Surpass lets you import items into subjects. This is useful if you have pre-existing content on your database or are creating a large volume of items. Use the Import items from other sources functionality to import items into Surpass from either a QTI file or a spreadsheet. This lets you create a large quantity of items quickly.
This article explains how to import items into a subject from spreadsheets and QTI files.
In this article
1. Choose your import type
In your subject, select Create New Item to open the Import menu. Choose Import items from other sources.
Select your import type (Spreadsheet, QTI 2.1, or QTI 1.2.1) in the Import items from other sources dialog menu.
TIP: If using the Spreadsheet import type, select a folder from your item tree before selecting Import items from other sources from the Create New Item menu. Items are imported into your selected folder.
Import type compatibilities
Each import type has different capabilities and compatibilities. Expand the following section to view a table comparing the import types.
Content
Spreadsheet
QTI 2.1
QTI 1.2.1
Multiple Choice
Multiple Response
Either/Or
Numerical Entry
Fill in the blank
Short Answer
Essay
Select from a list
Extended Matching
File Attach
Drag and Drop
Equation Entry
Hotspot
Table
Spreadsheet
Audio Capture
Basic and survey pages
Images
Audio and video
Media
Tags
Item settings
Maximum Candidate Selections (Multiple Choice)
Standard marking (Multiple Choice)
Standard marking (Multiple Response)
Randomise answer options order (Multiple Choice and Multiple Response)
Single-column answer options (Multiple Choice and Multiple Response)
Number of lines for candidate response (Essay)
Answer Labels
Text Formatting
Images in answer options
Total mark
Multiple question blocks
Marking type
Mark schemes
WARNING: Exporting or importing unsupported items or features via the QTI may result in items not displaying or functioning properly and can cause errors.
Creating a spreadsheet
Spreadsheets must adhere to a strict format if they are to be imported into Surpass successfully. Select Download Sample XLS to get a pre-formatted empty spreadsheet. Refer to the Help and Guidelines sheet for details on each column’s content requirements. Enter content in the Item List sheet.
Expand the following section for information on how to input data in an import spreadsheet.
Column
Description
Default value
Item Name
The name of the item.
The first ten characters of Question Text.
Question Text
Question text or instructions to candidates.
NOTE: This field is mandatory if Type is set to InformationPage, Essay, or left blank.
Option A – Option H
The answer options for the question.To create an Either/Or question, only enter values in Option A and Option B.
To create a Multiple Choice or Multiple Response question, add three or more options.
Max Selections
Set to 1 to create a Multiple Choice question.Enter a value higher than 1 to create a Multiple Response question.
1
Award Partial Marks
Gives candidates a percentage of the Total Mark for each correct answer given in a Multiple Response question.
Yes
Correct Option
The question’s correct answer(s). Enter the letter of the relevant Option and separate multiple entries with a comma (for example, a for Option A and a,c for Option A and Option C).
Total Mark
The total number of marks available for the question.
1
Image Path
Give an image page including the file extension to include an image in the item (for example, images\image1.jpg).
IMPORTANT: If you are importing images, you must upload a ZIP file containing the import spreadsheet and an image folder called images.
Unit
Enter the Unit the item is associated with.
Learning Outcomes
Enter the Learning Outcomes the item is associated with. Separate values with a pipe: ‘|‘ (for example, Learning Outcome 1 | Learning Outcome 2).
Keywords
Enter the Keywords the item is associated with. Separate values with a pipe: ‘|‘ (for example, Keyword 1 | Keyword 2).
Folder
The folder the item is to be contained in.
Item Purpose
The purpose of the item. Acceptable values are Summative, Formative, and Unspecified. If left blank, items are set to Unspecified.
Unspecified
Randomise Options
Determines whether the answer options are randomised in delivery.
No
Item Owner
The owner of the item.
TIP: Item owners are used to allocate items to assignees in Authoring tasks. For more information, read Creating an Authoring task.
Type
The type of item that is created. Available values are ItemSet, InformationPage, and Essay.
Leave blank to create either a Multiple Choice, Multiple Response, or Either/Or question based on the Option and Max Selections fields.
Item Set
The name of the item set containing the item.
Show Rationale
Determines whether rationale is displayed for Multiple Choice and Multiple Response questions.
customtag_
To add a custom tag group, edit the column header using the following format: customtag_TagGroupName, where TagGroupName is the name of the custom tag group.
You can add a maximum of 40 custom tag group columns. Each cell has a limit of 50 tag values and each tag value must be separated by a pipe (‘|‘), for example: Tag 1 | Tag 2
Choosing text direction
If importing items from a spreadsheet, you can choose whether your imported items’ content uses Left-to-right or Right-to-left text direction.
The text direction settings in the formatting toolbar of each item’s question text stem and answer option are configured according to the chosen text direction. For more information, read ‘Advanced formatting toolbar’ in Using the formatting toolbar.
Any Essay items that are imported are also configured to set the direction of candidates’ inputs to the chosen text direction. For more information on text direction in Essay items, read ‘Setting the answer input direction’ in Creating an Essay question.
2. Choose your import file
Select Import to open your device’s file explorer.
Choose the file you want to import and select Open to start the upload.
3. Import items
After you select Open, Surpass begins copying the items from the upload file to the destination subject. The Importing Items dialog gives you a real-time feed of how many items have been successfully imported and if there are any errors.
After the items have been imported, select View Report on the dialog to download a CSV detailing any issues with their respective error codes. For example, you might have errors if upload file tag values are not defined in the destination subject.
4. View imported items
In your subject, the imported items are contained in a folder using the following naming convention: [upload file name] Import.
