How to Create Bonus Quiz Questions on Brightspace

Introduction:

Bonus questions are optional questions in a Brightspace quiz that allow students to earn extra points without being penalized if they answer incorrectly. Adding bonus questions is a great way to encourage additional learning or reward students for answering more challenging items. You can add bonus questions to both new quizzes and existing quizzes.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

For a brand new quiz

  1. 1. Create a new quiz from the Quizzes page in your course.
    1. Course Home > Activities > Quizzes > Create New
  2. 2. On the quiz page, Create New question or Add Existing from your questions library
  3. Add Existing or Create New Questions
  4. 3. [a] Select the question(s) you want to add as a bonus. Then, go to [b] More Actions and click on [c] Toggle Bonus.

    • (Optional) If you do not want incorrect answers to count against students, ensure Exclude from attempt score calculation is selected.

  5. Select >> More Actions >> Toggle Bonus
  6. 4. Edit your quiz to your liking, then Save and Close.

On an existing quiz:

  1. 1. Access your course, then go to Activities << Quizzes.
  2. 2. Select an exam that students haven't taken yet.
  3. 3. [a] Click on the question(s) you want to mark as a bonus.
  4. 4. In the [b] More Actions area, click on [c] Toggle Bonus.
  5. 5. Once finished, click Save and Close.
  6. Question(s) >> More Actions >> Toggle Bonus
  7.  

Troubleshooting Tips:

  • • Bonus not appearing in student attempts?
    • Verify the question is marked as Bonus and not just Exclude from attempt score calculation.
  • • Students can’t see their bonus points?
    • Ensure quiz result display settings include the Questions and Scores option.
  • • Final grade not reflecting bonus?
    • Confirm the Final Calculated Grade or relevant category in Grades is set to Can Exceed.

Additional Resources:

FAQ Section:

  • • Q: Do bonus questions affect the total points possible for the quiz? 
    • ​​​​​​​A: No. Bonus questions only add to a student’s score. They are not factored into the denominator when calculating percentage scores.
  • • Q: Can I make all questions in a quiz bonus? 
    • ​​​​​​​A: Technically yes, but it is recommended to use bonus questions sparingly to keep grading consistent.
  • • Q: What’s the difference between “Bonus” and “Exclude from attempt score calculation”? 
    • ​​​​​​​A:
      • Bonus: Adds extra points to a student’s grade without penalizing missed answers.
      • Exclude from attempt score calculation: Removes the question entirely from grading (neither helps nor hurts).
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