How to Create Quizzes and Exams on D2L
This page shows how to create quizzes and exams on D2L. It covers basic exam settings and question types.
For information about "special access" for students with accommodations, exam review sessions, or the Respondus LockDown Browser, please return to the New Semester Tools, and select the article for these topics.
D2L provides a platform for online quizzes and exams. (D2L uses only the term “Quizzes” for both quizzes and exams; they are the same on D2L.)
The D2L Quiz tool includes many types of questions, such as multiple choice, true-false, matching, written response (paragraph response), and others. Many of these question types are graded automatically by D2L, and the score can automatically be published into the D2L Gradebook.
Online exams and quizzes through D2L can also provide valuable data about student performance that can be used as part of a program review or assessment process.
The exam setup process has three required sections:
Properties - An area to create and organize questions.
Restrictions - An area to set the availability date, exam time, and special access.
Assessment - An area to set grading options, connect the exam to the gradebook, and assign the number of attempts.
Assessment -> Quizzes
In the "Manage Quizzes" area, click "New Quiz.”
Properties Tab
The “Properties” tab allows you to add existing questions from a database or create new questions. It’s also the area where you can add the quiz or exam name and instructions for students.
Add a Name for the Quiz or Exam, such as “Exam 1” or “Chapter 1 Quiz” or “Final Exam.”
If the course uses Exam Categories, select the Category for this quiz or exam in the “Category” drop-down box. Exam Categories are not necessary, but they may be useful if the course has different types of assessments (such as self-assessments, reading or chapter quizzes, unit exams, and a final exam), or if you want to group quizzes and exams from the same unit into the same category.
Click the gray “Add / Edit Questions” box to add or edit questions.
On the next screen (shown below):
Click the blue “Add” button to add a new question, or click “Import” to upload an exam file from a publisher or to select questions from an existing database on D2L.
Click “New Question,” and select the type of question you would like to add.
True-False Questions
True or False questions ask students to indicate whether a statement is True or False. It can be useful for assessing content knowledge through statements of fact or definitions.
To create a True or False question:
Select “True or False” from the list of question types.
Add a “Short Description” to help you identify the question, such as “Exam1-Question1.”
Type a statement in the “Question Text” box.
Add a checkmark in the circle next to “True” or “False” to indicate the correct answer.
Assign the number of points for this question in the box at the bottom.
A preview of the question is available on the right.
Click the “Options” drop-down arrow (on the top right) to view additional options for this question, such as feedback for each answer choice.
Click the blue “Save” button at the bottom when finished.
Multiple Choice Questions
Multiple Choice questions ask students to select the correct answer among a list of several options in response to a question. Multiple Choice questions are the most common type of question in an online exam.
To create a Multiple Choice question:
Select “Multiple Choice” from the list of question types.
Add a “Short Description” to help you identify the question, such as “Exam1-Question1.”
Type a question in the “Question Text” box.
Add an answer choice to each of the answer boxes. (Click “Add Answer” at the bottom to add additional answer choices.)
Add a checkmark in the circle next to one of the answer choices to indicate the correct answer. Note that Multiple Choice questions allow only one correct answer. For questions with multiple correct answers, use the “Multi-Select” question type.
Add a checkmark next to “Randomize answer order” to have answer choices appear in a different order for each student. Note that randomized answer choices may shift answer choices such as “All of the above” or “A and B.” Instead, use statements such as “All answer options are correct.”
Assign the number of points for this question in the box at the bottom.
A preview of the question is available on the right.
Click the “Options” drop-down arrow (on the top right) to view additional options for this question, such as feedback for each answer choice.
Click the blue “Save” button at the bottom when finished.
Multi-Select Questions
Multi-Select questions are used for Multiple Choice questions with more than one correct answer.
To create a Multi-Select question:
Select “Multi-Select” from the list of question types.
Add an optional “Title” to help you identify the question, such as “Exam1-Question1.”
Assign the number of points for the question. (Multi-Select questions are often worth more points than Multiple Choice questions.)
Type a question in the “Question Text” box.
In the “Options” area:
Select how the answer choices should appear from the “Enumeration” drop-down box. Options include capital letters, lowercase letters, Roman numerals, or numbers. Leave the selection at “no enumeration” if answer choices will not have any enumeration.
Select whether answer choices should appear vertically or horizontally.
Select a grading option: all or nothing, right minus wrong, correct answers. This selection determines how the question will be graded if a student answers a portion of the question incorrectly.
Add a check to “Randomize options” to have answer choices appear in a different order for each student.
In the answer choices area:
Add an answer choice to each of the answer boxes under the “Value” column.
Add a checkmark in the box under the “Correct” column to indicate the correct answer. (You may select more than one correct answer.)
Add optional feedback in response to each answer choice in the boxes in the “Feedback” column.
Click “+ Add Option” at the top of the answer choices area to add additional answer choices.
Preview the question by clicking the “Preview” button at the bottom.
Click the blue “Save” button at the bottom when finished.
Written Response Questions
Written Response questions are used for open-ended questions that ask students to write a unique sentence, paragraph, or short essay. Written response paragraphs are not graded automatically by D2L; instructors will need to go into the student’s exam and manually assign points for this question type.
