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Understand the Canvas quiz API and make practice quizzes from your notes

DeckOwl does not expose a Canvas API. Upload PDFs, slides or notes and get multiple-choice, true/false or open questions with explanations, ready to study or export.

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What the Canvas quiz API does and what DeckOwl does instead

Scripting quiz creation in Canvas usually means calling the Canvas quiz API, which exposes classic quizzes and their questions as REST endpoints under /api/v1/courses.

Classic quizzes and New Quizzes use different API endpoints, so check which one your course uses.
Canvas API requests need an OAuth access token or developer key before any call succeeds.
List endpoints return paginated results, so follow the next link until the set is complete.
DeckOwl generates questions from your material without connecting to your Canvas course.

Example Canvas API quiz questions

Which HTTP method creates a new classic quiz in the Canvas REST API?POST to /api/v1/courses/:course_id/quizzes, because creating a resource is done with POST in REST.

Which request header carries a Canvas OAuth access token?Authorization: Bearer <token>, because that is the standard OAuth 2.0 bearer token header.

How do you get the next page of results from a Canvas list endpoint?Follow the rel="next" URL in the Link response header, because Canvas paginates list responses this way.

Which response header shows the remaining request allowance before Canvas throttles you?X-Rate-Limit-Remaining, because Canvas uses cost-based rate limiting.

Which endpoint adds a question to a classic Canvas quiz?POST /api/v1/courses/:course_id/quizzes/:quiz_id/questions, because each question belongs to a specific quiz.

Generate the full set

Questions from your own material

Upload PDFs, DOCX files, slides, plain text or photos of pages, and get questions written from that content.

Three question types with explanations

Choose multiple-choice, true/false or short answer questions, and read an explanation for each correct answer.

Export when you need it

Export PDF and DOCX on Plus, and QTI 2.1 or Moodle XML on Pro, to use the file with your course platform.

How it works

Upload your notes

Add a PDF, slide deck, DOCX file, text file or a photo of a page.

Pick a question type

Select multiple-choice, true/false or open questions for your quiz.

Study or export

Practice in the browser, or export the set in a format your course platform accepts.

DeckOwl is not a Canvas integration and does not write to Canvas through an API. It reads the material you upload and produces practice questions with explanations that you can study from directly.

If you need a question file for another platform, the Pro plan exports QTI 2.1 and Moodle XML, so you can generate the questions here and import them where your platform supports that format.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I create a quiz with the Canvas API?

Send a POST request to /api/v1/courses/:course_id/quizzes with a title and quiz_type, using an OAuth access token. Then add each question with a separate POST to that quiz's questions endpoint.

Does the Canvas API paginate list results?

Yes. List responses are split into pages, and the Link header includes a rel="next" URL for the following page. Keep following those URLs until no next link is returned.

Can DeckOwl push quizzes directly into Canvas?

No. DeckOwl does not connect to Canvas through its API. You can export QTI 2.1 on the Pro plan and import the file where your platform accepts it.

What does DeckOwl charge for exports?

Exports are paid features: PDF and DOCX are on Plus at $39/year or $7.99/month, and QTI 2.1 and Moodle XML are on Pro at $14.99/month. The free plan includes 3 generations per month with study in the browser only.

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