Publisher Resources Requests: Test Banks
The files provided by the publisher determine how we get them into D2L Brightspace.
Word Documents
Requires editing and formatting of the files to upload with Respondus. Refer to . Questions may include errors from the publisher and the reformatting process. Images will complicate the Respondus upload process. We can adjust folder names during upload. Typically, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, or similar unless requested. Test Bank generator
Can export D2L Compatible Zip files IT may be able to adjust folder names depending on the generator. Questions may include errors from the publisher or the generation process, especially if the original questions contain images. D2L-compatible zip files
Can upload to the course shell Question Library. Questions may include errors from the publisher. Questions might include images. The upload process creates the folder names. We use Respondus to pull questions from D2L to generate Word files. Publisher may include Word versions for developer review. Requests may take some time to process so please put in your requests early. In the request, please include as much information as possible. TDX notifications only include the title and description, so please include details in the title and description to help you identify your requests.
Please fill out as much of the service request form as possible. ITs will ask questions if anything needs to be clarified or if they need additional information.
Course information. A direct link to the course is greatly appreciated! X: drive location for the Word files. What to pull, for example, Test banks, PowerPoints, Instructor guides, etc. Anything you need us to know and do to complete the ticket. If you created questions to upload via Respondus, put any questions with images in a separate file. Example Request 1
Subject: Test Bank and PowerPoints for Math 150 Publisher Resource request: Title, Author, Publisher, edition, and ISBN. Description: I need the publisher resources for this edition to be uploaded to the D2L shells for Math 150 CCG Update and Math 150 Online Redev. I also need the test bank as Word documents and the chapter PowerPoint files. Example Request 2
Subject: New Test Bank Upload for PSYC 101 Mini Redev 22FALL1 Description: This is PSYC 101 Mini Redev. The course is scheduled to debut in 22Fall1. We found the existing test bank files are outdated. Please upload the 2nd edition of the test bank files to the question bank. The course link: https://ccis.ucourses.com/d2l/home/965225 See the test bank attached below. Let me know if you have any questions. Attached were Word files from the publisher and attached to the ticket. IT practices
We will review your request when assigned the Course Help request. We will contact the publisher for instructor resources and provide available resources. We will upload the questions to the Brightspace Question Library. If requested, we can help create Word documents for your developer to review. If requested, we will create a “textbook title - edition” folder in that Course project folder on the X drive. Then, we will save the publisher files into file-type folders, such as test bank (TB) or PowerPoint (pp/PwP). Naming conventions will depend on the source. Some publisher files create the names automatically. If using Respondus or a test bank generator to generate files, we use Chapter 1, Ch 2, etc. Unless requested, we will not delete existing Brightspace test banks. However, we move old questions into an Archive or Old Tesbanks folder in the Question Library. We will surface-review the uploaded questions to ensure everything is imported correctly. However, we will not be able to check if the answers are correct. Test Creation Best Practices
Retrieves test bank from publisher Submit request through CourseHelp. IT will retrieve test bank files, if available. Specify in request how test bank file should be delivered. Normally you will need: Upload Word document to X drive Course Redevelopments Folder. Upload test banks into the D2L Question Library. Review the uploaded questions in the Question Library. Sometimes the import process may not include answers or have other issues. For CCG, if SME does not want instructors to use the test bank, please make note of this in your CCG instructor notes. Also, make note if there is no test bank available. CourseHelp fields requests for publisher resources for the CTEP and CCG after they are developed and there is nothing in the Question library. CCG SME does not have to review the test bank. Communicate with Developer Send Word document of Test Bank files. Developers do not have access to the Question Library. Keep track of the edits, so you can easily make updates. Establish expectations for test creation of question pools, formatting, # of questions, etc. Selecting Items: Make it clear that the developer is to identify within the test bank files which questions should be included. They may choose to delete questions they do not want or strike through them or select items that are appropriate by highlighting. Use highlighted color coding to indicate where questions go (Quiz 1, Exam 1, etc.) Number of items: Recommended # of Questions for Question Pool: 1.5-2 times the number of questions pulled. Editing