Enhancing Online Assessment with New Quizzes in Canvas

Did You Know? The way we design assessments can significantly shape how students learn, not just what they remember. Quizzes can do more than check understanding; they can actively support learning, engagement, and insight.

As you continue facilitating your course this semester, even small changes to your assessments can make a meaningful difference. New Quizzes in Canvas offers tools that support more intentional, aligned, and flexible assessment practices helping you better understand what your students know and how they apply it.

New Quizzes introduces several features that can enhance both your workflow and your students’ experience. You now have access to more engaging question types that allow you to assess applications, not just recall along with item banks that make it easier to build and reuse questions over time. In addition, improved analytics provide clearer insight into student learning, and flexible moderation options make it easier to support diverse learner needs through accommodations like extended time or multiple attempts.

From a design perspective, one of the most valuable aspects of New Quizzes is the ability to create more meaningful assessments. With options like categorization, matching, and stimulus-based questions, you can design activities that ask students to apply concepts, analyze information, and engage more deeply with course content. When assessments are aligned with learning objectives in this way, they become more than checkpoints; they become part of the learning process itself.
✔ Online Course Checklist Connection: Assessments are clearly aligned with learning objectives and promote demonstration of understanding.

New Quizzes also supports a more sustainable approach to course design. Through item banks, you can save, organize, and reuse questions across courses and semesters, reducing the need to rebuild assessments each term. Over time, this allows you to refine your materials and maintain consistency across sections.
✔ Online Course Checklist Connection: Course materials and assessments are intentionally designed and consistently structured.

Another key benefit is the ability to use assessment data more intentionally. With improved analytics, you can see how students are performing at both the quiz and question level, helping you identify patterns and better understand where students may need additional support. These insights can guide small but meaningful instructional adjustments throughout the semester.
✔ Online Course Checklist Connection: Assessments provide opportunities for feedback and inform instructional decisions.

Flexibility is another area where New Quizzes stand out. The moderation tools allow you to provide accommodations such as additional time or extra attempts without needing to create multiple versions of the same quiz. This makes it easier to support diverse learners while keeping course management streamlined.
✔ Online Course Checklist Connection: The course supports diverse learners through flexible and accessible assessment practices.

If you’ve already created quizzes in Canvas, you don’t need to start over. Existing quizzes can be migrated into New Quizzes, giving you a foundation to build from while enhancing your current assessments. A quick review after migration can help ensure everything aligns with your intended design.
✔ Online Course Checklist Connection: Course design supports continuous improvement and efficient course development.

As you think about getting started, consider making one small change such as adding a new question type or incorporating targeted feedback at the question level. These small adjustments can improve student engagement while giving you more insight into their learning. Ultimately, New Quizzes are more than a new tool; it’s an opportunity to strengthen how assessment supports learning in your course. Thoughtful assessment design can enhance both the student experience and your ability to understand what students are learning.

If you’re interested in exploring how New Quizzes can support your course, the Office of Online Education is here to collaborate with you on designing effective and engaging assessments.. 

Canvas Resource: What is New Quizzes?