Link Student Names to Drop Down Menu in Canvas Survey Quiz Possible?

Folks, I'd like to have a drop down menu that automatically links to the student names in the class (or class section) so that when students click it, they choose their name as opposed to typing it. Is there a way this feature of the quiz as survey can be linked to people in the course similar to Google forms can link drop down menus to a list of names?

I'd rather not have to type each name as possible answer since the data (list of students) is already in Canvas.

Find more posts tagged with

Accepted answers

Chris_Hofer

Hello there, @TangierClarke ...

Current classic quizzes/surveys are not really being worked on much any longer...as Instructure is focusing their attention on the New Quizzes interface. New Quizzes will eventually be the interface that all Canvas customers will be using. You can read more about this by going to:

Classic Quiz Sunset Timeline (Subscribe!) - Instructure Community (canvaslms.com)

One other option would be to submit a Feature Idea here in the Canvas Community. This would be an ask for an enhancement to New Quizzes...not Classic Quizzes. However, since you are still listed as a New Member, you wouldn't be able to submit new ideas until you participate more in the Community. Here are some documents to look through:

Also, it's important to note that New Quizzes does not really have a survey interface like current Classic Quizzes does.

Sorry I don't have better news for you, but I hope this will help in some way.

All comments

Chris_Hofer

Hello there, @TangierClarke ...

Classic Quiz Sunset Timeline (Subscribe!) - Instructure Community (canvaslms.com)

Also, it's important to note that New Quizzes does not really have a survey interface like current Classic Quizzes does.

Sorry I don't have better news for you, but I hope this will help in some way.

TangierClarke

Chris, thank you for the reply. I'll read over this link you provided about the New Quiz. I see that its shown in the Feature Options tab of my settings in Canvas. Although I don't exactly know what is meant by "When this flag is enabled,..." When I select the new Quiz. It seems as this is just a notification that something is being worked on. I don't know what the flag looks like or what to expect. Right now I only have a faint "X" in a circle to the right of it. We're relatively new to using Canvas so I am still getting used to the language, symbols, and methods. I definitely have some recommendations such as making it much easier to duplicate a quiz question in place while making the question rather than having to make sure it's in a bank first.

Again, thank you for responding. I appreciate it.

TangierClarke

Glad you said that. I thought I actually enabled it already, but at that time I didn't really know how to determine the difference between classic and new because I started out with it recently and enabled many of the new options. So effectively I didn't know what to compare it to. Classic/new...was all the same to me.

Unanswered Questions

Copilot incorporates Edge Browser
Has anyone had a chance to try this with a Canvas quiz? Seems it may have a similar effect as ChatGPT Atlas able to provide all the answers to an open Quiz. https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/05/microsoft_adds_a_sidepane_for/
Request for improvement
When you are creating a quiz and/or also reviewing a quiz in Canvas after the class has taken it, the questions aren't numbered so after you get past the first few questions, there is no way to even tell what number you are on. Can someone change that?
File Name Change
Speedgrader chaning file name when being downloaded. Speedgrader: When downloading a submitted assignment, the file name is being changed to an unrecognizable name — (Student's actual name was part of the file name — changed for privacy.) Ideas???
Could "Timeline Visualization" be the Key to Improving the Student Calendar?
We are all familiar with the standard Course Calendar, where assignment due dates are automatically added. However, at my institution, we structure our assignments as Challenges that develop over a period of time, rather than just a single deadline. Currently, the calendar only highlights the "end point." It would be a…
Better Submit Button UI to prevent accidental Submits Message
The current placement of the "Submit" button creates a "slip" in user behavior where habit-clicking "Next" leads to an accidental final submission. I think Canvas could easily fix this by: Moving the Submit button away from the navigation buttons (maybe above the question instead of below it) and/or Adding a "Confirm…