How do I link to Canvas Pages or Files in a Question Bank that I want to use in multiple courses?

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Quick Links: | Prerequisites | Instructions | Troubleshooting |

When adding questions to a quiz in Canvas through the Find Quiz Question dialog, instructors may encounter an issue where question banks from multiple courses are visible. This can be problematic if the quiz questions contain links to Canvas pages or files that are specific to a particular course, as students in other courses won't be able to access these linked resources. This guide will explain two methods to prevent such access issues when using question banks across multiple courses.

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Prerequisites

  • Familiarity with creating and managing question banks in Canvas.
  • Instructor-level access to Canvas.

Step-by-Step Instructions

There are two ways to prevent access issues with linked resources in question banks:

Method 1: Add Files to Your Account Files

To avoid access issues when linking to files (e.g., doc, pdf) across multiple courses, do the following:

  1. In the global navigation on the far left of Canvas, select Account > Files.
  2. Upload the files you want to be accessible in multiple courses.
  3. When creating a quiz question, link to these files from your Account Files instead of the course’s files.

This ensures that the files are accessible across different courses without issues.

Method 2: Unbookmark Question Banks

To prevent a question bank from appearing in other courses, do the following:

  1. Go to Course Question Banks in the course where the question bank was originally created.

  2. Open your bookmarked question banks.
    Course question banks

  3. Identify the question bank you want to restrict and select the Remove Bookmark option next to it.

    Canvas interface showing a list of question banks with options to remove bookmarks.

The question bank will no longer be visible in other courses. If you want to use the same question bank in a different course, create a duplicate of it in the new course.

Troubleshooting

If you notice that students are still unable to access the linked files or pages after applying these methods, verify the following:

  • Ensure that the files are indeed uploaded to Account Files and not the course files.
  • Double-check that the question bank is not bookmarked in any other courses.

Still need help? If you run into problems or still need help, reach out to the Technology & Learning Program. 

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