You can add exam-takers and courses in bulk by entering the data into Excel files and then uploading the files into ExamSoft. You'll need to create separate files to import exam-taker data and course data.
Optionally, you can import a list of exam-taker groups and assign exam-takers to them. Exam-taker groups can be useful for analysis. For example, an admin for a university might want to organize exam-takers based on their academic program or their campus. The import process is the only way to create exam-taker groups in the Legacy Portal.
Procedure
- Log in to your institution's ExamSoft Portal.
- Select the Exam-Takers menu near the top of the screen.
- Select the Import Exam-Takers button.
Note: Even though the button label refers to exam-takers, this button provides access to the files and fields to import courses and groups, and to assign exam-takers to them.
You'll see a list of file types that you can download (by selecting a blue link) and upload (by browsing for a file and then selecting the Upload button).
Note: You also can access these options by going to Admin > Exam-Taker Groups.
The choices include:- Courses Only: Add or update course information.
- Exam-Takers Only: Add or update exam-taker information.
- Exam-Takers and Courses: Assign exam-takers to courses.
- Exam-Taker Groups: Add or update group information.
- Exam-Taker Groups Exam-Takers: If you have previously imported a list of groups, use this file to assign exam-takers to groups.
- Assessments: Assign exam-takers to exams.
Note: Start with courses and exam-takers, and then the other files as needed. For more information about these files, see the Field Descriptions section of this article.
- In the list, select the download link for the file that you want, and make a note of the required filename.
You'll need this information later in this procedure.
- Open the downloaded file and make these changes:
- Select all of the cells, then right-click to select Format Cells. In the dialog box, select Text, and then select OK.
- Enter the information as indicated by the column header and the sample text. For more information, see the Field Descriptions and File Names for the Import Files section of this article.
- In the file, go to File > Save As and then enter the required filename, and select Tab Delimited Text (.txt)as the file type.
- Return to the Exam-Taker Management page.
- For the file that you downloaded and edited, select the Browse button, and then select the file from your computer.
- Select Upload to begin the import process.
Note: The import process can take some time. You'll receive an email notification when it is completed.
Field Descriptions and File Names for the Import Files
- Create Courses Only
- Create Exam-Takers Only
- Create Exam-Takers and Courses
- Create Exam-Taker Groups
- Assign Exam-Takers to Groups
- Assign Exam-Takers to Exams
Create Courses Only
Use this file to import a list of courses, including the course name, instructor name, and start/end dates.- The download file is QRGs_Admin_courses.xls.
- Before uploading the file, you must change the name to courses.txt, with the file type Tab Delimited Text.
- Columns:
- Course ID: Unique identifier for the course
- Course name: Name for the course
- Instructor L Name: Instructor last name
- Instructor F name: Instructor first name
- Instructor Title: (Optional) Dr., Ms., Mrs., Mr., etc.
- Start Date: Date when the course is available
- End Date: Date when the course is closed
Create Exam-Takers Only
Use this file to import a list of exam-takers, including their names and email addresses, and optional settings for lab use and accommodations.- The download file is QRGs_Admin_examtakers.xls.
- Before uploading the file, you must change the name to examtakers.txt, with the file type Tab Delimited Text.
- Columns:
Note: All columns need to be included in the document, even if the values are left blank, except Federated Log, which can be deleted, as applicable.
- ExamTaker ID: A unique alphanumeric ID (with no special characters or spaces) to identify this exam-taker.
- F name: The exam-taker's first name.
- L name: The exam-taker's last name.
- Email: The exam-taker's email address.
- Passwd: A password consisting of six to 12 alphanumeric characters (with no special characters or spaces). Optionally, you can enter an asterisk, and ExamSoft will generate a random password.
- Lab Equip: A setting that is used to identify exam-takers who are using shared devices in a lab; none of their personal data is stored on the lab device
- If this exam-taker only uses a lab device, enter: 1
- If this exam-taker always or sometimes uses a personal device, or needs to take exams with ExamID or ExamMonitor, enter: 0
Note: Users who need to take exams with ExamID or ExamMonitor must not be set up as Lab Users. For these users, enter: 0
- Accommodation Group #: The rule number for any accommodation rule(s) that apply to this exam-taker.
Note: To look up the rules and rule numbers for your institution, go to Admin > Global Settings.
- Federated ID: If your institution uses SAML, add an additional column as column H, and enter column heading.
For each user, the value in this column must match the value being returned by the SSO response when authenticating (sometimes referred to as the external ID).
Create Exam-Takers and Courses
After you've set up exam-takers and courses, use this file to assign exam-takers to courses.- The download file is QRGs_Admin_examtakercourses.xls.
- Before uploading the file, you must change the name to coursesexamtakers.txt, with the file type Tab Delimited Text.
- Columns:
- Course ID: A valid ID for a course (previously entered or imported in your ExamSoft Portal)
- ExamTakerID: A valid ExamTaker ID (previously entered or imported in your ExamSoft Portal)
Create Exam-Taker Groups
Use this file to import a list of groups to be used for viewing reports. For example, in a university setting, we might want to group exam-takers by their academic year, campus, or college within the university.
- The download file is QRGs_Admin_groups.xls.
- Before uploading the file, you must change the name to groups.txt, with the file type Tab Delimited Text.
- Columns:
- Group ID: An alphanumeric ID to identify this group
- Group Name: A descriptive name for this group
- TZ Offset: The GMT offset value, such as -5 for U.S. Eastern time zone
Assign Exam-Takers to Groups
If you have previously imported a list of groups, use this file to assign exam-takers to groups. Each exam-taker can be assigned to only one group.
- The download file is QRGs_Admin_examtakersgroups.xls.
- Before uploading the file, you must change the name to examtakersgroups.txt, with the file type Tab Delimited Text.
- Columns:
- Group ID: A valid ID for a group (previously entered or imported in your ExamSoft Portal)
- ExamTaker ID: A valid ExamTaker ID (previously entered or imported in your ExamSoft Portal)
Assign Exam-Takers to Exams
Use this file to assign exam-takers to exams.- The download file is QRGs_Admin_examnum.xlsx.
- Before uploading the file, you must change the name to AssessmentNum.txt, with the file type Tab Delimited Text.
- Columns:
- ExamTaker ID: A valid ExamTaker ID (previously entered or imported in your ExamSoft Portal)
- Exam Num: A number assigned to an exam (that must be previously entered or imported in your ExamSoft Portal)