Here are two alternate solutions to the built-in Question Bank manager in Quercus. With these we are able to import questions from external files and convert them into QTI zip files, which can be seamlessly imported into Quercus.
Respondus (Uses Word Documents or .txt files) #
Respondus is a paid program that allows users to convert Word documents or .txt files (and more) into Quiz Questions.
However there is a free trial for 30 days (no credit card information needed to access the trial).
When using the program, you do have to make sure to select “IMS QTI” as the “Respondus Personality Type” and not Canvas (see below).
It is recommend you also get the 30-day-free-trial for Respondus and see if it fits your needs before purchasing
QTI Converter (Uses .csv files) #
This QTI Converter by Kansas State University is a free and simpler option which converts .csv files into QTI files.
Below are the formatting instructions for the file:
The file needs to be formatted as such:
- Column A is the type of question: MC (multiple choice) and MR (multiple response)
- Column B is not used but must be there.
- Column C is the point value of the question. It can be between 0-100 and up to two decimal places (3.33)
- Column D is question body. Q1 or similar if you don’t want to include the real question and have students see the questions online.
- Column E is the correct answer. The number 1-5 each correspond to the one of the possible answers listed in column F-J. In the example file, we use 1 to indicate a, 2 to indicate b, 3 to indicate c, 4 to indicate d, and 5 to indicate. For True/False questions, use 1 for True and 0 for False.
- Columns F-J are the possible answer choices. You can have 2 or more.