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Turn lecture notes into Canvas quiz questions with AI

Upload a PDF, slide deck or set of notes and get multiple-choice, true/false or short answer questions with explanations, ready to review before you publish.

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Drop files here or browsePDF, DOCX, PPTX, text or photos of your notes · several files with Plus

Free · First set needs no signup · Creates quizzes in seconds

Why your own material makes better quizzes

Good canvas quiz creation starts with the material you actually taught. A quiz built from your lecture slides or course notes checks the same ideas students were asked to learn, rather than generic trivia. DeckOwl reads PDFs, DOCX and PPTX files, plus photos of pages through text recognition, and drafts multiple-choice, true/false or short answer questions with explanations.

Check that each multiple-choice question has exactly one correct answer.
Write distractors based on common misconceptions, not obvious jokes.
Keep true/false statements to one idea so they can be judged cleanly.
Match question difficulty to the level of the lecture or reading.

Example quiz design questions for Canvas quizzes

What is a distractor in a multiple-choice question?A plausible incorrect option. Good distractors reflect common student misconceptions, so a wrong choice still shows what the student misunderstood.

Why should a true/false statement contain only one idea?A statement with two claims can be partly true, which makes it hard to mark cleanly. Splitting it keeps the answer unambiguous.

Why avoid 'all of the above' in a multiple-choice quiz?It rewards partial recognition, since spotting two correct options is enough to choose it. Specific options test each idea on its own.

What is the purpose of an explanation on a quiz question?It tells students why the correct answer is right and why the others are wrong, so feedback teaches as well as scores.

Why match question difficulty to the lecture level?Questions above the material taught measure guessing rather than learning. Matching the level gives a fair picture of what students understood.

Generate the full set

Three question types

Multiple-choice, true/false and short answer questions, each with an explanation for the correct answer.

Built from your material

Questions come from the PDF, DOCX, PPTX, text or photo of a page you upload, so the quiz matches what you taught.

Export for your LMS

Export to PDF or DOCX on Plus. QTI 2.1 and Moodle XML export are included on Pro.

How it works

Upload your material

Add a PDF, DOCX, PPTX, notes or a photo of a page.

Choose question types

Pick multiple-choice, true/false or short answer for the quiz.

Review and export

Edit anything that is off, then export to PDF or DOCX, or QTI 2.1 on Pro.

Review each draft before it reaches students. Check that every question has one defensible correct answer, that wrong options are plausible but clearly wrong, and that the explanation would make sense to someone who missed the lecture. Edit the wording, then export in the format your course needs.

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Frequently asked questions

How many questions should a Canvas quiz have?

There is no fixed rule, but quizzes of 10 to 15 questions are easier to finish in one sitting. Match the length to the time you give students and the number of topics covered.

What makes a good multiple-choice distractor?

A good distractor is a plausible answer that a student who misunderstood the topic would choose. Avoid options like 'all of the above' or obviously wrong choices, since they give away the answer.

Can I export quizzes for Canvas with DeckOwl?

QTI 2.1 export is on the Pro plan at $14.99 per month, and Moodle XML export is also on Pro. PDF and DOCX export are included on Plus at $39 per year or $7.99 per month, and you should check your institution's import steps.

Does DeckOwl cost anything to try?

The Free plan includes 3 generations per month with study in the browser, but exports are not included. Students get 40% off with a school email, and no credit card is needed to start.

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Keep exploring the topic

Review the main ideas visually or practice recalling them.