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Learn what your Canvas quiz analytics mean and how to act on them

DeckOwl does not pull data from Canvas. It builds multiple-choice, true/false and open questions with explanations from your own course material, so you can practice the concepts behind the numbers.

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What the numbers in a quiz report tell you

Canvas quiz analytics show how each question performed across a class, but the numbers only help if you know what they mean. A difficulty index tells you the share of students who answered an item correctly, and a discrimination index tells you whether strong students got it right more often than weak ones.

Difficulty index is the proportion of students who answered an item correctly, usually shown from 0 to 1.
Discrimination index compares high and low scorers; values near zero or negative suggest a flawed item.
Distractor analysis shows which wrong options attracted students, revealing common misconceptions.
Reliability measures such as KR-20 indicate how consistently a set of right-or-wrong items measures one construct.

Example Canvas item analysis practice questions

What does a difficulty index of 0.85 on a quiz item indicate?About 85% of students answered it correctly, so the item is easy. It adds little information about who understands the material.

What is a discrimination index?It measures how well an item separates high scorers from low scorers. Values near zero or negative suggest the item or its answer key needs review.

Why do instructors run distractor analysis?Counting how often each wrong option is chosen reveals common misconceptions and options that nobody picks, which may need rewriting.

True or false: a low difficulty index always means a question is poorly written.False. A low index can reflect hard material that was taught well, so check discrimination and the content before revising.

What does KR-20 measure on a test of right-or-wrong items?Internal consistency reliability. Higher values mean the items tend to measure the same underlying skill, usually reported on a 0 to 1 scale.

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Questions from your material

Upload a PDF, slide deck, DOCX file, plain notes or a photo of a page and get quiz questions with explanations written from that content.

Three question types

Choose multiple choice, true/false or short answer. Each question includes an explanation of why the correct option is right.

Exports for your course

Export to PDF or DOCX on Plus. Pro adds QTI 2.1 and Moodle XML so you can bring questions into the LMS you already use.

How it works

Upload your notes or slides

Add the reading, lecture slides or chapter PDF you want to practice.

Pick a question type and count

Choose multiple choice, true/false or short answer, then generate a set sized to your study session.

Check your answers and review

Read each explanation, note which concepts you missed, and generate another set on those topics.

Read the stats together. An item that nearly everyone misses may be badly worded or keyed to the wrong answer, while an item that everyone gets right adds little information about who understands the material. Use the report to decide which questions to rewrite before you reuse a quiz.

If you want to practice the underlying topics yourself, generate fresh questions from your own course material and study them until the explanations make sense.

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Frequently asked questions

What is a good difficulty index for a quiz question?

Many instructors aim for items between about 0.3 and 0.8, but the right target depends on the purpose of the quiz. A very easy or very hard item should be reviewed rather than automatically removed.

How do I tell if a Canvas quiz question is flawed?

Look for a low or negative discrimination index, a correct answer that few strong students chose, or distractors that nobody selects. Check the wording and answer key before deciding to revise or drop it.

Can DeckOwl export quizzes to Canvas?

Pro includes QTI 2.1 and Moodle XML export, which you can use to import questions into compatible LMS platforms. PDF and DOCX export are available on Plus, and the free plan allows studying in the browser only.

Does DeckOwl show analytics for my class?

No. DeckOwl creates practice questions and explanations from your material, but it does not analyze student results from Canvas or any other LMS.

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