Description
Canvas offers two quiz engines: Classic Quizzes and New Quizzes. At OHIO, Classic Quizzes was the initial default quiz type during the transition to Canvas to support importing of content from Blackboard. Instructors can choose either Classic Quizzes or New Quizzes when creating a quiz, and existing Classic Quizzes can be migrated to New Quizzes.
We recommend using New Quizzes for all new assessments. Canvas has indicated that New Quizzes is the long-term replacement for Classic Quizzes, and all new quiz feature development is focused on New Quizzes. Starting with the 2026–2027 academic year, OIT will work with instructors who use Classic Quizzes to prepare for a future transition to New Quizzes.
Environment
Canvas in your web browser.
Solution
Table of Contents
Classic Quizzes versus New Quizzes
The table below shows some of the major differences between the two quiz engines. Please refer to this document from Canvas for a complete comparison. Classic Quizzes are distinguished by a rocket ship icon outlined in black while New Quizzes are designated by a solid black rocket ship icon. When a quiz is published, the icons turn green. Please note that both Classic Quizzes and New Quizzes support students in resuming an in-progress assessment following a power or internet interruption. The ability to return to a quiz may vary depending on instructor-configured settings and the use of third-party proctoring tools.
Feature Comparison of Classic and New Quizzes in Canvas
|
Function
|
Classic
|
New
|
|
Duplicate Quiz from Quizzes page
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
Print Test and Answer Key
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
Create Survey
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Question Types (Essay, Fill in the Blank, Fill in Multiple Blanks, File Upload, Formula, Multiple Answer, Multiple Choice, Multiple Dropdown, Matching, Numeric, True/False)
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Question Types (Categorization, Stimulus, Ordering, Hotspot)
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
Require Waiting Period Between Attempts
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
Shuffle Questions Globally
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
Shuffle Answers per Question
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
Add Extra Time (Individual Student, for the whole course instead of just a single test)
|
No
|
Yes
|
Classic Quizzes can be migrated to New Quizzes to take advantage of the engine's more robust features. You can migrate quizzes either individually or in bulk by copying/importing them as New Quizzes within the same course or from another Canvas course.
NOTE: Canvas may display a "Text No Question" warning banner during quiz migration. In many cases, this message appears even when no issues are identified with the migrated quiz. Review the migrated quiz to confirm that all content transferred as expected.
Migrating Classic Quizzes individually
- Log in at canvas.ohio.edu
- In the green Global Navigation Menu, select Courses
- Select the course where you would like to migrate your Classic Quizzes
- In the course menu select Quizzes
- Scroll to the quiz you want to migrate and select the three-dot options menu to the right of the quiz name
- Select Migrate
- Canvas will inform you that it is migrating the quiz and will place the new version below the original Classic Quiz
Migrating Classic Quizzes in bulk
- Log in at canvas.ohio.edu
- In the green Global Navigation Menu, select Courses
- Select the course where you would like to bulk migrate your Classic Quizzes
- Select Settings in the course menu
- On the right side menu, select Import Course Content
- In the Content Type drop-down menu, select the Copy a Canvas Course option
- Search for the course from which you would like to bulk migrate the quizzes
- For the Content section, enable the Select specific content radio button
- NOTE: Choosing the specific content option requires you to pick the content you want to import after you review the remaining page options. Once the import begins, the import selection cannot be canceled.
- Select the Import existing quizzes as New Quizzes check box
- Select the Import button
- Under Current Jobs, to the right of the course copy job name, choose the Select Content button
- Select the specific quizzes you would like to import and migrate to New Quizzes
- NOTE: If your quizzes draw from question banks, you must ensure that you choose both the quizzes and the question banks that supply the questions.
- Choose the Select Content button to begin the migration process
- Canvas will inform you that the job is queued, running, and completed
- Once the job is complete, go to the Quizzes page and view the newly migrated quizzes to confirm the content is as expected
- NOTE: The New Quizzes will appear below the original ones on the Quizzes page and will have the same names. We recommend that you either rename the Classic Quiz or delete it (once you've confirmed the New Quiz is accurate and complete) to avoid confusion.
Outcome: Your Classic Quizzes have been migrated to New Quizzes. Review the migrated quizzes to confirm that settings, questions, and question banks transferred as expected.
Get Help From Canvas
Get Help From OIT
Additional Resources