Best Practices for Transitioning to New Quizzes

Once you've decided when to transition to New Quizzes, you'll want to ensure a smooth semester for both you and your students. The following best practices have been provided to help you manage the transition to the new Canvas quiz engine.

New Quizzes Transition Checklist for Canvas Teachers, TAs, and Designers

DO make a plan to migrate quizzes for at least one course prior to the enforcement date.

We recommend using New Quizzes in at least one course prior to the enforcement date to become familiar with how to navigate the app and build/deliver assessments in this new tool. Once you are comfortable with the new format, you can work ahead to migrate the rest of your courses before the enforcement deadline (TBD).

New Quizzes can certainly be used for all courses you teach if that is your preference, but you'll want to ensure that all the assessments in the course have been migrated so continuity in quiz engine type is being provided to students throughout the course.

DO NOT migrate any current/remaining assessments after the term has started.

This includes midterm and final exams. Most students are not yet familiar with the New Quizzes user interface (UI) or how to navigate it, and the unexpected change may cause some to do poorly on their exam.

Ensure all assessments in the course use the same quiz engine.

In other words, don't leave any Classic Quizzes behind! Switching back-and-forth between quiz engines can become tedious for both you and your students. Make sure all of your course's assessments are uniform in delivery so students know which version they can expect for quizzes and exams.

Proofread your new assessments before copying and publishing.

During the migration process, formatting and certain question types may not display as intended. Be sure to Preview each quiz before you publish them for students.

Include information about New Quizzes in your course syllabus or orientation through the transition.

Most students will find New Quizzes user-friendly and easy to navigate. However, the change in UI may come as a surprise for some returning students when they go to complete their first assessment in your class. Including links to helpful product resources such as this Alamo Colleges Screen Steps Guide will prepare them for the new format and answer any questions they may have prior to taking their first quiz.

For instructors who wish to include more information about New Quizzes in their course orientation module, a sample New Quizzes student information page can be downloaded from the Canvas Commons and customized for your course.

Work ahead if you are able.

When the New Quizzes enforcement date passes (TBD), waiting to let Canvas do the quiz migration for you is not recommended since some features and question types will no longer be supported in New Quizzes. We recommend manually migrating and checking each of your course's quizzes before the deadline to migrate.

Additional tips for migrating your Classic Quizzes to New Quizzes can be found in the "Migration" module of this course.