guide (Appendix > The Standard Format for Importing). CIRT can assist with properly formatting a quiz document, but this may significantly add to processing time.
