Item Banks

If you are unsure whether a course uses Classic Quizzes or New Quizzes, you can check both the quizzes and the question or item banks.

Check the quizzes

Go to Quizzes in Course Navigation. The rocket icon displayed next to each quiz indicates which quiz engine it uses:

Outline rocket icon = Classic Quiz

Solid rocket icon = New Quiz

Instructors can see the difference between these icons on the Quizzes page, but students cannot.

Both quiz engines may be used in the same course.

Check Classic Quizzes question banks

Go to Quizzes in Course Navigation, select the three-dot menu in the top-right corner of the page and select Manage Question Banks. You can see which Classic Quizzes question banks are available and open each bank to view its questions.

Check New Quizzes item banks

Go to Item Banks in Course Navigation. This page contains the item banks used by New Quizzes.

By default, item banks shared with the course are displayed when the This Course filter is selected. You can change the filter, for example to Shared to Me or Shared with Courses, to view other item banks to which you have access. To open an item bank and view its questions, click its name.

It does not matter whether the Item Banks link is visible in Course Navigation. Students cannot access it.

Sources:

• Canvas Icon Summary
• How do I create a question bank in a course?
• How do I manage item banks in New Quizzes?

Most instructors copy or import content between courses. When importing content, select Convert content to New Quizzes to convert Classic Quizzes question banks into New Quizzes item banks and Classic Quizzes into New Quizzes.

1. Open the course into which you want to import the question bank and, if applicable, the quizzes.
2. Click Import Existing Content in the top-right corner.
3. From the Content Type drop-down menu, select Copy a Canvas Course.
4. In the field below, find the course containing the question bank.
5. Select either All Content or Select Specific Content, depending on what you want to import. If you only want to import question banks and quizzes, select Select Specific Content.

   Please note that if you select All Content, announcements from the other course will also be imported.

6. Under Options, select Convert content to New Quizzes.
   
7. Click Add to Import Queue.
8. If you selected Select Specific Content, you must now select the content you want to import. Click Select Content.
   
9. Find Question Banks in the list and click the arrow to expand the section.
   
10. Select the question bank or banks you want to import.
11. Click Select Content at the bottom of the window to begin the import.

When the import is complete, go to Item Banks in Course Navigation and make sure that the This Course filter is selected at the top of the page. The converted item banks should appear there. Open each item bank and confirm that all its questions were imported.

Good to know

• You can import one or several question banks at the same time.
• A question bank does not have to be used in a quiz before it can be imported.
• The original Classic Quizzes question bank remains unchanged in the source course.
• If you also want to convert a Classic Quiz to New Quizzes, you can select it as part of the same import.

See also: Importing course content between courses.

The video demonstrates how to import or copy a Classic Quizzes question bank, and/or a Classic Quiz, into another course and convert it into a New Quizzes item bank at the same time.

VIDEO IN PRODUCTION.

In New Quizzes, an item bank does not belong to a specific course. An instructor can therefore create an item bank from any course and then share it with one or more courses.

To share an item bank with a course:

1. Go to Item Banks in Course Navigation.
2. Find the item bank you want to share. Use the filters at the top of the page to find it if necessary. Click the Share icon.
3. Select the course that should have access to the item bank.
4. Select the level of access:

   Can View – instructors can view the item bank and use its questions in quizzes, but they cannot edit the questions or the item bank.

   Can Edit – instructors can also edit the questions and the item bank, add questions and manage sharing.

5. Click Add.

The item bank will then be displayed under This Course in the selected course.

Instructure guide: How do I share an item bank in New Quizzes?

Verified on 10 September 2026 (Atlantic/Reykjavík).

When you open Item Banks, the This Course filter is selected by default. When this filter is selected, Canvas displays the item banks that have been shared with the course.

When creating a new item bank, you can choose to share it immediately with the course in which it was created. The item bank will then appear under This Course in that course.

Instructors can also select the following filters:

Shared to Me – item banks created by the instructor or shared with the instructor or one of their courses.
Shared with Courses – item banks shared with courses in which the instructor is enrolled.
Institution Banks – item banks shared by the University.

Instructure guide: How do I manage item banks in New Quizzes?

To share an item bank with another instructor:

1. Go to Item Banks in Course Navigation.

2. Click the Share icon for the item bank.

3. Search for the instructor.

4. Select Can View or Can Edit, as appropriate.

5. Click Add.

An item bank shared with an instructor will be available to them in courses in which they are enrolled as an instructor.

Can View – the instructor can view the item bank and use its questions in quizzes, but cannot edit the questions or the item bank.

Can Edit – the instructor can also edit the questions and the item bank, add questions and manage sharing.

Instructure guide: How do I share an item bank in New Quizzes?