To create a Written Response question:
Select “Written Response” from the list of question types.
Add an optional “Title” to help you identify the question, such as “Exam1-Question1.”
Type an open-ended question or writing prompt in the “Question Text” box.
Add a checkmark in the box next to “Enable HTML Editor” to give students more text editing options, such as bold, italicize, underline, and different font styles and sizes.
Add a checkmark in the box next to “Enable inserted images and attachments” to allow students to upload images and document attachments as part of their answer.
Adjust the number of points possible for this question. (Written Response questions usually have a higher point value because of the length, difficulty, and complexity of the answer that is required.)
A preview of the question is available on the right.
Click on the “Options” drop-down arrow (on the top right) to view additional options for this question.
Click the blue “Save” button at the bottom when finished.
Matching Questions
Matching questions ask students to match or associate one set of terms or statements or with another set. They are most commonly used to match vocabulary terms or concepts with definitions.
To create a Matching question:
Select “Matching” from the list of question types.
Add an optional “Title” to help you identify the question, such as “Exam1-Question1.”
Assign the number of points for the question. (Matching questions are often worth a higher point value because of the number of terms and definitions a student is expected to answer correctly.)
Type instructions, such as “Match the following Terms with their Definitions,” in the “Question Text” box.
In the “Choices” area, select a grading option: equally weighted, all or nothing, or right minus wrong. This selection determines how the question will be graded if a student answers a portion of the question incorrectly.
In the answer choices area, add one set of terms for the matching question in boxes under the “Value” column. Click “+ Add Choice” to add additional terms.
In the “Matches” area,
Add the second set of terms or statements for the matching question in boxes under the “Value” column.
Identify the correct choice between the two sections by selecting the corresponding number in the “Correct Choice” column.
Click “+ Add Match” to add additional boxes for terms or statements.
Preview the question by clicking the “Preview” button at the bottom. Click the blue “Save” button at the bottom when finished.
When you are finished writing all exam questions, click to go “Back to Settings.” You can also preview the full exam by clicking on “Preview” at the top right.
After the questions have been added, a few new exam options appear in the “Quiz Questions” area on the “Properties” tab of the exam.
New exam options include the following:
“Questions per page” - identify how many questions should appear on a single page. If the option is left blank, students will see all questions on the exam in a single webpage.
“Prevent moving backwards” - prevents students from moving backwards through exam pages (when there is one more than one page). Adding a checkmark to this box prevents students from going back to a previous question to change their answer.
“Shuffle questions at the quiz level” allows quiz questions to appear in a different sequence for each student.
Click the “Edit Values” box to adjust the number of points for the question, the question difficulty, and whether the question is a Bonus or Extra Credit question. (The box for “Bonus” must be checked on extra credit questions; otherwise, the question will count worth regular credit.)
Further below, the “Description and Introduction” provides exam instructions to students.
These sections may describe which content areas or textbook chapters are covered in this exam, instructions on whether students can use the textbook or a calculator, information about the exam itself (such as the type and number of questions), and information about the exam feedback session.
To make the Description and/or Introduction sections available to students, select the “on” option, and type the information in the text box.
When all settings on the “Properties” tab are complete, click “Save” at the bottom of the page, and proceed to the Restrictions tab.
Restrictions Tab
The “Restrictions” tab contains settings for the exam due date, availability dates, and special access for students with accommodations.
Remove the checkmark next to “Hide from Users” to make the exam visible for students.
Add checkmarks to the Due Date and to the Availability Start and End Date, and adjust the date and time as necessary. Students are able to take the exam only during the specified time between the Availability Start and End Date.
In the “Timing” section:
Indicate whether the Time Limit is “Recommended” or “Enforced.”
The “Enforced Time Limit” restricts exam access to a specified amount of time.
Indicate the exam “Time Limit” (the amount of time students will have to complete the exam) and the “Grace Period” (the amount of time students have once their time runs out).
Select one of the options for what should happen when the Grace Period runs out.
When all settings on the “Restrictions” tab are complete, click “Save” at the bottom of the page, and proceed to the "Assessment" tab.
Assessment Tab
The “Assessment” tab includes several settings for how the exam should be graded.
At the top of the page in the “Assessment” area:
Add a checkmark to “Allow attempt to be set as graded immediately upon completion” for D2L to automatically grade the exam. (If this option is not selected, the instructor will need to go into each student’s exam and grade it manually.)
From the “Grade Item” drop-down menu, connect the exam with a corresponding grade item from the Gradebook, or click “New Grade Item” to create a column in the Gradebook for this exam.
Add a checkmark to “Allow automatic exports to grades” to have D2L automatically export scores from this quiz or exam to the Gradebook. (If this option is not selected, the instructor will need to publish grades to the Gradebook manually.)
In the “Attempts” area below, identify how many times a student can take the quiz or exam. If the exam allows more than one attempt...
subsequent attempts can show only incorrect questions
indicate whether a student needs to achieve a score within a specific range in order to qualify for another attempt
identify how the overall grade will be determined – options include selecting the highest score, lowest score, average score, first attempt, or last attempt.
When all settings in the “Assessment” tab are complete, click “Save” at the bottom of the page.
Click “Save and Close” at the bottom when all exam settings are complete.
