# Comparative Study of Moodle Plugins to Facilitate the Adoption of Computer-Based Assessments
###### Abstract
The use of parameterised questions is a good option for creating individualized exercises. A parameterised question is a template for a question in which some parameters (numbers and/or text) are randomly generated based on a specific set of replacement values. In this way, each parameterised question can generate a large (or even unlimited) number of different questions. Consequently, individualised online tests can be generated based on a fairly small number of parameterised questions, which is very useful for large classes. Parameterised questions can be set manually (which requires a lot of time and work) or by using the tools provided in an LMS. LMSs have undergone significant development over the last few decades for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses [44; 45], and there are currently a high number of such systems for academic/educational purposes. Moodle, Edmodo, Massive Online Open Courses (MOOC), and Google Classroom were highlighted as being the most widely used and researched between 2015 and 2020 [46]. Comparisons between different LMSs can be found in the literature [47; 48]. Moodle is the most popular open-source LMS, according to a recent work [49], and is used worldwide due to its high rate of acceptance in the academic community [50]. The number of Moodle users has shown an increasing trend in recent years, reaching 329 million at the beginning of August 2022 (Moodle Statistics: [[https://stats.moodle.org](https://stats.moodle.org)]([https://stats.moodle.org](https://stats.moodle.org)) (accessed 16 August 2022)). As an open-source LMS, it facilitates creativity by its users. Moodle has a growing library of over 2000 plugins that are shared with the user community (Moodle Plugins: [[https://moodle.org/plugins](https://moodle.org/plugins)]([https://moodle.org/plugins](https://moodle.org/plugins)) (accessed on 3 September 2022)). The most frequently used tools in Moodle are \"quizzes\" and \"workshops\" [44]. However, the steep learning curve involved in transferring paper tests to the Moodle platform and/or the creation of parameterised questions can be daunting for faculty members with insufficient experience of this platform [51]. In order to solve this problem, Moodle allows users to import questions in a variety of formats [52]. While this process requires some experience with import codes, some plugins allow for easy conversion of text to Moodle questions. In fact, 145 of the 202 Moodle activity module plugins are intended for quiz activities, and 20 of them offer formats for the import/export of questions. In summary, the use of online examination has increased significantly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, although faculty members have not typically had previous specific training in online assessment. This indicates the need for tools that can ease the creation of online tests. In this article, we develop a descriptive and comparative study about the available Moodle plugins used to import questions into Moodle. First of all, a literature review is carried out. Considering the detected limitations in the review, we propose the use of a new open-source Moodle plugin called FastTest PlugIn (FastTest PlugIn: [[https://moodle.org/plugins/view.php?id=2831](https://moodle.org/plugins/view.php?id=2831)]([https://moodle.org/plugins/view.php?id=2831](https://moodle.org/plugins/view.php?id=2831)) (accessed on 16 August 2022)). This is a Microsoft(r) Excel-based plugin that allows for the importing of MCQs, true/false, matching, short answer, essay, missing word, Cloze and description questions, in an easy and intuitive way. Additionally, FastTest PlugIn provides the creation of parameterised questions to generate large numbers of different questions. Hence, faculty members with limited Moodle experience can develop a question pool without a great deal of time and effort. FastTest PlugIn was used and validated by 230 faculty members about if expectations were met and if they would recommend it.