What are the Question bank formats we support for a quick import?
Question bank format for quick import
In OpenLearning's question bank, you can import questions using .csv templates or .mbz (Moodle Archive) files.
- CSV (Comma-Separated Values) files: These are simple text files that can contain lists of questions and their respective answers. By uploading a CSV file, you can easily import multiple-choice, true/false, or other types of questions into the OpenLearning question bank. This saves time and effort compared to manually entering each question individually.
- MBZ (Moodle Backup) files: Users can export their Moodle course in the MBZ format, which should include the question bank component, and upload the file to OpenLearning to import questions.
CSV (Comma-Separated Values) files
Quiz questions can be imported using a CSV file. The first row of the CSV file provides the column names, which allows the columns to be specified in any order.
Note that both column names and interaction type values are case insensitive and have alternate, equivalent values to maximise compatibility with existing formats.
The first row of the CSV will contain the following columns names for all interaction types:
Column name |
Description |
Expected value |
Equivalent column names |
Name |
A unique name that identifies the question. (required) |
Text |
|
Type |
The type of quiz interaction to use. (required) |
See table below |
|
Question |
The question text. (required column, but it can be empty) |
Text |
|
Correct feedback |
Feedback given when the question is answered correctly. (Optional) |
Text |
|
Incorrect feedback |
Feedback given when the question is answered incorrectly. (Optional) |
Text |
Note that all column names:
- are not case-sensitive,
- treat spaces (‘ ‘), hyphens (‘-’), and underscores (‘_’) as if they are the same character.
The “Type” column supports the following values:
“Type” value |
Description |
Equivalent values |
Multiple choice |
A multiple choice question with one or more correct answers. |
|
Matching |
There are two collections of items. Each item from the first collection is matched with one from the second. |
|
Short answer |
A text answer is entered that can be automatically compared with text matching criteria. |
|
Numeric answer |
A numeric answer is entered that can be automatically compared with number matching criteria. |
|
Category choice |
Each item from a collection of items is placed into its required category. |
|
Cloze |
A text passage with missing sections of text that need to be filled in. |
|
Note that the above “Type” values:
- are not case-sensitive,
- treat spaces (‘ ‘), hyphens (‘-’), and underscores (‘_’) as if they are the same character.
Each of the above types requires different data and will require additional column names.
Multiple Choice
Column Names
The following additional column names are to be added for the “Multiple choice” type:
Column name |
Description |
Expected value |
Equivalent (or alternative) column names |
Shuffle |
Are answers shuffled for each user? |
True:
False:
|
|
A to Z |
A single letter column name for each choice that can be selected. An empty value, or missing column will be ignored - only the given columns that include values will become choices for this question. |
Text or Empty |
Note: AA to ZZ can be used if more than 26 choices |
Feedback A to Feedback Z |
Feedback for each respective choice, provided after that choice is chosen. Optional: An empty value, or missing column will be ignored. |
Text or Empty |
Note: Feedback AA to Feedback ZZ can be used if more than 26 choices |
Answer |
The correct answer as a choice column name (i.e. A to Z). This column is only present (or non-empty) if there is only one correct answer for this question (a single selection). |
A choice column name, i.e. A to Z |
|
Answer 1 to Answer n |
A column for each correct answer, if more than one correct answer. Provide as many columns as are needed, with consecutive numbering. These columns are only present (or non-empty) if multiple selections can be made. |
