The file upload question type allows learners to upload a file to Learnosity, for review by the teacher. This question is not auto-scored, and the accepted file extensions are listed below. Files to be uploaded have a size limit of 10MB per file, and the Question type itself has a limit of 12 files in total.

This Question type is manually scored. Learner responses must be reviewed and scored by a teacher.

As the score is assigned through human judgment, there is no automatic scoring configuration available for this Question type. You cannot define correct answers or scoring rules during Question setup.

Scores are applied after submission as part of the manual grading workflow. Teachers evaluate the response using their own criteria, and the score is recorded via Learnosity’s manual grading workflow.

For more information about manual grading in Learnosity, see What is the Grading API?

Figure 1: How a file upload question will look to the learner.

To author a file upload question, follow these steps:

• Fill in the compose question area with your desired question or instructions to the learner.
• Underneath, you can control which file types available will be accepted from the learner. JPG, GIF, PNG and PDF are set by default, untick the box beside a file type to disable it or tick the box beside one to enable another.
• From the max files drop down, select the maximum number of files you will allow the learner to upload. This ranges from 1 to 12, and is set to 12 by default. This value will be visible to the learner.

Note: that when authoring content in the Question Editor or Activity Editor, the functionality behind the upload files button is removed. The button will appear faded in the Question Editor or Activity Editor, and you will not be able to click on it.

Figure 2: How the file upload button appears in the Question Editor and Activity Editor.

Accepted file types

Table 1: Accepted file types.

Supported video file types include, MP4, MOV, WEBM, AVI, ASF, and WMV.

Enable photo capture

When selecting this option the learner can capture and upload an image directly from their device web camera.
Note: JPEG must be selected from the list of supported files for this feature to work. If JPEG is not selected, the learner will be able to capture an image, but it will fail to upload.

When enabled, this feature is activated from a camera icon that appears in the top menu bar. When selected by the learner a modal will appear with a live stream of their camera.
Note: first time usage on a device will prompt the learner to grant permission for access to their device camera.

The learner then selects capture and receives a three second countdown before the image is captured. They have the option to accept the captured image, or retake the image. Once accepted, they are prompted to name the file and then save to return to the file upload interface.

File description mode

This option appears in the top menu bar as a "T" icon and when selected by the learner will expose a plain text field for all uploaded files. learners can add a small description to accompany their uploaded files.

Note: descriptions are limited to 250 characters.

More options

• Maximum points²: the maximum number of points that can be awarded for the Question.
• Minimum points if attempted³: points awarded to the learner for attempting the Question, regardless of a correct or incorrect response.
• Max width: the maximum width of the file upload container.
• Font size: select from small, normal, large, extra large, and huge.

'Extra' options

The extras section in the authoring interface allows you to add more information about the Question, information that we refer to as metadata.

There are a number of fields available: acknowledgements, contains math, distractor rationale, distractors, instructor stimulus, rubric reference, sample answer, and stimulus (review only).

To learn more about the options shown in the Extras section, see Understanding the Extras Section of the Question Editor.

Reviewing uploaded files

The educator can load the learner's session in review mode to see the files that they uploaded.

1. Note: Uploading Photoshop (.psd) and Illustrator (.ai) file types is a newer capability. Version added: v2024.3.LTS.

2. Note: “Maximum points” replaces the earlier label “Max score”. Version added: v2026.1.LTS 

3. Note: “Minimum points if attempted” replaces the earlier label “Minimum score if attempted”. Version added: v2026.1.LTS