How do I create a text answer question?

Text answer questions ask learners to type a response in their own words rather than select from provided options. Because there's no list of choices to recognize from, this format tests recall and articulation directly. Learners either know the answer well enough to produce it, or they don't. Text answer questions can be set to checked or unchecked, and that choice changes what the question is actually measuring. 

A checked text answer is scored automatically against an accepted response. This works well for short, unambiguous answers (e.g., a term, a formula, a name, a specific value) where there is a limited set of correct ways to phrase the response. Checked text answers are harder to write than they look: if the accepted answer list is too narrow, correct responses get marked wrong over minor wording differences; if it's too broad, the check stops being meaningful. Writers need to anticipate the reasonable variations a learner might type (spelling, capitalization, synonyms, abbreviations) and account for them, or the question ends up testing guesswork about phrasing rather than knowledge of content. 

An unchecked text answer isn't scored against a correct response at all. It's better suited to open-ended prompts—reflection, application to the learner's own context, explanation in their own words—where there isn't one right answer to check against. Unchecked responses shift the format from an assessment of correctness to a prompt for engagement, and they're often used for lower-stakes checks-in or self-paced reflection rather than measuring mastery. 

Text answer questions should be: 

• Clearly worded, with only one possible interpretation of what's being asked
• Free of negatives (e.g., "which term does NOT describe...") 
• Free of qualifiers ("usually," "sometimes," "often") and absolutes ("always," "never," "all," "none") 

A few things worth adding that are specific to the text answer option:

• Use checked only when the expected response is short and has a genuinely limited set of correct forms. Checking works poorly for longer or more open responses 
• When checked, list all reasonable accepted variations (e.g., spelling, capitalization, common abbreviations) so that learners are rewarded for knowledge rather than penalized for phrasing or spelling
• Use unchecked for open-ended, reflective, or applied prompts where there's no single, correct answer to check against 
• Keep the prompt specific enough that a learner knows the expected length and format of the response (e.g., a word, a phrase, a sentence), so the question isn't testing guesswork about what's being asked

Instructions

1. Add the Quiz block and configure the Quiz Settings section. For additional details on configuring the section, refer to How do I create a quiz?.
   
   
2. Once the Quiz Settings are configured, use the Manage Questions section to begin adding questions.
   

Text Answer (Checked)

1. Add a Text Answer (checked) question by following these steps: 
   • From the Type of Question dropdown, select Text Answer (Checked). 
   • Enter the point value in the Point Value field. 
     (Note: This option will not appear if the course settings are set to No Grading or the Quiz block setting Grading? is set to No.)
   • Enter your question prompt in the Question field. 
   • Enter the correct answer in the Answer field.
   • (Optional) Enter text in the Hint field. If provided, a Show Hint button will appear on the page, giving learners optional support before they answer. Leave this field blank if no hint is needed.
   • (Optional) If Feedback is set to Yes in the Quiz Settings, you can enter customized feedback. 
   • Click the Save Question button. Repeat this process to add additional questions. 
2. Once all the required questions have been added, select the Add Block+ button to save the block to the page.
   
   
3. The new block will appear on the page in Edit Mode with a red, dotted outline indicating it's editable.
   
   
4. Select the Publish My Edits button to save the question to the course page and see the content as it will appear to learners.
   
   Example: Correct Answer
   Example: Incorrect Answer
   

Text Answer (Unchecked)

1. Add a Text Answer (unchecked) question by following these steps: 
   • From the Type of Question dropdown, select Text Answer (Unchecked). 
   • Enter your question in the Question field. 
   • (Optional) Enter text in the Hint: field. If provided, a Show Hint button will appear on the page, giving learners optional support before they answer. Leave this field blank if no hint is needed.
   • (Optional) If Feedback is set to Yes in the Quiz Settings, you can enter customized feedback for each answer choice. 
   • Click the Save Question button. Repeat this process to add additional questions. 
2. Once all the required questions have been added, select the Add Block+ button to save the block to the page.
   
   
3. The new block will appear on the page in Edit Mode with a red, dotted outline indicating it's editable.
   
   
4. Select the Publish My Edits button to save the question to the course page and see the content as it will appear to learners.
   
   

Refer to the following articles for more information about the different Quiz block question types:
How do I create a matching question?

How do I create a multiple choice question?

How do I create an ordering question?

How do I create a text answer question?

How do I create a true/false question?