Purpose
This article describes the Aiken format for creating quiz questions.
Background
The Aiken format lets you create multiple-choice or true-false questions using a simple, human-readable format that you can save as a plain text file and import into your Moodle course Question Bank.
Procedure
Create Questions in the Aiken Format
Write your questions in a word-processing application (e.g., MS Word) or a text editor such as Notepad (Windows) or Text Edit (Mac OS X), and format as follows:
The question must be all on one line.
Each answer must start with a single uppercase letter, followed by a period "." or a right parenthesis ")," then a space.
The answer line must immediately follow. Start with the word "ANSWER: " (with a space after the colon) and then provide the letter for the correct answer.
Note: The word "ANSWER" and the answer letters (A,B,C etc.) must be capitalized as shown; otherwise, the import will fail.
Use Save As and save your questions as a .txt (plain text) file in UTF-8 format.
Examples:
The Loch Ness Monster is a type of?
A. Hominid
B. Lizard
C. Ape
D. Plesiosauria
ANSWER: D
The Coelacanth was considered a cryptid until 1938.
A) True
B) False
ANSWER: A
Import Questions into the Moodle Question Bank
Once the questions are saved in the text file, import your questions to Moodle.
Log into Moodle and open the course where you want to add questions.
Click More and choose Question bank from the dropdown menu.
Select Import from the dropdown menu at the top of the next page.
Note: If you need to create a new category, click on Categories in the dropdown and create your new category before you install your questions. Return to the Import page to begin installing your questions.
Select Aiken Format.
Click the General section to expand the settings and for the Import category, select a Category.
Next to Import questions from file, drag and drop your .txt file, or alternately, click Choose a file.... to browse for the .txt file on your computer.
Click the Import button.
You will see a confirmation page that the questions have been successfully imported.
Watch for error messages that appear with a pinkish background instead of the green background. If you get errors, please contact us.
Click Continue.
You can now further edit the questions or add them to a quiz!