Create Short Answer Questions in the Question Library

Short answer (SA) questions require respondents to create one word or brief sentence answers in response to open-ended questions.

Note: For a secure and consistent editing experience, JavaScript and non-standard HTML will automatically be filtered out. If your existing questions contain JavaScript or non-standard HTML, the questions continue to display as intended until an instructor edits and saves the quizzes, which removes the JavaScript and non-standard HTML. 

  1. On the nav bar, select the Activities menu, then click either Quizzes, Surveys, or Self Assessments. In the example below, we selected Quizzes.
    Quizzes on the Nav Bar
  2. From the tool navigation, click Question Library.
    Question Library from Quizzes
  3. Select New.
    Question Library from Quizzes
  4. Select the question type: Short Answer Question (SA).
  5. In the Question Text field, enter your short answer question details.
  6. In the Answers for Blank 1 field, enter your answer(s).
  7. From the abc drop-down list for blank 1, select the comparison method, which is Text, Case-Sensitive Text, or Regular Expression. All answers for a blank are assessed using the same comparison method. There are three possible grading options:
    • Text/Case Insensitive – Auto-grading searches for a matching character pattern in the answer text with or without letter case correctness.
    • Case-Sensitive – Auto-grading searches for a matching character pattern in the answer text that must have letter case correctness. Proper capitalization is required.
    • Regular Expression – Auto-grading uses meta-characters to search for one or more matching strings in the answer text’s character pattern. What you set as meta-character parameters helps determine letter case sensitivity. Learn more about Regular Expressions, see Understanding Regular Expressions.
      short answer question abc dropdown menu
  8. If you want to add more blanks, click Add Blank and enter your answer. For each blank, select the comparison method: Text, Case-Sensitive Text, or Regular Expression.
  9. In the Default Points field, enter the points students will receive for answering the question correctly.
  10. From the How are points assigned to blanks? drop-down list, select one of the following options:
    • Students receive part marks – The default points for each blank are calculated automatically and evenly distributed.
    • Students must answer all blanks correctly – The default points will only be awarded if the student answers all blanks accurately.
      short answer question how points are assigned to blanks
  11. From the Options drop-down list, optionally, specify the following:
    • To add overall feedback for the answer, select Add Feedback. Learn about Quiz Question Feedback.
    • To add a hint to the question, select Add Hint. Learn about Quiz Question Hints.
    • To add a short description to the question, select Add Short Description.
  12. To verify your question, view the Preview on the right side of the screen.
  13. Click Save.