A choice column name, i.e. A to Z |
MCQ Example
The following is an example CSV for “Multiple choice” questions, which each have a single correct answer:
name,type,question,a,b,c,d,feedback_a,feedback_b,feedback_c,feedback_d,answer "Question1","Multiple choice","What is the capital of France?","Paris","Berlin","Madrid","Rome","Correct! Paris is the capital of France.","Incorrect. Berlin is the capital of Germany.","Incorrect. Madrid is the capital of Spain.","Incorrect. Rome is the capital of Italy.","a" "Question2","Multiple choice","What is the capital of Japan?","Beijing","Seoul","Tokyo","Bangkok","Incorrect. Beijing is the capital of China.","Incorrect. Seoul is the capital of South Korea.","Correct! Tokyo is the capital of Japan.","Incorrect. Bangkok is the capital of Thailand.","c" "Question3","Multiple choice","What is the capital of Australia?","Sydney","Melbourne","Brisbane","Canberra","Incorrect. Sydney is a major city but not the capital.","Incorrect. Melbourne is a major city but not the capital.","Incorrect. Brisbane is a major city but not the capital.","Correct! Canberra is the capital of Australia.","d" "Question4","Multiple choice","What is the capital of Canada?","Toronto","Vancouver","Montreal","Ottawa","Incorrect. Toronto is a major city but not the capital.","Incorrect. Vancouver is a major city but not the capital.","Incorrect. Montreal is a major city but not the capital.","Correct! Ottawa is the capital of Canada.","d" "Question5","Multiple choice","What is the capital of Brazil?","Buenos Aires","Lima","Santiago","Brasília","Incorrect. Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina.","Incorrect. Lima is the capital of Peru.","Incorrect. Santiago is the capital of Chile.","Correct! Brasília is the capital of Brazil.","d"
Example: MCQ with Single Correct Answer
The previous CSV as a table:
name |
type |
question |
a |
b |
c |
d |
feedback_a |
feedback_b |
feedback_c |
feedback_d |
answer |
Question1 |
Multiple choice |
What is the capital of France? |
Paris |
Berlin |
Madrid |
Rome |
Correct! Paris is the capital of France. |
Incorrect. Berlin is the capital of Germany. |
Incorrect. Madrid is the capital of Spain. |
Incorrect. Rome is the capital of Italy. |
a |
Question2 |
Multiple choice |
What is the capital of Japan? |
Beijing |
Seoul |
Tokyo |
Bangkok |
Incorrect. Beijing is the capital of China. |
Incorrect. Seoul is the capital of South Korea. |
Correct! Tokyo is the capital of Japan. |
Incorrect. Bangkok is the capital of Thailand. |
c |
Question3 |
Multiple choice |
What is the capital of Australia? |
Sydney |
Melbourne |
Brisbane |
Canberra |
Incorrect. Sydney is a major city but not the capital. |
Incorrect. Melbourne is a major city but not the capital. |
Incorrect. Brisbane is a major city but not the capital. |
Correct! Canberra is the capital of Australia. |
d |
Question4 |
Multiple choice |
What is the capital of Canada? |
Toronto |
Vancouver |
Montreal |
Ottawa |
Incorrect. Toronto is a major city but not the capital. |
Incorrect. Vancouver is a major city but not the capital. |
Incorrect. Montreal is a major city but not the capital. |
Correct! Ottawa is the capital of Canada. |
d |
Question5 |
Multiple choice |
What is the capital of Brazil? |
Buenos Aires |
Lima |
Santiago |
Brasília |
Incorrect. Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina. |
Incorrect. Lima is the capital of Peru. |
Incorrect. Santiago is the capital of Chile. |
Correct! Brasília is the capital of Brazil. |
d |
Note:
- The example column names are lowercase (column names are case insensitive).
- The example column names use underscores instead of spaces (these are treated as equivalent).
- An additional “shuffle” column can be added to specify whether the question needs to shuffle the answers for each learner.
- The “feedback_…” columns are optional, these can be omitted if there is no relevant feedback to give.
- The aforementioned columns “correct_feedback” and “incorrect_feedback” could also be added to specify overall correct/incorrect feedback.
