How can I update the point values of questions after students have submitted a quiz?

[derek_popple]

When I click "update question" after changing the point value and save the assignment, the assignment preview updates, but the student's submissions in SpeedGrader still have the original point values.

[kblack · Accepted solution]

Hi  @derek_popple  Welcome to the Canvas Community!  Unfortunately, point values on a question cannot be changed; check the blue boxed text at the top of this online lesson: Once I publish a quiz, how do I make additional changes?   Be sure to follow the links given for both the quiz regrade and "fudge points" options.  In your case, however, it sounds like you will have to use fudge points.

(For the record, it looks like it will be a lot easier to do this with the newer quiz engine, Quizzes.Next, as indicated here: https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-15061-4152801949  But until then, you will have to follow the directions given above.)

Hope this helps a bit, Derek!

[marianna_pinter]

The original question: "update the point values"... response: "point values on a question cannot be changed"
Just curious: how can this count as "solution"? Am I missing something?

[Chris_Hofer]

Hello @marianna_pinter ...

Ken Black is no longer in the Community, so I'll attempt to help.  (Before Ken left, he provided excellent insights on how Canvas worked...and in some cases, provided very detailed responses...including to a question that I had about Canvas reports.)

I think Ken's response would still hold true today.  His response from 2018 was mostly geared towards the current Classic Quizzes interface.  That is why he had provided a Guide to: Once I publish a quiz, how do I make additional ch... - Instructure Community (canvaslms.com).  However, he also indicated that @derek_popple might also want to check out the two Guides linked in the blue box at the top of that Guide:

• What options can I use to regrade a quiz in a cour... - Instructure Community
• How do I adjust the point value for an entire quiz... - Instructure Community

As you may know, there isn't much work being done on Classic Quizzes by Instructure (the folks that make Canvas)...as they are spending their development time on the New Quizzes engine.  So, IMHO, it's highly doubtful that you'll see any new changes made to Classic Quizzes as it relates to the Original Poster's (OP's) question.

Ken also shared a link to How do I regrade a quiz question in New Quizzes? - Instructure Community (canvaslms.com).  This would be a potential solution if Arizona State University has access to New Quizzes.  If ASU has not yet enabled New Quizzes in your Canvas environment, I would suggest that you have conversations with their local Canvas administrator to see what the planned schedule is for New Quizzes to be available to you.  (Not all schools are enabling New Quizzes at the same time...but eventually all schools will have New Quizzes available to them.)

Not sure if any of this will be helpful, but thought I'd share my $0.02 ... for what it's worth.

[marianna_pinter]

@Chris_Hofer
I appreciate that Ken Black and you took the time to enter a response: this is really nice. BUT since there is no solution in the Ken Black's response: it is not a good idea to label it as solution. It is not Ken's fault (unless he developed the feature)... still, if someone clicks on it as "solution" and reads the pretty long entry that leads to frustration, since there is no solution in it. ... I noticed in other topics too that unsolved issue is marked solved: I find it disrespectful. That is all.
PS: next quiz has a plethora of issues as you can read about it under other topics.

[marianna_pinter]

Canvas developers - Please make sure that instructors have to option to manually overwrite grade from the grade book OR if at least from the speedgrader (this is a significantly slowed down option and also unreliable if fudge points is the only option). Right now point adjustment is multistep if it works at all: occasionally the due date individual adjustment allows changing late submission; but fudge points cannot be set to zero and this makes fudge point use unreliable  

[billydebenham]

It's been two years and this has yet to happen. Millions of students are now learning online because of coronavirus and it has been an absolute nightmare to use this software. PLEASE FIX THIS, IT IS SO SIMPLE. 

[mcovill]

It is mind-blowing that Canvas can not automate an update of point values after the quiz has been taken!!!!  Instead instructors must go through each question on the grossly mis-named "speed-grader" and enter in fudge points to make up the different.  I can't image that it is rocket science to write some code to re-adjust point values. For Pete's sake, if it can re-grade a question after the quiz is taken (so long as it is one of 3 question times) why the heck can't someone fix this problem.  

Now that instructors are using Canvas for robust, full-course instruction all if its easy to fix shortcomings are being exposed.  So frustrating that simple, common functions have been so ignored.

[marianna_pinter]

I noticed recently that canvas updates the point values for multiple answer questions. . . . not for any other question type in legacy quiz. I hardly use multiple answers; when I do then it is an inconsistency to keep an eye on.

[billydebenham]

I agree, absolutely mental that something so simple hasn't been implemented. There is a physics professor at my University who was in charge of the Superconducting Super Collider that was canceled after already spending tons of money digging the holes for it. He famously called it "Revenge of the C student". I can't help but think that whenever I meet some inane roadblock in Canvas........

My colleagues and I are petitioning our University to do something about this software (it has been a disaster to use with test taking, especially with students with disabilities. See comments: https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-26214-once-i-publish-a-timed-quiz-how-can-i-give-my-student... ) as we head into another remote semester, consider doing the same yourself.

[bsr]

Canvas's regrading is a hot mess in so many ways. This is just one more. I found this thread like everyone else, after realizing that I'd left the "1 point" default on a quiz question and trying to change it to the intended 4 points, then realizing that there was no regrade option for that. Screaming into the void.

If it is one of the very very few question types that Canvas will regrade at all, I discovered that you can change the point value, then change the answer it to a wrong answer, select regrade, save, edit again to change the answer back to the correct answer, select regrade, save again, and it will regrade the question with the corrected point value. BUT... it won't update the grades. So then you have to go into speedgrader and click "update grade" manually for every single student. Another long, clunky, ridiculous work-around for something that shouldn't require one, but it does at least keep you from having to read and evaluate each student's answer and manually scoring them, risking further errors. 

[rangerlindsay]

It is amazing to me that any University continues to use Canvas after finding out how bad the quiz software is.