Canvas Release Update: New Quizzes Moving to Quizzes Page

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Canvas is consistently working on and looking for ways to improve the system. As a part of this, Canvas is in the process of creating a new quiz engine. This quiz engine (hereafter called “New Quizzes”) is currently available in Canvas and has slightly different features and capabilities from the current quiz engine (“Classic Quizzes”).

We’ll get into the differences between the two options in a future post. Today, however, we’re going to look at the updates Canvas is making to where New Quizzes are housed and created as well as noting the icon designation changes. These changes will go live in Canvas Saturday, February 15.

New Quizzes moves to the Quizzes page

Until this change takes effect February 15, New Quizzes are still created from and located on the Assignments page. Yes, it was odd for a quiz to not be on the Quizzes page, but Canvas did have their reasons. With this change, that oddity is remedied. New Quizzes will be created from and located on the Quizzes page.

Since both quiz engines are still available in Canvas, the “Create Quiz” button on the Quizzes page will display a dialog box so you can choose which type of quiz you want.

Screenshot showing the dialog box presented in Canvas when you click the "Create Quiz" button on the Quizzes page. This dialog box allows you to choose between the Classic Quiz and New Quiz engine. — *Screenshot showing the dialog box presented in Canvas when you click the “Create Quiz” button on the Quizzes page.*

This dialog box has a link that describes the differences between the two quiz engines. We’ll also be talking about these differences in depth in a future post. In the meantime, select which quiz engine you want to use and click “Submit.”

New Quizzes has a changed icon

In the first phase of New Quizzes’ availability in Canvas, it used an assignments icon (paper and pencil). With New Quizzes moving to the Quizzes page, the icon is also moving to resemble the Classic Quizzes icon.

The Classic Quizzes icon is still the outline of a rocket. The New Quizzes icon will be a solid (filled-in) version of that rocket icon. This change streamlines the iconography while still keeping the quiz engines distinguishable.

Screenshot showing the icons for the Classic Quiz and New Quiz in Canvas. The Classic Quiz icon is the outline of a rocket; the New Quiz icon is the same rocket but filled in. — *Screenshot showing the icon differences for a Classic Quiz vs a New Quiz*

We’ll be looking more at these quiz engines and features related to them in the upcoming weeks. Stay tuned for our next post where we’ll talk about the differences that will go into detail about which quiz engine to use when and what the differences between them really mean for your courses.