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Creation pathways

This article goes over the basics for the three main creation pathways presented on the home page/dashboard, as well as the option to author questions from scratch directly from TAO Studio.

Tip: When you are unsure where to start, ask what you already have. Existing exam files belong in conversion, teaching resources belong in generation, approved questions belong in assembly, and a brand-new item belongs in From scratch.

Dashboard creation pathways

The dashboard asks What do you want to do today? and presents three main cards, plus shortcuts for the library and user preferences.

The three main ways to begin assessment work are presented:

  • From exam files

  • From study materials

  • From existing questions and tests

Convert external exam files to questions

Choose this tile (or From exam files) when you already have source assessment material such as PDF files, Word documents, spreadsheets, or existing QTI packages. This option uses AI to complete this conversion.

Basic steps

  1. Open the dashboard.

  2. Select Convert exam files to questions.

    1. You can reach the same place from the sidebar: Create questions & tests > From exam files.

  3. Create a project, add source files, and run the conversion workflow.

For a full walkthrough, see Conversion from exam files.

Example

You want to create a test on Jane Eyre, or individual questions that can be used to assemble a test. You have a PDF that lists typical assessment questions for Jane Eyre. Choosing this option will format those questions into items or a full test.

Generate questions or a full test from course materials

Choose this tile (or From study materials) when you want TAO Studio to draft new questions from textbooks, notes, syllabi, or other study materials. This options used AI to complete this conversion.

Basic steps

  1. Open the dashboard.

  2. Select Generate questions or a full test.

    1. You can reach the same place from the sidebar: Create questions & tests > From study materials.

  3. Create a generation project.

  4. Add reference material, describe the learning objective, and review generated drafts before using them.

For a full walkthrough, see Generation from study materials.

Example

You want to create a test on the themes in Jane Eyre. You have a document outlining the themes in multiple paragraphs. Choosing this option will generate a test where the content from the paragraphs are re-formatted into questions.

Build a test from existing questions

Choose this tile (or From existing questions) when you want to assemble a test from approved library questions.

Basic steps

  1. Open the dashboard.

  2. Select Build a test from existing questions.

    1. You can reach the same place from the sidebar: Create questions & tests > From existing questions.

  3. Create an assembly project.

  4. Build sections, choose question sources, and export the completed test.

For a full walkthrough, see Assembling a test with questions from the library.

Example

You have generated or converted source material in TAO Studio. You want to assemble a test using questions that exist in the library.

You can also build tests using the legacy test editor, which is embedded in TAO Studio. For more information, see the section below.

Authoring questions and tests from scratch

Use this option when you want to author an item/question or test from scratch using a lightweight version of the legacy TAO Authoring tool.

On the left sidebar there is an option to Create questions & tests > From scratch, which is not presented on the main dashboard.

TAO Studio opens the Create from scratch form:

  1. Select Question or Test.

  2. Provide a title.

  3. Provide (or leave the default) an internal identifier.

For more information, see the following section Creating content from scratch.