Create and manage quizzes

The Quiz tool in Brightspace is a versatile assessment feature designed to engage students with interactive quizzes. It offers various question types, customisable settings, question pools, the ability to shuffle the order of questions, and the option of automated grading.

The Quiz tool is beneficial for both students and staff with features like automated grading and immediate feedback, as well as the ability to track student progress. These give the option for formative self-assessments, as well as graded summative assessments for students.

This article guides you through the steps required to create a quiz and introduces you to the configuration options that are available.

At Charles Sturt we use master and subject sites to prepare our subjects. Master sites allow you to set up a quiz, which is then copied to your subject site. We recommend setting up quizzes first in master sites.  It can save time to do this, as your quiz is then copied automatically to the subject site each time the subject is taught.

Creating and managing quizzes can be a complex task! If you want to discuss your needs and get support from an Educational Designer, please Log a Service Request.

Create and manage quizzes

Before you start there are a few general guidelines for creating effective quizzes:

  • You will need to create duplicate versions of each quiz for each student cohort.
  • Remember that the name for the assessment item (quiz) should be consistent with the name in the subject outline.

You can access the Quizzes tool in two ways from the subject navigation bar:

  1. Click the Assessment expanding menu, then click Quizzes & Exams, or

    Screenshot showing the Assessment menu item on subject navigation bar with Quizzes & Exams selected
  2. Click Subject Admin, scroll to Assessments, then click Quizzes.
    Screenshot showing the Quizzes under the Assessment section

The Quizzes tool main screen will open.  When you first access the Quizzes tool, the Manage Quizzes tab will be displayed.

Screenshot showing the Manage Quizzes dashboard]

The Quizzes tool main screen allows you to:

  • Change the visibility status of a quiz (hidden or visible).
  • Edit or preview a quiz.
  • View statistics for a quiz.
  • Add quiz categories, and allocate quizzes to quiz categories.

Clicking Edit Categories allows you to create quiz categories, to help you organise your quizzes into related groups. If you cannot see your categories in the table, change the View: By Availability filter to By Category.

To create a new quiz from the Quizzes tool main screen:

  1. Click the New Quiz button to open the quiz creator screen.

    Screenshot showing the Quiz Creator dialogue
  2. Enter a name for the quiz, remembering to include:
    • assessment number (as per the Subject Outline, e.g. A1, A2, etc)
    • title
    • intended cohort (e.g. A1: Quiz (Bathurst Distance).
  3. There is no need to configure the points or Not in Grade Book fields under the Grade Out Of section. The Grade Out Of field automatically updates based on the values assigned to each of the questions, based on the total shown in Total Points in the Questions area of the screen. If the percentage weighting of the quiz is different to the total points value, Brightspace will automatically convert the quiz mark in My Grades so the correct weighting is applied.

    You can either set the Due Date, Start Date and End Date for the next teaching period when you create a quiz in a master site, or leave them blank and add them in the subject site prior to the commencement of teaching.

  4. Enter a Quiz Description, keeping the following in mind:
    • Keep the description as concise as possible.
    • Remember to refer students to the subject outline for full details of the assessment task.
    • Avoid any overly contextualised information, such as date or time, as the quiz might continue to be used in subsequent teaching sessions.

While you can adjust availability dates and conditions settings in this section, you might need to manage and adjust these within subject sites too. It is easy to adjust dates in bulk using Manage Dates in Subject Admin.

You can click Save at any time and then continue working on the quiz. There is no autosave feature in the quiz creator, so we recommend that you save regularly.

You can customise several timing and display settings for quizzes. These include:

  • Setting a quiz time limit.
  • The question paging (number of questions to display per page)
  • Whether the quiz questions are shuffled or appear in a pre-determined order.
  • Whether hints are allowed.
  • Whether students can access the Brightspace email tool and receive alerts during a quiz.

Click the drop-down to the right of Timing & Display to access the options.

Screenshot of Timing and Display box expanded menu showing the Set time limit, Paging, Shuffle Quiz, and Display settings

To set a time limit for students to complete the quiz, select the Set time limit option and then adjust the following:

  • Time Limit: Input the maximum quiz duration.
  • Timer Settings: Adjust these settings if necessary.

By default, the quiz timer is set to Asynchronous, which means the quiz timer begins when the student launches the quiz and the quiz is submitted automatically at the end of the allocated time. You can also set the quiz to Synchronous, which means the timer begins at the start date and time set for the quiz, and the quiz is submitted automatically at the end of the allocated time, irrespective of when the student attempt began.

You can also set how many questions to display to a student on each page. Consider your context and adjust the number of questions accordingly.

If a low number of questions is displayed per page, the student will need to change pages more often. This can be an issue in a low bandwidth setting. Conversely, if too many questions appear on a page, it may take a long time for students to read and absorb the content, and students sitting near one another will have more opportunity to collude. A sensible balance is generally 3 – 5 questions per page.

