Import and Export Questions into Moodle

• To create multiple-choice questions in Microsoft Word for importing into Moodle, open Word and create a blank document. 
• On the first line of your document, add your multiple-choice question. Avoid adding question numbers if possible, as this will create duplicate numbers in Moodle. For example:
  • What color is the sky? 
• On the following lines, add your answer choices, using capital letters, followed by a period, to identify the choices. It's very important to ensure Word is not auto-formatting bullets, as this may affect the import process. If needed, turn auto-formatting off for this process. You can always turn it back on later. 
  • For example:
    • A. Red
    • B. Yellow
    • C. Blue
    • D. Purple
• On the next line, type "ANSWER:" in all capital letters, followed by the letter of the correct answer choice:
  • ANSWER: C
• Below is an image of how a properly formatted question will appear in Word.

• Leaving a space between questions, add any additional multiple-choice questions you wish to import. 

Formatting true/false (T/F) questions in Word is very similar to multiple-choice, and T/F questions can be added to the same document. It is best practice to add questions of all one type first, then add all questions of the second type. Keep in mind that Moodle will treat T/F questions imported in this manner as multiple-choice questions that have two choices: True or False. 

• On the first line of your document, add your T/F statement. Avoid adding question numbers, if possible, as this will create duplicate numbers in Moodle. For example:
  • The sky is blue. 
• On the following lines, add your answer choices, using capital letters followed by parentheses, to identify the choices. For example:
  • A) True
  • B) False
• On the next line, type "ANSWER:" in all capital letters, followed by the letter of the answer choice:
  • ANSWER: A
• Below is an image of how a properly formatted question will appear in Word:

• Once you have added your questions, save your document as a Word file in case you want to come back and add more questions at a later time. 

Before importing your questions into Moodle, you must convert them into a format that Moodle can recognize. Questions created in Word should be converted to plain text.

• To convert your questions, after you have saved your file as a Word document, go to File, then Save a copy.
• In File Format, select "plain text."
• Click "Save."

Aa new window will appear, prompting for more input regarding converting the document format. 

• Make sure you click "Other encoding" and select "Unicode (UTF-8)" from the list. 
• Click OK.
• Note: this procedure is the same whether you are using a Mac or PC, but the window will look slightly different. 

Following this procedure will ensure your document is in the correct format for uploading to Moodle. 

After converting your quiz questions into plain text format, it's time to import them into your Moodle question bank! Open your question bank by selecting "More" and "Question bank" on your Moodle course page. Select the category where you would like to import your questions. If you need to sort questions into multiple categories, you can do so after importing them. 

• Using the drop-down menu at the top of the page, select "Import."

• Under "File Format," select "Aiken format."

• Under "General," make sure you have selected the category where you would like to save your questions. There is no need to change anything else in this category. The other settings direct Moodle to stop the import if there is an error in the formatting of any of the questions. 

• Under "Import questions from file," select the .txt file containing your questions. After selecting your file, click "Import,"

• Moodle will import the questions. On the next screen, click "Continue."

Once your questions have been imported, they should be renamed. Additionally, you can place questions into different categories if you choose to do so. 

• By default, Moodle will name an imported question using the question itself. Rename the question by clicking the pencil icon next to the question text. Hit the return key when you are done to save your new question name. 

• If you plan to move any questions into a different category, select the questions by clicking the checkbox to the left of the question. 

• Select all the questions you want to move into a new category. At the bottom of the page, click "with selected" and select "Move to."

• On the next screen, select the category where you would like to move the questions. Select "move to." This will move the questions to the new category. 

You may need to export questions if you intend to use them outside of your Moodle course. 

• Open your question bank by selecting "More" and "Question bank" on your Moodle course page.
• Using the drop-down menu at the top of the page, select "Export."

• Select the file format, the export category containing the questions for export, and click "Export questions to file." Your file will download to your device in your selected format.