Exporting quizzes into Word or pdf documents

This idea has been developed and deployed to Canvas

Some of our departments need to have copies of assessments on file OUTSIDE of Canvas. I believe this request was first raised in early 2015. A Canvas person said the ability was about six months away. It is almost a year later and we have heard NO updates.

 

This is a BASIC feature that all LMSs should have. Canvas is so proactive in many ways and, overall, is the best LMS we have ever used, but this is getting ridiculous. It seems to be such an easy feature to implement too. PLEASE work on getting this feature ASAP; our schools NEED it.

 

Community Team Note:  A virtually identical idea was already open: https://community.canvaslms.com/ideas/1055-printable-pdf-exportable-quizzes  Contrary to our customary practice, we are allowing both ideas to continue to move forward. Votes and feedback from both ideas will be evaluated.

 

53 Comments
rhollenbaugh
Community Novice

This is such a critical and EASY option to add-it is much easier to export than import.  As usual with the LMS game, Instructure is tall on promises and it's-on-it's-ways and very, very short on follow-through. 

This is completely simple functionality and it is ridiculous we have to deal with the time-wasting "copy-paste" feature that does not work.

rhollenbaugh
Community Novice

absolutely right!

mgrudzina
Community Novice

We have a sizable population of students who do not have internet access outside of the school building. Having the ability to print hard copies of quizzes allows us to reach them and include them easily.

Jeff_F
Community Coach
Community Coach

Just making sure:  the print to file capability would be for instructors, yes?

Would this be a one at a time process or perhaps one would be able to select multiple exams to print to the same pdf file?

mgrudzina
Community Novice

I would want only the instructors to print out tests. I like to assign quizzes or reviews to be done as homework but I have a number of students who do not have internet access at home. For those students, I have to retype the whole quiz in a document and print it that way so the student can do the work that night. It's just really a hassle and makes me not want to create quizzes in Canvas so I don't have to do it twice.

Jeff_F
Community Coach
Community Coach

Understood.  My initial interest and focus was on completed quizzes for instances where examples are needed for accreditation purposes.  But I can see where there is interest in printing an online quiz so a student could complete it using pen and paper.

ronmarx
Community Contributor

 @Jeff_F ‌,

I can't tell from  @mgrudzina ‌'s profile, but her comments indicate she teaches in the K-12 realm. Being able to print Canvas assessments is so, so crucial in the K-12 world including for the prime "accessibility example" Marcya stated. Accessibility also encompasses students with physical/developmental disabilities where paper tests are indicated.

I say this from the most recent 13 years of classroom experience. Teachers wishing to replicate an assessment from Canvas have to spend hours cleaning copied browser text in a word processing application and formatting it into some standard form.

To the Canvas, quizzes.next_new, #quizzes.next_phase2 product team: Please do everything you can to prioritize this function!

desiree_deverea
Community Novice
Author

The ability to print Canvas assessments is just as essential to the higher ed community, for many of the same reasons. Right now, we are telling our instructors to create their assignments in Respondus 4.0® and then upload them into their Canvas coursesites. Respondus saves the exams for as long as you have the service, and they can be printed out whenever needed.

I have seen discussions on this feature request (the ability to print exams) more than any other request or topic in Canvas. Canvas is a superb LMS, except for this ONE item. C’mon, Canvas, it can’t be THAT hard to add a feature that users have been requesting since Canvas came into being. If you wish, make this a “teacher-or-higher level” feature; have the default set to “OFF” in the course settings, but PLEASE add it ASAP.

victoria_richar
Community Novice

It would be great if there was also the option to print the feedback that is attached to each question. My instructors want to use this for test reviews, but there is no way to print the quizzes with the feedback attached. Smiley Sad

rbennington
Community Novice

Creating quizzes in Respondus (which I have done) is not a solution to not being able to print them in Canvas.  Printing from a LMS is such a fundamental need, it is ludicrous that we can't do it in Canvas.  I really like Canvas, both for on-ground and  instruction, but this really drives me crazy.  PLEASE ADD IT ASAP.  Thanks.