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Know the Canvas quiz UI, then generate questions from your notes

Get familiar with the Canvas quiz settings, then turn your PDFs, slides or notes into practice questions with explanations.

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How the Canvas quiz UI fits into building practice questions

Canvas quiz UI is the set of screens where instructors write questions, pick a question type, set attempt limits and decide when students can see correct answers. Knowing where those controls live saves time when you build a quiz from scratch.

Check each generated question against the settings you plan to use in the Canvas quiz UI, such as attempts or time limits.
Read the explanations before you publish, so the feedback matches what you want students to take away.
Mix multiple choice and true/false for quick checks with open questions that test recall.
Export to PDF or DOCX on Plus, or to QTI 2.1 on Pro, when you need the questions outside the browser.

Example Canvas quiz UI questions and answers

In the Canvas quiz UI, which question type lets students select more than one correct option?Multiple answers. Students must select every correct option and no incorrect ones to earn full credit.

What does the Shuffle answers setting do in a Canvas quiz?It randomizes the order of answer choices for each student, which makes it harder to copy from a neighbor.

Why might an instructor turn on One question at a time in a Canvas quiz?It shows one question per screen, so students cannot scroll ahead and see the whole quiz at once.

What is a fill-in-the-blank question useful for in a Canvas quiz?Recalling a term or short factual answer. Students type the response, so the accepted answers must be set in advance.

Which Canvas quiz setting controls how many times a student can retake a quiz?Allowed attempts. The scoring policy, such as keep highest or keep latest, decides which attempt counts toward the grade.

Generate the full set

Questions from your own material

Upload a PDF, DOCX, PPTX, text file or photo of a page, and get multiple-choice, true/false or open questions drawn from it.

Explanations for every answer

Each question comes with an explanation, so students learn why the right answer is right and the others are wrong.

Export that matches your plan

Export to PDF or DOCX on Plus, or to QTI 2.1 and Moodle XML on Pro. The free plan keeps studying in the browser.

How it works

Upload your notes

Add the lecture slides, reading or notes you want to be tested on.

Choose question types

Pick multiple choice, true/false or open questions, then generate a set.

Review and use

Edit any question, then study in the browser or export it when your plan allows.

DeckOwl handles the question-writing step. Upload a lecture PDF or a set of notes, and it drafts multiple-choice, true/false or open questions with explanations that you can review and edit before using them.

On the free plan, students can study the same questions in the browser with 3 generations per month. Exports to PDF, DOCX, QTI 2.1 and Moodle XML need a paid plan.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a quiz and a question bank in Canvas?

A quiz is what students take, while a question bank stores questions that can be pulled into one or more quizzes. Keeping questions in a bank makes it easier to reuse them and randomize which ones appear.

How many questions should a practice quiz have?

Most instructors keep short practice quizzes to a small set of questions so feedback stays focused. Match the length to how long you want students to spend on it.

Can I export generated questions for Canvas?

QTI 2.1 export is included on the Pro plan at $14.99/month, and PDF and DOCX exports are included on Plus at $39/year or $7.99/month. Check with your school about how it imports question files.

Is there a free plan, and does it need a credit card?

The free plan includes 3 generations per month and studying in the browser, but exports are not included. No credit card is needed to start.

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Keep exploring the topic

Review the main ideas visually or practice recalling them.