Want More Questions? We Have You Covered

The central feature of SaplingLearning.com is the content used to build your online homework assignments and quizzes. We assembled a top-notch team to write that content, composed of the people who wrote much of the content for other online homework systems. While we tried to write everything you might need for your course, you may want to ask something we don't have. If so, we have three options available to you: content requests, editing existing questions, and writing questions from scratch.

Option 1: Content Requests
The first place to turn if you can't find the question you're looking for is your TechTA. Usually, they have provided a link on the right side of your course(s) with information about how to contact them (or you can just call or email them as normal). If you describe the question you want, they can usually get it to you within about a week (but the sooner you let them know you'll need the question, the better). They'll check whether we already have what you want (for example, maybe we already wrote it for a different subject or for a different instructor). If we don't have it, they'll write it for you. Note that this is generally handled on a first-come-first-served basis, so it's definitely best to figure out what you want as early in the semester as you can.

Option 2: Editing Existing Questions
If you just want to put your own touch on an existing question, you can edit any question in our content bank:

1. Open the assignment where you want to add the question (any assignment will do, but this way you can assign the question when you're done).
2. Find the question you want to edit in our library. Usually you can use the magnifying glass icon in Your Activity. If you can't find it that way, click the brown book on the left side of the activity to open the Library, then browse through the sources on the left to find it. Tip: You can click the arrow next to the title of a book, chapter, or section to drill deeper into the Library, and you can use the filters at the bottom of the Library to limit the question list down based on title or description.
3. With that question selected, click "Create a copy of a question and edit it" at the top of the window (the double-page icon pointed out at the start of this section). Your copy of the question will open in a new window.
4. Make the changes you desire. Check all of the tabs of the question in case your change affects them. It's probably a good idea to call your TechTA the first time you do this, so they can walk you through everything and make sure you understand what everything means. Note: The question saves every time you change to a new tab (from Question to Correct, for example).
5. Close the question, and reload the activity (your question will show up in the Library when you reload).
6. Add your copy of the question. Unless you changed something on the "Information" tab of your question, it's most likely saved in the same part of the book as the original question (so you can find it the same way you found the original question).
7. Very important: Double-click the question to view it as a student. ALWAYS do this to make sure the question works the way you think it does, no matter how certain you are. You might have missed something, and it's always possible you'll find a bug in our authoring. It's far better that you find mistakes before your students do.
8. Remove the original question.

You can also edit an existing question to create something brand new. This might be a good idea for your first few questions, so you can see how our feedback and variables work. In some cases, though, it might be easiest to start from scratch.

Option 3: Writing Questions from Scratch

If you can't find a question close to what you want (or you don't want to deal with the variables and feedback in existing questions), you can write a question from scratch. We have more information about this on our support website, but these are the basics:

1. Open the assignment where you want to add the question (any assignment will do, but this way you can assign the question when you're done).
2. Open the Library (using the brown book icon).
3. Click "Create a new question from scratch" (the blue + button at the top-right of the Library)
4. Write your question. Be sure to include a Solution (the answer), a Correct tab (the answer with tolerance), and at least a Default Incorrect tab (feedback your students will receive if they get the wrong answer). After you start your first question, it's a good idea to call your TechTA to make sure you didn't miss anything.
5. Close the question, and reload the activity (your question will show up in the Library when you reload).
6. Find your question in the Library. Unless you specified a location on the "Information" tab of your question, the question will appear in the "Your Questions" topic in the first section of the first chapter of every book in the Library.
7. Very important: Double-click the question to view it as a student. ALWAYS do this to make sure the question works the way you think it does, no matter how certain you are. You might have missed something, and it's always possible you'll find a bug in our authoring. It's far better that you find mistakes before your students do.
8. Add the question to your activity.

Any questions you write or edit will be available in any future courses you teach, but they are private to only you. We have plans to eventually allow you to submit your questions to your colleagues for use in their courses. If you think you would use that feature, or have any questions about authoring, let us know in the comments.