To set the paging options, click the drop-down below the Paging option and select how many questions you want to display per page.

Screenshot showing the Paging drop-down and the various paging options

There are three types of randomisation possible:

  • Shuffling the order in which question alternatives appear randomly for each user. This is achieved by selecting Randomise Answer Order when creating or editing a quiz question.
  • Shuffling questions or the order of quiz sections randomly for each user.
  • Drawing questions randomly from a question pool linked to the quiz.

To shuffle question order, check or uncheck question/section shuffling, as desired.

For information about how to draw questions randomly from a question pool, see Create a new question pool below

Quizzes with randomised questions can help to address academic integrity issues, such as collusion and copying, but this feature should be used thoughtfully, as it can also result in equity issues in test or exam-like conditions.

If you have concerns about shuffling questions, you can Log a Service Request to seek advice from an Educational Designer.

You can change the quiz settings to determine how many attempts students can submit, and how their marks are calculated.

Brightspace allows you to set the number of attempts allowed for the quiz, and which attempts should be considered when determining the mark.

To set the attempts settings:

  1. Click the drop-down next to Attempts & Completion.
  2. Click Manage Attempts.Screen shot of Attempts & Completion screen
  3. To set the number of quiz attempts allowed (unlimited or between 1–10 inclusive) and the overall mark calculation method (highest, lowest, average, first, or last) select the required settings from the Attempts Allowed and Overall Grade Calculation drop-down boxes. If you have selected a number greater than 1 for Attempts Allowed, you will be able to allow students to retake incorrect questions only, and set any mark conditions required for students to qualify for another attempt (e.g. minimum mark of 50%).Screenshot showing the Attempts dialogue box and the Attempts Allowed, and Overall Grade Calculation drop-down boxes
  4. Click the OK button to accept the changes.

Further options

  • Assign a category for the quiz if you are using quiz categories.
  • Leave the Notification Email field empty to avoid a high volume of emails.

The Quiz Evaluation and Feedback settings allow you to determine when any marks and feedback associated with the quiz will be available to students.

To customise the Evaluation & Feedback options:

  1. Click the drop-down next to Evaluation & Feedback.Screenshot showing Evaluation & Feedback options, such as Auto-publish, the quiz format, and Customize Quiz Results DisplaysAuto-publish attempt results immediately upon completion will mean that marks and feedback are immediately visible to students. Where a quiz carries assessment weighting, the marks will be transferred to My Grades. This option should only be used with authorisation from the subject convenor or subject co-ordinator in a case where the attempt does not require manual marking or moderation.
  2. Select the format of the returned quiz results (e.g. Attempt Grade and All questions, with correct answers).
    Screenshot showing the Evaluation and Feedback dialogue box with the Attempt Grade options displayed
    The options include:
    • No questions - no questions will be displayed in the evaluation feedback to the student after completing the quiz
    • Incorrect questions only, with correct answers – only questions that were answered incorrectly by the student will be displayed in the evaluation feedback, along with the questions’ correct answers
    • Incorrect questions only, without correct answers – only questions answered incorrectly will be shown in the evaluation feedback, but without revealing the correct answers
    • All questions, with correct answers – all questions will be displayed whether answered correctly or incorrectly in the evaluation feedback, along with their correct answers
    • All questions, without correct answers – all questions will be displayed in the evaluation feedback, but without revealing their correct answers
  3. Leave the Manage Learning Objectives option alone as Charles Sturt is currently not utilising the Learning Objectives tool within Brightspace.

Add a rubric to written response questions (released soon)

When you create or edit written response questions, click "Add Rubric" to attach a new or existing rubric. Within the quiz, you can use the rubric to grade written response quiz questions. The rubric will appear below the answer or you can click Pop out to open the response in a new window.

For more information on creating rubrics see, Create rubrics.

You can further customise the student view of the quiz results if desired via Customize Quiz Results Displays. This can be done in a staged manner, such as the ability to display quiz marks immediately upon submission and question feedback later.

Question pools allow you to attach the same set of questions to multiple quizzes. Multiple question pools can be used at once, allowing a quiz to draw from multiple sets of questions with different difficulty levels.

A set number of questions can be drawn randomly from a pool, allowing for randomisation of the questions a student answers in an attempt.

Using question pools in combination with the question library in the Brightspace site also helps you to efficiently update questions across quizzes.

Brightspace question pools can only be created from within the Quiz Creator dialogue.

To set up question pools:

  1. From the Quiz Creator dialogue, click Create New.
  2. Click Question Pool.
    Screenshot showing Create Quiz dialogue with the Create New drop-down options displayed with Question Pool highlighted

    During the creation and editing of a quiz, you can click Preview to view the quiz.

  3. Enter a name for the new pool. Be specific, including the following information: assessment number (as per the Subject Ouline), and session (e.g., A1 Quiz Pool S1 2024).
  4. Enter the Number of Questions to Select, which is the number of questions students will see in the quiz.

