Formula questions: Use same X and Y variable values in different questions?

[jimweinrich]

I have figured out how to write a Formula question that gives two variables (let's say X and Y), randomly, and then asks students for the answer to something like "What is X + Y?".

But is it possible, in the next question, to ask students "What is X – Y?", but using the SAME values of X and Y given in the previous question?

I found an answer to this question elsewhere (sorry, I can't re-find where I found it) which said it was possible to generate a set of Xs, Ys, and answers (X+Y, X–Y) in a spreadsheet, then use a list function inside Canvas to present these items to students, but I couldn't figure out how it worked. Can anyone answer figure out (from what little I've given here) what that strategy is?

[James]

jimweinrich 

First, that is not possible with Canvas Quizzes. Each question in Canvas quizzes is independent of the others. In New Quizzes, you can have stimulus questions, but they don't work the way we would like and the values generated by formula are not passed on to the questions under the stimulus.

I've written some information about using the list functions within formula questions. I don't remember seeing very many other people write about list functions, and questions about math content normally pop up on my radar (unless they're posted in a forum I don't follow like K12). However, that doesn't sound like anything I would have written because it still doesn't give you the ability to ask two questions with the same set of data. Questions are totally independent of each other and you cannot get around that with the core product.

You could use a multiple drop down or a multiple fill in the blank question type, but those don't support formulas. I have written several times about creating questions in Excel (since it can do the calculations and find the correct answers) that can be brought into Respondus to import it into Canvas. You can also use a program to generate the questions if you don't have access to Respondus -- I have done that as well.