Decimal Places in Quizzes

[tankovpa]

  This idea has been developed and deployed to Canvas

  Idea will be open for vote Wed. July 1, 2015 - Wed. October 7, 2015  Learn more about voting...

It would be nice if you could hide or select the number of decimals displayed when using the numerical response option in a quiz.

Currently, if you are using the numerical response option, when you hit submit the answer adds a decimal point and displays four zeroes to the right of the decimal point. While this does not change the value, and I am sure it is part of the system's method of being accurate in checking that an answer is correct it can create issues for younger students. Younger students who have not yet learned about decimal points see their answer change when they submit and may believe that the computer is changing their response.

Is there a way to hide the logic check, so the student does not see the conversion? or be able to turn off the conversion?

There is a work around, that is more intensive on the teacher. If you want to avoid the display of the number changing you can opt to use the Fill in the Blank response type. This leads to the need to create multiple possible correct answers to include commas, which is why the numerical answer does the conversion no doubt. It just would be nice if the conversion was hidden from view of the student.

Comments from Instructure

For more information on the release of this feature, and others, please review the Canvas Production Release Notes (2015-10-31)

This idea was indirectly developed through "Numerical Answer with Precision"

[amixon]

This is important in the sciences as well.  When dealing with classes that follow and use significant figures, there is a huge difference in the precision of a number when you compare 12, 12.0, 12.00, 12.000, and 12.0000.  To change the number on us is absolutely incorrect.

[sshumway]

I teach math and physics, and I agree with this feature request!  The formula question type has this feature and may meet your needs until this feature is added to the numerical question type.

[scottdennis]

This feature idea is now open for voting.

[amixon]

All. Given that this is open for voting until october I wanted to share my workaround.  I use fill in the blank for numerical answer. It then treats the answer like text. So if you have several acceptable values (due to rounding for example) you can place both answers in as correct.  What ypu can't do however is give specific feedback on almost right wrong answers.

for example if the correct answer is 2.5 but you will accept 2.4 and 2.6 as other correct answers then you can type all three in as potential ok answers. If you wanted to tell them 2.2 is wrong and here is why you can't do that, sadly. But hey, here is a numeric work around that works. And Canvas will not say 2.50 is a correct answer if the correct answer is only 2.5. Hope that helps!

april​

[sshumway]

Formula questions may be helpful. I often allow answers within 5% of the exact answer.

[scottdennis]

Hey April,

Just to clarify; we won't necessarily wait until an idea has had its full three month cycle to be developing it.  We might already have been working on it before it was suggested, we might bump it up in priority based on how many votes it gets and how hard it would be to implement before the end of the three months, or possibly we might archive an idea earlier if there is no way we would ever build it no matter how many votes it gets - to my knowledge that hasn't ever happened but it is theoretically possible.

[Renee_Carney]

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[h_mukaddam]

Any idea if and when this will go back up for a vote?  I think it would be an excellent feature especially for our younger learners.

[Renee_Carney]

Greetings  @h_mukaddam ​

Please take a look at " modifiedtitle="true" title="decimal option for numerical test answers.​  This idea was completed in October!

For more information on the release of this feature, and others, please review the Canvas Production Release Notes (2015-10-31)

This idea was indirectly developed through "Numerical Answer with Precision"

[fazliyana001]

All 10 questions on my computer-marked assignment is asking for answers to be in 2 decimal places. But when I input my answers, it auto change to 4 decimal places. eg if my answer is 66.67 it changes to 66.6700

How will this be marked if I input 66.6700 or 66.6667?

If the questions are really asking for 2 decimal places only, ill probably be getting zero out of 10 for this test. I don't seem to be able to get any help from anyone so far..