questions: Developer should turn on track changes, review all selected questions for errors, and make corrections/edits. Type of Items: Developer should select questions that assess all learning objectives, selecting more for the most important concepts. Avoid trivial questions. Consider the level of the course. Introductory (100-level courses) will have more knowledge recall questions, while upper-level (300-400) level courses will likely have questions that aim for evaluation of ideas and/or application to specific cases. Set up Test Question Pools within the Exam; either in the Question Library or exam itself. To provide a more equal distribution of questions per chapter, create question pools for each chapter or learning objective represented in a test. Ideally, have questions sorted in Question Library that matches the exam setup (folders, Chapters, Quiz 1, Exam 1, etc.); this makes it easier to import when creating the Quiz or Exam question pools. Keep in mind that question edits will only be automatically updated in all locations if they are pulled from the same place in the Question Library. Duplicate questions in different Question Library folders/sections may cause one to be missed if an edit or correction is needed once the course is live. It is good practice to make question edits directly in the Question Library. If you have imported the questions into a quiz, apply changes wherever they are found. You can edit from the quiz or exam, but make sure to apply any changes to all other instances. Questions with images should be reviewed for accessibility. Page Breaks: Set page breaks so that questions aren’t all on one page. Ten per page is a suitable number for M/C or T/F questions. Use fewer per page for essays. Description and Instructions: For exams that have Essay questions, create a separate section with instructions and expectations such as length requirement for responses. This way students are reminded of this while taking their exam. It’s recommended to establish essay response expectations in the course map planning stage. D2L does not yet show word count for this, so specifying length requirement as number of sentences would be ideal. If you create sections in the quiz, make sure that associated questions are moved into those sections. Submission Views: Set up correct Submission Views based on Department Expectations and/or Developer preference. The default set up is to show incorrect responses but not the answers. Make sure Description is On To control student access, set a Start date. Setting an End Date will prevent students from accessing the quiz after the set date. The Due Date is a soft due date, which allows students to submit and tracks late submissions. Time Limit Enforced set with Exceeded Time Limit Behavior set to “Prevent Student from making further changes” If proctored, add proctoring password. If proctored, exam name must include “Proctored” If no publisher test bank exists, advice for developers for creating test banks Share the Respondus documentation with your developer. They will use Word and using the correct formatting will help with uploading the banks. Use plausible distractors—avoiding obviously incorrect or outrageous options that make the question easy. Make sure alternatives are similar in both length and language to avoid inadvertent clues about the correct answer. (Confirming once uploaded the format is also consistent.) Avoid questions that are intentionally or unintentionally misleading. Keep questions clear and concise and avoid too much detail. Avoid advanced vocabulary unless the question is specifically testing vocabulary knowledge. Provide an adequate number of choices—too few or too many can be confusing. Four is a good target. Avoid interlocking questions where one provides the answer or hints for another (especially in pools where not all students will get every question). Do not randomize response options when one of the options is None of the above or All of the above. It is imperative that our test banks are accessible and do not place extraneous cognitive load on our students. When reading questions with a screen reader, the extraneous cognitive load can be a bit too much to manage. To ensure this, please review your word test banks before requesting they be uploaded (unless you intend to review them within the question library before setting up exams). To be accessible, all multiple-select questions must say “Select all that apply” at the start. This cues the person using a screen reader that they are able to check more than one box as they cannot see the checkboxes. Below is an example like this on the left (multiple choice) and a revised version on the right. 4. What to do with existing old test banks in the D2L shell
Textbook Updates: Leave it up to the discretion of IDs, as updates vary in scope, and it would be nice to be able to compare. Plus, deleting from the question library does not delete from the built quizzes/exams. Ids should be checking Manage Files as well. Math test banks often include image files, and some courses take over 20 minutes to copy one section. If, for some reason, old test banks are needed, they exist in old versions of the course, so they are not gone forever.
Publisher Resource Requests & Test Creation Best Practice
