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Turn your notes into a quiz ready for Canvas upload

Upload a PDF, slides or notes and get multiple-choice, true/false and short-answer questions with explanations, ready to export for your course.

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How to prepare a quiz for upload to Canvas

A Canvas quiz upload goes smoothly when the questions are already in a format the course can read and the content matches what students covered that week.

Upload only the pages or slides the quiz covers to keep questions on topic.
Review each explanation, since a wrong rationale teaches the wrong idea.
Preview imported quizzes to catch broken formatting or missing answers.
Keep a copy of the original export file in case you need to reimport.

Example quiz questions for a Canvas upload

What does QTI stand for?Question and Test Interoperability, a standard format that lets quiz items move between learning systems.

Why should you preview an imported quiz before students see it?Imports can lose formatting or shift answer keys, so a preview catches errors before they reach students.

Why do short-answer questions often need manual grading after import?Automatic grading matches fixed answers like multiple choice or true/false, so open responses need a person to review them.

Which file type should you choose if your LMS accepts Moodle XML?Moodle XML, because the platform can read that format directly, which avoids converting the questions by hand.

What is the main benefit of keeping a quiz unpublished during review?Students cannot see or attempt it until you have checked every question and explanation.

Generate the full set

Questions from your material

Upload PDF, DOCX, PPTX, plain text or photos of pages, and get questions written from the content you actually teach.

Explanations on every item

Each question includes an explanation, so you can check the reasoning before the quiz goes to students.

Export for your LMS

Pro plans export QTI 2.1 and Moodle XML files, which learning systems that support those formats can import.

How it works

Upload your source

Add the PDF, slides or notes that the quiz should cover.

Choose question types

Pick multiple choice, true/false or short answer, then generate the set.

Review and export

Check the questions and explanations, then export the file your course platform accepts.

Start by generating questions from the exact readings or slides for the quiz, then remove anything outside the unit. Short-answer items usually need manual grading after import, so keep that in mind when you plan timing.

Before publishing, preview the quiz inside the course, check answer keys and formatting, and keep it unpublished until you have reviewed every question.

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Frequently asked questions

How many questions should a weekly Canvas quiz have?

Most weekly quizzes work well with 10 to 20 questions, enough to check the main ideas without making the time limit unreasonable.

What should I check before publishing an imported quiz?

Preview the quiz in the course, confirm each answer key is correct, and check that formatting and images displayed properly. Leave it unpublished until the review is complete.

Can DeckOwl export quizzes for Canvas?

QTI 2.1 and Moodle XML exports are included on the Pro plan at $14.99 per month. The free plan lets you study in the browser but has no exports.

What file types can I upload?

You can upload PDF, DOCX, PPTX, plain text notes and images of pages, which are read with text recognition. The free plan includes 3 generations per month.

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Keep exploring the topic

Review the main ideas visually or practice recalling them.