[ARCHIVED] Multiple attempts on quizzes

[kmclaren]

I have a question about multiple attempts on quizzes.  I wrote my quiz with several question groups so the students would get somewhat unique versions of the quiz depending on how Canvas selected which question to present from each group.  On my first quiz, a student accidentally hit "submit" before they were done, when they were planning to just save their current work and return later to complete it.  When they returned they weren't allowed back in, so they contacted me and I gave them another attempt so they could finish.  However, on the next attempt they got different questions.

Is there a way to make it easier to avoid this in the future?  I'm thinking either a large prominent "Save" button that students will see and use instead of accidentally hitting "Submit."  Or possibly a way for the instructor to select "Don't change the questions for the student after the first attempt" when I allow multiple attempts.

Thanks for your assistance.

Karen McLaren

[James · Accepted solution]

 @kmclaren  

It is difficult for a student to accidentally submit a quiz if there are unanswered questions. There is a warning that comes up about unanswered questions that requires a second confirmation.

A timed quiz automatically gets submitted if time runs out. If they were completing an untimed quiz that they planned on coming back to late, there is no need to save the responses, the student can just come back and resume a quiz later. This is why it's a good idea for students to complete an orientation before taking their courses -- as an instructor, my questions about how to use the software are often answered before they ever get to my class so I can spend more time on instruction and less time on technology.

Depending on your quiz settings, this might have been a purposeful ploy by the student. If you let students see the correct answers once the quiz is done, then they could submit an incomplete quiz, get the answers, and then claim they accidentally hit the submit button.

That said, with Classic Quizzes, there is no way to resume a submitted quiz. Starting a new attempt does not remember their responses from the first quiz. If you are using questions groups, then they will likely get different questions.

With New Quizzes, there is an option to reopen a submitted quiz, which would include their previous responses. This lesson from the Canvas Instructor Guide explains how: https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-26225-how-do-i-moderate-a-students-assessment-attempt-in-ne... 

[kmclaren]

Thanks, this is helpful.  I do not let them see the correct answers so I'm pretty confident they were not being dishonest.  Hasty and distracted, probably.