New Quizzes Overview


New Quizzes will eventually replace Classic Quizzes as the default quiz engine. New Quizzes was enabled for all Penn users on October 1, 2021. Instructors and TAs now have the option to select either Classic Quizzes or New Quizzes for their assessments.

For assistance with New Quizzes, email canvas@pobox.upenn.edu.

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What is the New Quizzes Feature in Canvas?

New Quizzes is an assessment tool that integrates with Canvas and will eventually replace the Classic Quizzes tool. It was enabled for all Penn courses using Canvas on October 1, 2021. Both the “Classic Quizzes” tool and New Quizzes can currently be used in the same course site. 

Instructors can use New Quizzes to create quizzes and exams with a variety of question types. Quizzes will appear under the “Quizzes” and “Assignments” tabs in Canvas and can be added to Modules. New Quizzes are easily duplicated within a course site and copied to other courses. Students can submit assessments using New Quizzes either within the Canvas site or through the Canvas Student mobile app.

What are the Differences Between Classic Quizzes and New Quizzes? 

New Quizzes offers new question types, features, and settings, as well as improved processes for regrading and accommodations. To see the full table of differences, please visit Canvas Community’s full comparison.


New Quizzes does not currently provide support for creating polls or surveys. Consider using Classic Quizzes, Poll Everywhere, or another tool (such as Qualtrics) if you need to create a poll or survey for your class.

Is New Quizzes Right for My Course?

New Quizzes offers many benefits for users who wish to better organize questions and manage student data. It also enables searching and tagging in ways that weren’t possible in Classic Quizzes. 

Still, while New Quizzes offers new features and new question types, the tool has not gained complete feature parity with Classic Quizzes. Stick with Classic Quizzes if you:

  • Rely on a downloadable Excel file of student responses
  • Prefer to bulk-download all student submissions to file-upload questions
  • Need to allow students to record audio or video in their responses

With this in mind, we recommend reviewing the feature comparison tables or talking with your local support provider to determine if New Quizzes is a good fit for your course. 

Last Updated: 25 Jul 2023