Randomize quiz questions

This idea has been developed and deployed to Canvas

As of now, Canvas allows teachers to randomize the answer choices in a quiz.  It would be great to also have the option to randomize the quiz questions.

Comments from Instructure

This idea was completed with general availability of Quizzes.Next.  You can find more information about the overall project in the Quizzes.Next User Group.‌

  • Quizzes.Next is now available for all paid accounts.
  • Quizzes.Next documentation will live in the Quizzes.Next User Group until July 14, 2018. On July 14, 2018, all of the documentation will be moved to the Canvas Guides in the Canvas Instructor Guide or Canvas Student Guide
  • Quizzes.Next updates will be included in the Canvas Release Notes. This includes new features, updated features, and relevant fixed bugs. New and updated features will be deployed to Quizzes.Next near the same time as the Canvas release. Fixed bugs may be deployed at any time.
12 Comments
Stef_retired
Instructure Alumni
Instructure Alumni

 @llgray , it's currently possible to randomize quiz questions by placing the questions in one or more question groups, as described in How do I create a quiz with a question group to randomize quiz questions?​ If you're looking for a checkbox similar to the one that currently exists for randomizing the question choices, I'd point out that (1) improvements to current quiz functionality are on hold until the implementation of the massive quiz refactor project Canvas Studio: Modern Quizzing Engine​; and (2) the feature ideas process for newly-submitted ideas is temporarily on hold, as described in Changes Coming to Canvas Community Feature Ideas​.

In the meantime, while waiting for the implementation of the new quiz engine, I hope you'll try the question group approach; it has worked well for me.

Renee_Carney
Community Team
Community Team

 @llgray 

Did you get a chance to try the solution suggested by Stefanie? 

I am going to archive this idea for now, and ask you to try the solution as well as follow the Canvas Studio: Modern Quizzing Engine​ project!

amgies
Community Novice

The question group alternative is a complicated work around, although it seems to work. But since this is a routine need, I simply wanted to second Lori Gray's suggestion that it would definitely help to simply have the option available in Quizzes, like the 'shuffle answers' button that already exists.

Renee_Carney
Community Team
Community Team

This idea will remain in the open voting forum as an idea related to Priority: Quizzes.Next

*Being a related idea does not guarantee it is slated for development, instead it indicates that the idea is related to the overall scope and is being used to inform the process.

tsawicki
Community Novice

I agree with you and have suggested this in several places.  Complex workarounds take up already overworked teachers valuable time, and detract from the quality time we spend with students.  This should be easy to do from within a quiz.  We need the option to randomize the order of all the questions and randomize the answer choices on each question individually.

ronmarx
Community Contributor

Creating Question Groups as stefaniesanders‌ suggested was one of the first workarounds I learned using Canvas. It does work, and doesn't create too much extra work, but I agree more with @Thomas Sawicki that overworked (and underappreciated) teachers already have enough to do. A simple checkbox on the quiz configuration page would save valuable time, especially if there are fifty, one hundred, or more assessments to be created from the same number or more of question banks. Welcome to my world. #quizzes.next

bwhitney
Community Member

The problem with making a quiz bank to be able to randomize the questions is that when you link your quiz bank to a quiz, you are limited to a couple options. First, you are asked how many questions you want to use from the quiz bank and second, you are asked how many points each question will be worth. The second is what I have a problem with. If I made 10 questions in the quiz bank and each were worth different number of points, this function over-rides what was designed into the questions in the question bank. As Ron Marx said, a simple checkbox on the quiz configuration page would be ideal and not have to link to a question bank.

rfrank
Community Novice

Brian Whitney hit the nail square on the head.  Randomizing questions by linking to a question bank has too many limitations.  It is unbelievable to me that such a simple option as randomize questions does not exist as an option within a quiz.

Renee_Carney
Community Team
Community Team
This idea has been developed and is On Canvas Beta Quizzes LTI User Group 

This feature is now available through the new Quizzes LTI tool.  Find more information on the Quizzes LTI tool, and how to access it, at Quizzes LTI User Group 

The specific guide for this feature in the Quizzes LTI tool is How do I manage delivery settings for an assessment in the Quizzes LTI? 

Renee_Carney
Community Team
Community Team
This idea has been developed and deployed to Canvas 

 

This idea was completed with general availability of Quizzes.Next.  You can find more information about the overall project in the Quizzes.Next User Group.‌

  • Quizzes.Next is now available for all paid accounts.
  • Quizzes.Next documentation will live in the Quizzes.Next User Group until July 14, 2018. On July 14, 2018, all of the documentation will be moved to the Canvas Guides in the Canvas Instructor Guide or Canvas Student Guide
  • Quizzes.Next updates will be included in the Canvas Release Notes. This includes new features, updated features, and relevant fixed bugs. New and updated features will be deployed to Quizzes.Next near the same time as the Canvas release. Fixed bugs may be deployed at any time.