Example: MCQ with Multiple Correct Answers
The following table shows how multiple correct answers can be specified:
name |
type |
question |
a |
b |
c |
d |
feedback_a |
feedback_b |
feedback_c |
feedback_d |
answer_1 |
answer_2 |
answer_3 |
Question6 |
Multiple choice |
Which cities serve as capitals of South Africa? |
Cape Town |
Pretoria |
Bloemfontein |
Johannesburg |
Correct! Cape Town is one of South Africa's capitals. |
Correct! Pretoria is one of South Africa's capitals. |
Correct! Bloemfontein is one of South Africa's capitals. |
Incorrect. Johannesburg is not a capital of South Africa. |
a |
b |
c |
Question7 |
Multiple choice |
What are the capitals of Bolivia? |
La Paz |
Sucre |
Santa Cruz |
Cochabamba |
Correct! La Paz is one of Bolivia's capitals. |
Correct! Sucre is one of Bolivia's capitals. |
Incorrect. Santa Cruz is not a capital of Bolivia. |
Incorrect. Cochabamba is not a capital of Bolivia. |
a |
b |
Here’s a combined table with questions from both of the above, including those with multiple correct answers:
name |
type |
question |
a |
b |
c |
d |
feedback_a |
feedback_b |
feedback_c |
feedback_d |
answer |
answer_1 |
answer_2 |
answer_3 |
Question1 |
Multiple choice |
What is the capital of France? |
Paris |
Berlin |
Madrid |
Rome |
Correct! Paris is the capital of France. |
Incorrect. Berlin is the capital of Germany. |
Incorrect. Madrid is the capital of Spain. |
Incorrect. Rome is the capital of Italy. |
a |
|||
Question2 |
Multiple choice |
What is the capital of Japan? |
Beijing |
Seoul |
Tokyo |
Bangkok |
Incorrect. Beijing is the capital of China. |
Incorrect. Seoul is the capital of South Korea. |
Correct! Tokyo is the capital of Japan. |
Incorrect. Bangkok is the capital of Thailand. |
c |
|||
… omitted for brevity |
||||||||||||||
Question6 |
Multiple choice |
Which cities serve as capitals of South Africa? |
Cape Town |
Pretoria |
Bloemfontein |
Johannesburg |
Correct! Cape Town is one of South Africa's capitals. |
Correct! Pretoria is one of South Africa's capitals. |
Correct! Bloemfontein is one of South Africa's capitals. |
Incorrect. Johannesburg is not a capital of South Africa. |
a |
b |
c |
|
Question7 |
Multiple choice |
What are the capitals of Bolivia? |
La Paz |
Sucre |
Santa Cruz |
Cochabamba |
Correct! La Paz is one of Bolivia's capitals. |
Correct! Sucre is one of Bolivia's capitals. |
Incorrect. Santa Cruz is not a capital of Bolivia. |
Incorrect. Cochabamba is not a capital of Bolivia. |
a |
b |
Pro tip: Note: Only single-selection questions can use the answer column. Multiple selection questions must use the answer_1 column, even if there’s only one correct answer.
Matching
Column Names
The following additional column names are to be added for the “Matching” type:
Column name |
Description |
Expected value |
Alternative column names |
A to Z |
A single letter column name for each item that can be matched to another. An empty value, or missing column will be ignored - only the given columns that include values will become items for this question. |
Text or Empty |
Note: AA to ZZ can be used if more than 26 items |
Answer 1 to Answer n |
A column for each correct match. Provide as many columns as are needed, with consecutive numbering. |
Two single letter item column names that match, concatenated. e.g. AD for item A matching with item D Alternatively, separate column names with an = symbol, e.g. A=D |
Note: Items are only valid if they are each matched to only one other item.
Example:
- Mammals - Kangaroo
- Birds - Parrot
- Reptiles - Alligator
- Amphibians - Frog
- Fish - Salmon
Question Type |
Title |
Question |
Correct Feedback |
Incorrect Feedback |
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
Answer 1 |
Answer 2 |
Answer 3 |
Answer 4 |
Shuffle |
Match |
Example Title 1 |
Match Question Text |
Correct! |
Wrong! |
Dog |
Cat |
Lion |
Cow |
Meow |
Roar |
Moo |
Woof |
A=H |
B=E |
C=F |
D=G |
yes |
Match |
Match Title 1 |
Match Question Text |
Correct! |
Wrong! |
Dog |
Cat |
Lion |
Cow |
Meow |
Roar |
Moo |
Woof |
AH |
BE |
CF |
DG |
yes |
Example:
Category Choice
Column Names
The following additional column names are to be added for the “Category choice” type:
Column name |
Description |
Expected value |
Alternative column names |
A to Z |
A single letter column name for each item that can be either a category, or an item in a category. An empty value, or missing column will be ignored - only the given columns that include values will become items for this question. |
Text or Empty |
Note: AA to ZZ can be used if more than 26 items |
Answer 1 to Answer n |
A column for each category, giving its matching items. Provide as many columns as there are categories, with consecutive numbering. |
The column name of the category, followed by the = symbol, followed by the column names of the items in that category. e.g. A=DFG Category A contains items D, F, and G This can also be given in the format: A=D:F:G |
Example:
Fruits:
- Apple
- Banana
- Grape
Vegetables:
- Carrot
- Lettuce
- Spinach
Animals:
- Dog
- Elephant
- Lion
Short Answer
Column Names
Column name |
Description |
Expected value |
Answer 1 to Answer n |
A column for each matching criterion used to evaluate the given text. Provide as many columns as are needed, with consecutive numbering. |
The text value to match against Advanced usage: Use the pipe ‘|’ character, to (optionally) specify how the text is matched. e.g.
