Date
July 22, 2025
Type
KB
Owner
Alex D'AdamoTags
Canvas LMSCanvas Faculty & StaffCanvas QuizzesCanvas Item Banks
Blackboard random blocks that pull questions from multiple pools may fail to convert to Canvas correctly. Canvas random blocks can only pull from one item bank (source pool) of questions, so Blackboard tests that have random blocks with multiple source pools are not supported and will silently fail to import.
When viewing the classic quiz in Canvas, affected blocks may state “This question group is set to pick more questions than are available”. If the quiz has already been migrated to a New Quiz, the block will not exist.
How to Fix Missing Random Block Questions
You will need to export the affected pools individually from Blackboard, import them into Canvas, and then add them to the quiz.
Export Pools from Blackboard
- In Blackboard, navigate to your course, and in the sidebar open Course Tools > Tests, Surveys and Pools.
- Navigate to Tests, and sort the tests by Deployed to see which tests in your Blackboard course are in use. Find the affected test, hover your mouse over the title of the test, click the dropdown arrow next to the test and click Edit.
- Make a note of the name of each Source Pool in the Random Blocks that have two or more pools listed.
- Navigate back to Tests, Surveys and Pools and click Pools. Find the name of each affected pool, click the dropdown arrow next to the title of the pool, and click Export QTI 2.1 Package. Do this for each affected Pool.
Import Pools to Canvas
- Navigate to your course in Canvas.
- If you haven’t already, migrate the Classic Quiz in Canvas to the New Quiz format by navigating to quizzes, clicking the three dots to the right of the affected quiz, and clicking Migrate. Then, delete the old classic quiz (white rocket ship icon).
- If you don’t see Item Banks in your course navigation, go to Settings, Navigation, click the three dots next to Item Banks, click Enable, and then click Save at the bottom. Then, open Item Banks in the course navigation on the left side of the screen.
- Click +Bank in the top right. Give the name of the bank, check the box to share with the course, and then click Create Bank.
- Change the Filter to This Course, then open the bank you just created.
- Click the three dots in the top right and click Import Content. Click Browse and select the .zip file of the pool you downloaded from Blackboard, then click Import.
- Confirm the questions look correct. Repeat for each affected Pool.
Add Item Banks (Pools) to Canvas Quiz
- We’ve added the pools into Canvas, but still need to attach them to the Canvas quiz.
- Navigate to Quizzes, find the affected quiz, click the three dots to the right, and click Build.
- Click the blue + button, then click the folder icon to add an item bank.
- Find an item pool you need to add and click on its name
- Click +All / Random to add the item bank. Repeat for each item bank you need to add.
- Close the item bank sidebar, then click on each pool. Set it to Randomly select questions, adjust the number of questions it will pull and the points per question, and click Done. Repeat for each pool.
QILT is here to help you and answer any questions you may have. Schedule a consultation with the team!
Faculty, staff, and students have access to 24/7/365 phone and chat support through the Help menu in Canvas.
Visit the Faculty Advancement in Teaching Excellence Canvas site for teaching resources, opportunities for engagement, and spaces to connect with colleagues about teaching!
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