New Quizzes: Convert Classic Quiz Question Banks to New Quiz Item Banks

This article covers converting the Question Banks used in Canvas Classic Quizzes into the Item Bank format used in New Quizzes. This is occasionally a necessary step for migrating Classic Quizzes to New Quizzes.

Audience

This article is intended for faculty.

Platform

Canvas

Contents

• Overview
• Before You Begin
• Step 1: Create a Classic Quiz from the Question Bank
• Step 2: Migrate the Classic Quiz to New Quizzes
• Step 3: Verify the New Item Bank
• Notes and Tips
• Additional Resources

Overview

In Classic Quizzes, reusable questions are stored in question banks. In New Quizzes, the equivalent tool is an item bank. These two systems are not interchangeable - a New Quiz cannot pull questions directly from a Classic Question Bank. However, Canvas supports converting Classic Quiz question bank content into New Quizzes item banks through .QTI quiz export/import.

Please note that this is a different process from migrating Classic Quizzes to New Quizzes, and that question banks need to be converted to item banks separately. A Classic Quiz that uses a Question Bank, if migrated to a New Quiz, will no longer have the Question Bank that group pulls from and so may have an empty or missing section. If you need to convert Classic Quizzes to New Quizzes, please visit the following article: New Quizzes: Migrate from Classic Quizzes.

Before You Begin

Canvas does not provide a one-click tool to move a Question Bank directly into an Item Bank. Instead, you will build a temporary Classic Quiz that pulls from the Question Bank, and then migrate that quiz to New Quizzes. During migration, the questions will be placed into a new Item Bank automatically.

You will need:

• Instructor access to the Canvas course that contains the Question Bank
• The name of the Question Bank you want to convert

Step 1: Create a Classic Quiz from the Question Bank

1. Open your course in Canvas.
2. Click Quizzes in the course navigation menu.
3. Click +Quiz in the upper-right corner.
4. Choose Classic Quizzes from the pop-up menu and click Submit.
5. Enter a title for the quiz in the Details tab. (Using the same name or a name related to your Question Bank may you stay organized - i.e., "Temp Quiz - Chapter 3 Review")
6. To avoid adding the quiz to your Gradebook, click the Quiz Type drop-down menu and select the Practice Quiz option.
7. Click the Edit button. 
8. Click the Questions tab.
9. Click + New Question Group.
   
    
   1. Enter a group name. (This step is required - the Question Group is what becomes the Item Bank during migration.)
   2. Click Create Group.
10. Click Find Questions in the upper-right corner.
11. Choose the Question Bank you want to convert from the list on the left.
12. Click Select All at the top of the question list to select every question in the bank.
13. Choose the Question Group you just created from the drop-down menu at the bottom of the window.
14. Click Add Questions.
15. Click Save at the bottom of the quiz editor. Do not publish the quiz.

Step 2: Migrate the Classic Quiz to New Quizzes

1. Return to the Quizzes page in your course.
2. Locate the Classic Quiz you just created.
3. Click the three-dot (options) icon next to the quiz title.
4. Choose Migrate from the drop-down menu. Canvas creates an unpublished duplicate of the quiz in the New Quizzes format. The new Item Bank will be named after the Question Group you created in Step 1 - not the original Question Bank.
5. Wait for the migration to finish. Larger quizzes may take a few minutes. The Quiz should appear at the bottom of your list of Quizzes.

Step 3: Verify the New Item Bank

1. Click Quizzes in the course navigation menu.
2. Click any New Quiz in your course to open the New Quizzes editor. If you do not have one yet, create a temporary New Quiz to access the interface.
3. Click Build.
4. Click the three-dot (options) icon in the upper-right corner.
5. Choose Manage Item Banks from the drop-down menu.
6. Locate the new Item Bank in the list. It will share the name of the Question Group you created in Step 1.
7. Click the Item Bank name to open it and confirm that all questions migrated correctly.
8. Review each question for accuracy. Pay particular attention to:
   1. Mathematical equations
   2. Images and media (Kaltura videos, in particular, may need to be re-added)
   3. Answer keys and point values

Once you have verified the Item Bank, you can delete the temporary Classic Quiz and any placeholder New Quiz you created. The Item Bank will remain available in your course.

Notes and Tips

• Rename the Item Bank if needed. After migration, you can rename the Item Bank from the Item Banks page to match your preferred naming convention.
• Item Banks are owned by the person who creates them. To let a colleague or TA use the bank, click Share next to the Item Bank name and enter their name or Netpass username (generally first initial + last name, sometimes with a number.)

Additional Resources

How Do I Move A Classic Quizzes Question Bank into a New Quizzes Item Bank?

How do I Manage Item Banks in New Quizzes?

New Quizzes: Transition Overview and Timeline