While the Quizzes tool offers many ways to create and edit your quizzes, certain platform limitations can occur. The following FAQ addresses those limitations and how to make the Quizzes tool work in your favor.
Can I change the number of quiz points to fix grades?
No, you cannot change the maximum points on completed quiz attempts. If you need to change the maximum points for a quiz that students have already taken, like editing or deleting a quiz question, this can only be done in your grade book. If you edit or delete any questions, the overall grades in Quizzes will be updated to match what is in the grade book and marked with the label manually overwritten.
How do I change the maximum number of points for a quiz?
The maximum number of points cannot be changed for completed attempts, so you will need to change the maximum points in the grade book. However, this can only be done after clearing out students' grades in the grade item using Retract Feedback in the quiz. Students' grades will not be changed since the points they earned relative to the total points remain the same. The points in the grade book will be equal to the points earned in the attempt multiplied by (new maximum points / old maximum points). This is the only case where the points in the overall grade in the quiz and the grade book do not match, but the percentages match.
To change the maximum number of points for a quiz
- Navigate to Assessments > Quizzes.
- Click the drop-down menu for the quiz you want to edit and select Grade.
- Select all quiz attempts and click Retract Feedback to clear out quiz grades from your grade book.
- Navigate to Assessments > Grades.
- Change the maximum points on the associated grade item.
- When the pop-up dialog appears, click Yes.
- Navigate again to Assessments > Quizzes.
- Click the quiz drop-down menu and select Grade.
- Select all attempts and click Publish to send the updated grades to the grade book.
Note: If you change the maximum points before retracting feedback, the wrong grades are sent back to the quiz.
How do I change a quiz question to a bonus question?
If you change a quiz question to a bonus question, the question only changes for future attempts and not for already-completed attempts. However, this is resolved by decreasing the maximum points for the grade item.
To change a quiz question to a bonus question
- Navigate to Assessments > Quizzes.
- Click the name of the quiz you want to edit.
- Click the checkbox beside the quiz question you want to make a bonus question.
- Click More Actions > Toggle Bonus.
- Click Save and Close.
- Navigate to Assessments > Grades.
- Change the maximum points on the associated grade item to the new, lower number of maximum points, allowing for extra credit.
- Check the Can Exceed box if you want students to be able to receive more than 100% for the grade item. Check the Can Exceed box on the category and Final Calculated Grade if you want students to be able to receive more than 100% for the category and final grade.
How do I change points for a question on an in-progress quiz?
Changing the points a question is worth will only change it for future attempts, but not for completed attempts. You can alter grades in the grade book by updating the maximum points on the grade item and updating all attempts.
To change the points for a question on an in-progress quiz
- Navigate to Assessments > Grades.
- Click the Can Exceed checkbox on the grade item so that students' earned points transfer correctly to the grade book.
- Navigate to Assessments > Quizzes.
- Click the name of the quiz you want to edit.
- Check the box next to the question you want to change. Then click More Actions > Set Points.
- Enter the new number of points and click Save.
- Click Save and Close.
- Click the drop-down menu for the quiz and select Grade.
- In the Questions tab, click Update all attempts and click the question whose points you want to change.
Note: Any changed questions can be located under Questions that are not in the quiz anymore at the bottom of the page.
- Click give to attempts with answer, choose or enter the correct response, and enter the new points. Click Save.
Note: Students' grades are currently still incorrect for the quiz attempt.
- Navigate again to Assessments > Grades.
- Change the maximum points on the associated grade item.
How do I delete a question for an in-progress quiz?
Deleting a question from a quiz only deletes it from future attempts. The question still appears on completed attempts. You can change the number of points students received for the question on the completed attempts to zero, but the maximum points for the quiz will not change. This means students' grades will be temporarily incorrect in the quiz after you update all attempts to zero for the deleted question.
To delete a question for an in-progress quiz
- Navigate to Assessments > Quizzes.
- Click the name of the quiz you want to edit.
- Click the checkbox next to the question you want to delete. Then click More Actions > Delete.
- Click Delete again on the pop-up dialog.
- Click Save and Close.
- Click the quiz drop-down menu and select Grade.
- Click the Questions tab.
- Select Update all attempts. Click on the question you deleted under Questions that are not in the quiz anymore.
- Select give to all attempts, enter zero for the points, and click Save.
Note: Students' grades are currently still incorrect.
- Navigate to Assessments > Grades.
- Change the maximum points on the associated grade item.
How do I dismiss a quiz question without deleting it?
If you would rather not delete an unwanted question from a quiz, there are other options depending on how you want students' grades to be affected.
Give
students extra credit
Make the unwanted question a bonus question and decrease the maximum points in the grade book. This option increases grades for all students.
Give
students full credit
Give all students full points for the unwanted question by using Update all attempts. The maximum points for the quiz remains the same. This option increases the grades for students who got the question wrong, but the grades of students who got it right does not change.
Do not give
students any credit
Change the unwanted question to a bonus question worth 0.00001 points (it is not possible for a question to be worth zero points), give all students zero points using Update all attempts, and decrease the maximum points in the grade book. This option increases the grades of students who got the question wrong and decreases the grades of students who got it right (unless their score was 100%).
How to inform students about upcoming synchronous quizzes?
To ensure that students are aware of upcoming synchronous quizzes, you should create instructional or manual solutions:
- Make a synchronous quiz visible in the Calendar:
- Select Add availability dates to Calendar or set up an event showing the whole time.
- Use the Start Date parameter when setting up a synchronous quiz and leave the End Date field empty.
Note: Studentsmust have the Allows Out of Date Quizzes to be Viewed in the User Quiz List permission to open the quiz from the calendar and check the Quiz information page.
- Create an announcement with information about the synchronous quiz.
- Set up an event and give a link to the quiz to provide more context.