How do I really "Copy" a quiz?

jim_the_steam_c
Community Participant

HOW DO I CREATE A REAL COPY?

<EDIT> I added an "idea" submission here https://community.canvaslms.com/ideas/17229-provide-a-real-copy-disassociate-feature It is open for Up Voting... PLEASE SHARE ... Canvas developers... email me any time... I would be happy to chat about this...

How do I really "Copy" a quiz?

I want to copy a quiz... and before you say, "oh that is easy... " let me say again... I want to COPY, as in make a real honest new instantiation of the quiz that does not get over written... I don't want a reference instance of the old quiz pointing to the new quiz, I want a COPY of it...

<EDIT 06/23/2020> The current copy "feature" in canvas will let you make a "copy" of a page or assignment or quiz, but the new copy and the old source are still linked, and if you make a second copy of the original source, you will "copy" that over the first copy regardless of any edits you make in the first copy... 

<EDIT 06/23/2020> I'm really wanting to have a "copy with out any link to any other instance" so that I can create some really awesome "templates" that have some text structure that I want to have in many different pages or quizzes... where I can have a template with instructions, or questions in every quiz.  So that when I want to make a new quiz, I select that template version, and make a copy... then later when I want to make another quiz, select and copy that same template quiz again... and not overwrite any previous copies... or have a module introduction template page, where I make a copy for each module I do, because it has a set of instructions and copyright and other information that I want in all the pages I create... I just want a real "copy" function... we could call it "New Instance Copy"... 

Here is what I seem to see as a current behavior of a 'copy'

1) I have a class "class A" which has a quiz in it called "my-super-Awesome-Quiz"

2) I have another "class B" to which I want to copy the "my-super-Awesome-Quiz"

3) I go into "class A" and select the quiz group, and on the right hand ... I select the 'Copy To..." option.  I select the "class B" and even select a module in "class B" called "module I copy stuff to"

4) now I have a new quiz in "class B" in the module "module I copy stuff to" called "my-super-Awesome-Quiz"

5) I move the "my-super-Awesome-Quiz" from that module to a different module, I select the quiz and I make edits... these are super AWESOME edits, these edits take thought and time, and when I am done, I cry because this new quiz is so poetics and wonderful... it is the quintessential example of formative assessment... and I call it "myNewSuperAwesomeQuizTHATIPOUREDMYHEARTINTO"

6) I'm so happy with my new quiz, I think I'm going to make another just as good... maybe even better... So I go back to my "class A" and proceed to do steps 3 where I go into "class A" and select the quiz group, and on the right hand ... I select the 'Copy To..." option.  I select the "class B" and even select a module in "class B" called "module I copy stuff to"

7) I go back to "class B" and go to open the copy of my "my-super-Awesome-Quiz"... but wait, where is my "myNewSuperAwesomeQuizTHATIPOUREDMYHEARTINTO"... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH it's gone and in it's place is the copy of "my-super-Awesome-Quiz"

So I think about this and after I have stopped screaming in my head... because I have children in the house... I think about why Canvas might want that to happen... and I think OK, when copying from one class to another, maybe we want to maintain an idea of "Source" where you might have a class that is the source of the pages, quizzes, etc... and that you want the source that you keep updated to over write when you copy it to another class... OK, sure, not exactly what I would expect, but I can kinda understand and accept that.... so...

So, I tried another experiment...

1) in class B, I recreated my lost work... I even opened a new blank quiz... and I did my best to recapture the genius that was lost.. and I called it "myNewSuperAwesomeQuizTHATIPOUREDMYHEARTINTO-2PointO". 

2) I then made a copy if it by selecting the Copy To... option for that quiz, and make a copy selecting class B

3) I could see that I now had 2 files called "myNewSuperAwesomeQuizTHATIPOUREDMYHEARTINTO-2PointO".  I renamed the copy to "myNewFQuiz CalledBOB"

4) I can see that both of these files have different "reference number"?  "myNewSuperAwesomeQuizTHATIPOUREDMYHEARTINTO-2PointO" = /quizzes/5401787 and "myNewFQuiz CalledBOB" = /quizzes/5408598

5) I even make a bunch of edits to "myNewFQuiz CalledBOB" = /quizzes/5408598

AT This Point I honestly think these are different files... but no... some how if I make a 2nd copy of "myNewSuperAwesomeQuizTHATIPOUREDMYHEARTINTO-2PointO" = /quizzes/5401787  is does not make a "new" copy, it over writes  "myNewFQuiz CalledBOB" = /quizzes/5408598, and now I have 2 quizzes... the original "myNewSuperAwesomeQuizTHATIPOUREDMYHEARTINTO-2PointO" = /quizzes/5401787 and the 2nd copy "myNewSuperAwesomeQuizTHATIPOUREDMYHEARTINTO-2PointO" = /quizzes/5408598

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH... no I'm good because I cut and pasted all the real contend before I did this experament... so I actually did not loose the content...

SO HOW DO I MAKE A COPY of "myNewSuperAwesomeQuizTHATIPOUREDMYHEARTINTO-2PointO"  and then make another copy of "myNewSuperAwesomeQuizTHATIPOUREDMYHEARTINTO-2PointO"  with out overwriting the first copy of "myNewSuperAwesomeQuizTHATIPOUREDMYHEARTINTO-2PointO" 

I even tried exporting to commons, and then re-importing it.. I got the first copy fine... so I have the original, and the first copy, which I edit, and then I import from commons again, and this second import overwrites the first copy....

<EDIT>

the "settings" import also does not work.  It will still overwrite.

I went to my "class B" --> settings --> import, selected the assignments from my "class A" and imported... then I made edits to the imported assignment, and then imported again... and it over wrote the edited assignment... 

<EDIT 06/23/2020>

Experiment #67

1) in my free teacher canvas, I created a quiz called "awesomeQuiz#1"

2) I shared it to commons and "testDisassociate#1

3) I imported it to my school canvas sand box

4) I made some edits to it

5) I exported it back to commons  "awesomeQuizCopy&Edit#1"

6) I imported it back to my free teacher canvas.... and it did show up as a new item... awesomeQuizCopy&Edit#1... I made edits awesomeQuizCopy&Edit#2

7) but if I import it again from commons, it over writes... awesomeQuizCopy&Edit#1

😎 even if I go back to my school canvas, delete from commons, make edits, re-share with commons, "testDisassociate#2 and import to my free teacher, it overwrite the last import with the new... with the new edits... so Ya for source control, but Boo for a copy... is still knows and awesomeQuizCopy&Edit#1 is over written with "testDisassociate#2

HOW DO I CREATE A REAL COPY?