An additional pipe can be given to specify the score to give for matching this answer. e.g. Text|i|3 Will issue a score of 3 for matching this criterion. |
What major architectural achievement is ancient Egypt most famous for, and during which period was it primarily constructed?
The Great Pyramids of Giza, constructed during the Old Kingdom period.
Numeric Answer
Column name |
Description |
Expected value |
Answer 1 to Answer n |
A column for each correct answer. Provide as many columns as are needed, with consecutive numbering. |
The number value to match against. Advanced usage: Use the pipe ‘|’ character to specify the score to give for matching this answer. E.g. 42|3 Will issue a score of 3 for matching the value 42 |
Cloze
The following additional column names are to be added for the “Cloze” type:
Column name |
Description |
Expected value |
Equivalent column names |
Cloze |
The text passage to use for the cloze test. The “blank”, or missing text that needs to be filled in is represented by one or more consecutive underscore characters. e.g. The quick brown ___ jumped over the lazy ___. |
Text |
|
Answer 1 to Answer n |
The expected answer for each “blank”. Columns are numbered to be in the order that corresponds with each respective blank, regardless of the column order in the CSV. Any answer columns greater than the number of blanks given in the Cloze column will be ignored. |
Text |
Example:
The ____________ of Giza, constructed during the ____________ Kingdom period, are among the most iconic architectural achievements of ancient Egypt. These pyramids were built as tombs for the pharaohs ____________, ____________, and ____________. The construction of these monumental structures took place approximately between ____________ and ____________ BCE.
- Great Pyramids
- Old
- Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure.
- 2580
- 2510
Question Type |
Title |
Question |
Correct Feedback |
Incorrect Feedback |
Answer 1 |
Answer 2 |
Answer 3 |
Answer 4 |
Answer 5 |
Answer 6 |
Shuffle |
Cloze |
Fill In the Blanks |
Pyramids in Egypt |
Fill in these blanks |
Correct! |
Wrong! |
Great Pyramids |
Old |
Khufu |
Khafre |
2510 |
2580 |
yes |
The ____________ of Giza, constructed during the ____________ Kingdom period, are among the most iconic architectural achievements of ancient Egypt. These pyramids were built as tombs for the pharaohs ____________, ____________, and ____________. The construction of these monumental structures took place approximately between ____________ and ____________ BCE. |
Quiz templates
You can download and customize the templates that are attached to this help article at the top.
Available templates;
- MCQ Single Answer
- MCQ Single Answer with Shuffle
- MCQ Single Answer & Multiple Answers
- Matching quiz
- Cloze - Fill in the blanks
- Category Choice
Combining Multiple Types in one CSV (TBD)
MBZ (Moodle Backup) files
OpenLearning is compatible with Question banks from Moodle courses that are exported in the MBZ format.
Step 1
To begin, please verify that you have questions listed in the Question Bank section within Moodle. You can do this by navigating to your course in Moodle, selecting More > Question bank
Step 2
Once verified, click on More > Course Reuse and choose Backup.
Step 3
On the backup settings page, ensure that the 'Include question bank' checkbox is selected, as this is necessary for the question bank. All other checkboxes are optional for the question bank import.
Step 4
Download the MBZ backup file that was just created from your course.
Note: If you already have an existing .MBZ backup file that includes all the necessary selections, you may use that as well.
How to import questions into Question Bank
Step 1
Go to Assessment > Question Banks
Step 2
Create a new question bank or select an existing bank to import questions.
Step 3
In the selected question bank, find the "Import" option. Click "Select file" to choose your questions file, then click "Start import" to upload.
Pro tip: The bank should have a unique name for each question. If not, the Question bank will show an error when the template file has been uploaded.
If "Ignore questions that fail to import" is selected, any rows with problematic questions will be skipped, and all other questions will be imported. If this option is not selected, none of the questions will be imported if even one question has issues.
What is a Question Bank, and how do you use it to store and manage questions?