Canvas LMS Instructor Guide

How do I create a Formula question in New Quizzes?

When creating a quiz, you can create a Formula question in New Quizzes. In a Formula question, students need to type in the correct numerical answer.

You can also duplicate Formula questions to create a new question.

Note: View information about Canvas Formula Quiz Question Helper Functions.

00:07: How do I create a Formula question in New Quizzes?

00:11: To create a question, click the Add button anywhere in the quiz.

00:16: Click the Add Formula button.

00:18: In the question title field, add a question title, question titles are

00:22: optional and are not visible to students.

00:26: In the Question Stem field , add the question

00:29: stem. The question stem contains the

00:31: question and, if necessary, additional instructions and information.

00:36: You can use the Rich Content Editor or the HTML view to

00:40: format and add content to your question stem. Identify variables in

00:44: your question by surrounding variable names by backticks.

00:48: (e.g., a variable name of x can be identified by typing

00:52: `x`.)

00:53: After typing the question with the variable, parameters to define the formula

00:57: will display. Set the variable answers for the formula. Specify

01:02: the minimum and maximum values for the variable. Select decimal

01:06: places in by using the increase or decrease arrows.

01:11: Type the formula definition in the formula field.

01:13: Make sure the formula does not contain any brackets or equal signs.

01:19: Specify the number of possible solutions you want to generate in the Number

01:23: of solutions field. Then select the number of decimal places required

01:27: in the Decimal places field.

01:30: In the margin type field, select the absolute or percent margin type.

01:34: Enter the margin of error for the students answer in the plus, or minus

01:38: margin of error field. Responses are based on relative error.

01:42: In addition to Absolute error, margins of error can be created as

01:46: a percentage, or as a point value up to three decimal places,

01:51: To display solutions in scientific

01:53: notation, click the Display as Scientific Notation button.

01:58: To view possible solutions, click the Generate button.

02:02: Possible solutions will process according to the number of value combinations.

02:08: To allow students to use an on-screen calculator for this question.

02:11: Click the show on screen calculator, checkbox?

02:15: If you select this option, you can enable a basic calculator or scientific

02:19: calculator. The basic calculator displays numbers and basic

02:24: math functions (add, subtract, multiply, divide). The

02:28: scientific calculator displays more options for advanced calculations.

02:34: To align the question to an outcome, click anywhere in the Align to Outcomes

02:38: section.

02:40: If you want to save a question to use in other quizzes, you can add it to an item

02:44: bank. To add the question to an item bank,

02:48: click the Add to Bank link.

02:50: To customize the point value for the question, type the point value in the Points field

02:55: or use the arrows to increase or decrease the point value.

02:59: To leave feedback for students, click the Feedback icon.

03:03: To save the question, click the Done button.

03:07: This guide covered how to create a Formula question in New Quizzes.

Add Question

To create a question, click the Add button anywhere in the quiz.

Add Formula Question

Click the Add Formula button.

Add Question Title and Stem

In the Question Title field [1], add a question title. Question titles are optional and are not visible to students.

In the Question Stem field [2], add the question stem. The question stem contains the question and, if necessary, additional instructions and information. You can use the Rich Content Editor or the HTML view to format and add content to your question stem.

Identify variables in your question by surrounding variable names by backticks. (e.g., a variable name of x can be identified by typing `x`.)

Add Variable Answers

After typing the question with the variable, parameters to define the formula will display [1]. Set the variable answers for the formula. Specify the minimum [2] and maximum [3] values for the variable. Select decimal places by using the increase or decrease arrows [4].

Add Formula Definition

Type the formula definition in the formula field. Make sure the formula does not contain any brackets or equal signs.

Note: The Formula Definition supports the following operators: + (add), - (subtract), * (multiply), / (divide), and ^ (power).

Generate Possible Solutions

Specify the number of possible solutions you want to generate in the Number of solutions field [1]. Then select the number of decimal places required in the Decimal places field [2].

In the Margin type field, select the absolute or percent margin type [3]. Enter the margin of error for the student's answer in the +/- margin of error field [4]. Responses are based on relative error in addition to absolute error. Margins of error can be created as a percentage or as a point value (up to three decimal places).

To display solutions in scientific notation, click the Display as Scientific Notation button [5].

To view possible solutions, click the Generate button [6].

View Possible Solutions

Possible solutions are generated based on the number of value combinations.

Set Options

To allow students to use an on-screen calculator for this question, click the Show on-screen calculator checkbox [1].

If you select this option, you can enable a basic calculator [2] or a scientific calculator [3]. The basic calculator displays numbers and basic math functions (add, subtract, multiply, divide). The scientific calculator displays more options for advanced calculations.

Notes:

The on-screen calculator option is intended to be used while displaying one question at a time. If the quiz does not display one question at a time, students may be able to use the calculator for all questions.
If enabled at both the individual question level and in the Quiz Settings, the on-screen calculator will display within the question instead of at the top of the page.

Align to Outcome

To align the question to an outcome, click anywhere in the Align to Outcomes section.

Add to Item Bank

If you want to save a question to use in other quizzes, you can add it to an item bank.

To add the question to an item bank, click the Add to Bank link.

Note: After a question has been added to an item bank, it can only be edited in the item bank. You can still set unique point values and options in the quiz for an item bank question.

Add Point Value

To customize the point value for the question, type the point value in the Points field [1] or use the arrows to increase or decrease the point value [2].

Save Question

To save the question, click the Done button.

Canvas LMS Instructor Guide

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