    If you can enter a number that matches the number of questions in the pool, there will be no randomisation. However, if you a number which is lower than the number in the pool, the questions in the pool will be randomised.

  5. Enter the Points per Question.
  6. Select Browse Question Library to begin adding questions to the question pool.Screenshot showing the Browse Question Library Dialogue with section and its questions listed below

You are now ready to populate the question pool with questions. Click the heading below to learn how.

To populate your question pool with questions:

  1. Browse the question library to locate the questions you want in the pool. The questions will typically be located within a section folder.
  2. Open the section folder that includes the required questions.

    You can individually preview the questions by clicking the page/magnifying glass icon on the right.

  3. Check the box next to each question to select specific questions, check the box next to the section title to select all the questions in a section, or check the box at the top to select all questions.Screenshot showing the available questions within a section in the Question Library]
  4. Click Import. You will now see the populated quiz pool details.

    Screenshot showing a populated question pool

  5. Click Save to finish.You can include additional questions by clicking Browse Question Library again.

You will now be returned to the new quiz creation screen, with the question pool now visible in the Quiz Questions area.

Read Create a new question pool above for tips on setting the number of questions within a pool.

When you have finished adding the questions and configuring them, click Save and Close to return to the Manage Quizzes main screen.

Screenshot showing the question pool that has been included in the quiz shell and the Save and Close button at the bottom

You can edit the quiz from this point whenever required, utilising the Preview feature to experience the quiz as a student.

Screenshot showing Edit, Preview and several other options related to existing question pools

Once you have completed the above steps, the quiz setup is complete, and you can finalise quiz in subject sites. These subject sites are snapshots of the master site, and the master site remains unaffected. It functions similar to a template. This means that you can create duplicate versions of the quiz for different purposes, requiring only minor adjustments to prepare the quiz for students.

To finalise your quiz, you will need the following information:

  • The due date for your quiz.
  • The period of time you wish the quiz to be available to students (e.g. 1 week, 11.59pm to 11.59pm).

When you open your Manage Quizzes screen, you will note several icons alongside your Quiz title, as well as the release information underneath. These icons provide useful information about the setup of the task at a glance.

Finalise quizzes

To link a quiz to a corresponding grade item:

  1. Locate your quiz in the Manage Quizzes main screen.
  2. Click the quiz title, or select Edit.
  3. Click on Not in Grade Book.
  4. Click Edit or Link to Existing to open the dialogue.Screenshot showing the Not in Grade Book drop-down options with Edit or Link to Existing highlighted
  5. Locate and click the assessment (quiz) in the drop-down list (i.e., correct cohort, correct assessment number & title).Screenshot showing one of the available assessments highlighted
  6. Click the OK button.

You will now see the Quiz creator (settings page), with In Grade Book now visible next to the points value for the quiz. If the percentage weighting of the quiz is different to the total points value, Brightspace will automatically convert a mark assigned to a quiz attempt when the mark is published to My Grades.

Within the Due Date field, enter the date and time required as per the subject outline.

Screenshot showing the due date fields

Adding dates and times to the due date field communicates the due date to students. The availability dates (see below) determine when the quiz is available for students to attempt.

Students will still be able to attempt a quiz after the due date while it is still available to them. If this happens, Brightspace will flag the attempt as late.

Setting availability dates and times allows you determine the period during which students will be able to see and submit a quiz.

  1. Click the drop-down next to Availability Dates & Conditions.Screenshot showing the Start and End date fields under Availability Dates & Conditions
  2. Enter the quiz Start Date and End Date fields.

    A common scenario is to set the start date one week prior to the due date, which means students would have a week to access the quiz.

  3. Check Add availability dates to Calendar to publish the availability dates to the subject calendar.

For students to be able to take the quiz, ensure you select Make Visible to Users under the drop-down next to the quiz you are working with in the Manage Quizzes main screen.

Screenshot of the options available in the drop-down next to the quiz title showing Make Visible to Users

Cohorts are known as sections within Brightspace.

To assign a cohort to the quiz:

  1. From the Availability Dates & Conditions box, click Add Release Condition.
    Screenshot showing the Availability Dates & Conditions box with the Create New option highlighted
  2. Click Create New.
  3. From the Create a Release Condition dialogue, click the drop-down under Condition Type.

    Screenshot showing the Condition Type drop-down options
  4. Select Section enrolment under Classlist.
  5. Under Condition Details click the drop-down under Section and select the cohort you would like to assign.
  6. Click the Create button. The quiz will now be visible only to the identified cohort of students.
  7. Click Save and Close to return the Manage Quizzes screen.

Your quiz setup is now complete.

Image showing the following labels: Quiz title (incl. task number and cohort), Hidden (until start date), Restrictions (sectioned), Quiz Due Date, Quiz Start and End dates

This page may be updated at any time. If you print it, you could miss future changes. Please check this page regularly for the latest updates.

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