Using Canvas with ExamView

Canvas Question Support

The export feature maps ExamView question types to the closest corresponding Canvas question format. A summary of the question type mapping is shown in the table below.

A summary of ExamView question information supported when exporting to a Canvas server is shown below.

Exporting a Test/Question Bank for Canvas

Question banks or tests can be exported to a Canvas-formatted file for import into the LMS. For more information, see Canvas Question Support.

1. Create or open a test/question bank in ExamView Test Generator.
2. Click File from the menu bar, mouse over Export, and select Canvas.
3. Select the save location, enter a file name and click Save. The question content is saved as a ZIP file.
   1. Take note of where the file is being saved as you will need to locate it later when uploading to the Canvas Course.
   2. For the PC version, the file is not saved until the Export to Canvas wizard is completed.
4. Enter a name. You may also enter a description.
   1. The Name is the name displayed in Canvas’s Course Materials or Resources. Choose a name that will be helpful to you in working with the questions. For example, you could use Chapter 1. The name can be a maximum of 128 characters.
   2. The Description is optional and allows you to provide additional information about the test or bank.
5. Select the formatting and feedback options.
   1. HTML - Maintains as much formatting as possible. Supports fonts, tables, images, etc.
   2. HTML without any fonts - Maintains all formatting except font and size settings. The font used to display each question will depend on the settings specified by Canvas and/or your browser.
   3. HTML without default fonts - This is a combination of the first two options. With this option, ExamView does not set the initial font unless you set a new font other than the default font.
   4. Text only - Removes all formatting. Fonts, tables, images, etc. are not supported. Any content that appears inside of a table is not included. Use this option only if you have very simple questions with little or no formatting requirements.
   5. Select the appropriate Feedback option if your questions include rationales or feedback. Otherwise, select None
6. Enter a directory (or folder) for the test/question bank images.

Make sure that the folder name is unique for this question pool. The Directory Name is used to store images that are required by questions in the test or question bank. The name you supply should be unique for the test or question bank you are exporting. If you use the same name for multiple tests or question banks, images may be overwritten when the file is imported into Canvas. In this case, the questions in the existing question pool or quiz will show the wrong images. If you are exporting the same test or question bank multiple times, you can save space on your Canvas server by using the same Directory Name for images each time you export. If none of the questions in your test/question bank contain images, the directory name you provide will be ignored. However, you must still supply a name.

1. Click OK to export the test/question bank.

Next Steps

As part of the export process, ExamView compresses all of the files into one ZIP file. This makes it easier to import the questions into your e-learning platform. The next step is to upload these questions into Canvas.

Uploading a Test/Question Bank into Canvas

To upload questions into Canvas follow the steps below.

How to upload tests into Canvas

1. Log in to your Canvas account. The Dashboard page appears.
2. Select the desired course name. The Course Home page appears.
3. From the left toolbar, click Settings. Course Details appears.
4. From the right toolbar, click Import Content into this Course. The Import Content page appears.
5. From the Content Type drop down, select Blackboard 6/7/8/9 export .zip file. More import options appear.
6. Click Browse. Navigate to where you saved the ExamView test export and click Open.
7. Select All Content from the Content option.
8. Click Import. The import will process and the test will now appear in Quizzes.

How to upload question banks into Canvas

1. Log in to your Canvas account. The Dashboard page appears.
2. Select the desired course name. The Course Home page appears.
3. From the left toolbar, click Settings. Course Details appears.
4. From the right toolbar, click Import Content into this Course. The Import Content page appears.
5. From the Content Type drop down, select Blackboard 6/7/8/9 export .zip file. More import options appear.
6. Click Browse. Navigate to where you saved the ExamView test export and click Open.
7. Select All Content from the Content option.
8. Click Import. The import will process and the bank will now appear in Course Question Banks.

Creating a Quiz in Canvas

For tests exported to Canvas format, the test or quiz will already be imported as an assessment and will not require additional creation steps.

Follow the normal procedures for creating a test or quiz from the banks exported to Canvas format from ExamView.

 

Canvas Troubleshooting

If you have problems exporting/importing questions, refer to the information provided below.

The following information describes situations where content exported from ExamView may be modified to fit the constraints imposed by Canvas.

• Canvas does not support the concept of a narrative (a common piece of information shared by multiple questions).
• During export to Canvas, ExamView copies the content of each narrative to every question that refers to the narrative.
• Canvas supports Matching groups with images in the questions, not the answer choices.