Showing a feedback message in New Quizzes

I currently use Canvas for creating Escape Rooms for High School students and also for the designing of Corporate training packages. I would like to be able to post a feedback message to students when they get their marks. This could be "The pass mark for this quiz is 100%. Please review your answers and attempt the quiz again." or "Read your feedback for each correct answer to find the secret code" or, "The questions on this quiz must be manually graded. You will be notified when your marker has regraded your submission."

Does Canvas New Quizzes currently have the ability to automatically post a message to students when they submit a quiz?

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Accepted answers

Chris_Hofer

Hi there, @ElizabethGiles1 ...

I'm not aware of any part of New Quizzes that would allow you to provide a general message for the entire quiz after it has been submitted. However, you can provide feedback for a specific question. That feedback would be shown after the quiz was submitted by the student. So, while it is not displayed as feedback for the quiz as a whole, it would show as feedback for a specific question. Once you click on the "Build" button for New Quizzes and then click on the "Settings" tab at the top of the quiz build screen, you would need to flip the toggle switch for "Restrict student result view", and then put a checkmark by "Show items and questions". Finally, place a checkmark by "Show item feedback".

Do you think this might be a possible work-around for what you're trying to accomplish? The Escape Rooms thing sounds really interesting, by the way!

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Chris_Hofer

Hi there, @ElizabethGiles1 ...

Do you think this might be a possible work-around for what you're trying to accomplish? The Escape Rooms thing sounds really interesting, by the way!

Courtney69

@ElizabethGiles1wrote: Portal 4 Me
I currently use Canvas for creating Escape Rooms for High School students and also for the designing of Corporate training packages. I would like to be able to post a feedback message to students when they get their marks. This could be "The pass mark for this quiz is 100%. Please review your answers and attempt the quiz again." or "Read your feedback for each correct answer to find the secret code" or, "The questions on this quiz must be manually graded. You will be notified when your marker has regraded your submission."
Does Canvas New Quizzes currently have the ability to automatically post a message to students when they submit a quiz?

Additional Comments for questions ARE visible. Assignment Comments ARE visible from the Student Grades – comments bubble.

DawnMcCarthy-Ha

I too am wondering if there is a feature that would allos us to create an automatic message that is delivered to students upon completion of a quiz/test over a certain grade/percentage. Meaning, if the student passes at over 70 or 75% on a quiz or test, we can create a customized message that automatically goes out the student. Example: 🎉 Congratutions, you have passed your quiz. Your next module is published and ready for you to view! ….. 🎉Congratulations! You are now 30% of the way though this course! Likewise, if the student does not meet the grade or percentage marker, we could set an automatic message to go out with something like: 📚We see you are working hard and we want to support you. Please reach out to your instructor for next steps! You've Got This!

jeremyfw

You can do this in New Quizzes, but it’s a bit hidden.

In Quiz Settings, enable “Show custom feedback with results.” This allows you to add a global feedback message that appears in the Results view under “From Your Instructor.”

Two important clarifications that often get missed:

This custom feedback always displays with the results screen once enabled.
It appears regardless of whether question-level “Show feedback” options are turned on or off.

That makes it ideal for messages like:
• This quiz requires 100% to pass.
• Instructions for escape rooms or secret codes
• Notes about manual grading or next steps

Limitations to be aware of:

The message is not conditional (it shows for all students, all scores).
It cannot change dynamically based on attempts or score thresholds.

If you need conditional logic, that still has to live at the question feedback level or via module requirements (e.g., score at least progression requirement), but for a consistent post-submission message, this setting works reliably.

This feature is easy to miss, but once enabled, it behaves very predictably.

Settings Preview with HTML Feedback Panel.png

After Submission Custom Feedback is Shown.png

jeremyfw

This is absolutely doable, and I've done it myself.

What you’re describing still isn’t available inside New Quizzes themselves, but you can get very close by moving the logic one layer up - into Assignments + Mastery Paths + Module requirements.

A proven setup looks like this:

Use the quiz to assess performance (for example, passing at 70–75%).
Follow the quiz with an assignment that has Mastery Paths enabled, using score thresholds to route students.
In the follow-up assignment, deliver different experiences based on performance:
- A Page with a congratulatory message and confirmation that the next module is unlocked, or
- A short reflective Multiple Choice question (e.g., “How are you feeling about this topic?”), or
- A non-graded text response reflection (e.g., “What would you like support with next?”)

To make this feel truly automatic and guided:

• In Module Settings → Requirements, select Complete All Requirements
• Check Students must move through requirements in sequential order

With sequencing enabled, students:
• Cannot bypass the quiz
• Are automatically routed to the correct follow-up path
• Only unlock the next module once the required condition is met

This combination gives you:
• Score-based progression
• Personalized, supportive messaging
• Built-in reflection without adding grading load

It’s not a single feature toggle, but when Mastery Paths and Module Requirements work together, you effectively get conditional “pass/fail” messaging and next steps - using tools Canvas already supports reliably.

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