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zyBooks now supports the ability for instructors to create multiple-choice tests for their class using a set of questions created by our authors, for certain zyBook subjects. The tests that you create can be exported as a set of MS Word documents. Note that zyBooks does not provide a testing platform and tests cannot be taken and graded online in the zyBooks platform. Students do not have a "Tests" tab. You are able to distribute tests to students using whatever written or online means you wish.
Creating a test
To get started, navigate to the "Tests" tab. Then click the orange "+ Test" button.
This will take you to our "Create a test" experience.
You will need to name your test which you can do on the right side of the screen.
Next, expand a chapter on the left to see which sections have test questions.
Expand a section to see which questions are available in that section.
Answers can be previewed in place. Answers will also be available in the documents you will export at the end.
Use the checkboxes on the left to select the questions you want to use in your test. You can select as many questions as you like from as many sections and chapters as you like.
Once you have selected all of your questions, you can switch to the "Organize test" view using the toggle at the top of the page. You can always go back to the "Select question" view to add or remove questions later.
Questions can be reordered by clicking and dragging the gripper handles on the left.
Exporting a test
After you have selected all of the questions you'd like to add and organized them into an order you are happy with, click "Review and export" to review the test and export it.
This will take you to the "Review and export" experience where you can give your test one last look before exporting it.
From the " Review and export" page, select the format you want to export.
Selecting Word .docx will produce the following three documents,
1. The test, with no answers
2. The test with answers inline
3. A concise answer key with only answers
The other two options will produce a QTI zip file. The following guides provide instructions for uploading a QTI zip file into an LMS
Known limitations
Please note, we have discovered a few limitations/issues related to importing tests into Brightspace and Blackboard using the QTI format. We have informed the support teams at both Brightspace and Blackboard of the issues.
Brightspace
- Question choices are not able to support importing images. Images work ok in the questions themselves just not in the choices.
- Occasionally MathML will not render correctly.
These issues can be resolved manually after importing, by editing the tests.
To begin, open the test and select "Add/edit questions"
Select the question that needs to be revised then open in full screen mode.
On the top toolbar select the Σ symbol and then LaTeX Equation
Replace the existing incorrect text with LaTex.
Online tools such as https://latexeditor.lagrida.com/ can be used to generate LaTeX from a WYSIWG editor.
Blackboard
- Code is not styled in traditional code font.
- Occasionally MathML will not render correctly.
These issues can be resolved manually after importing, by editing the tests.
To clean up the MathML, open the incorrectly formatted question in "Edit" mode.
Select the <> sympol to edit as HTML
Parse the source to look for any values that should be formatted.
To make a superscript, surround the value in a sup tag. For example,
{0 , 1 }<sup>2</sup>
To make a subscript, surround the text in a <sub> tag.
log<sub>2</sub>(x)
To make an overline, surround the text in a span tag and set a style attribute with CSS rule, text-decoration:overline as such,
<span style="text-decoration: overline;">A ∪ D</span>