Big Differences Between Canvas Question Banks and an Item Bank

In the classic quiz tool, the banks are called "Question Banks" and can be accessed from the quiz index page under the options menu (3 vertical dots). In the new quiz tool, the banks are "Item Banks" and are accessed from the quiz edit screen. Question banks and Item banks have some significant differences, these are the big three:

1. Questions are not Added to the Bank Automatically
   In classic quizzes, questions are automatically added to the unfiled questions bank, however, in the new quiz tool, individual questions created in a quiz are not automatically added to an item bank; they can be added to a new or existing item bank when they are created or edited.
2. Banks are Linked to You | Naming Scheme is Needed
   In the new quiz tool, the item banks are connected to the person that created them regardless of which course the item bank is associated with. This means all item banks from all courses can be accessed when creating a quiz from any course. Because of this, it is important to use a detailed naming scheme with items banks that identify course and chapter (INET1581 CH2, for example) or other identifiers that help you determine what is contained in each item bank. Question titles and type will display at the top of a question so it is easy to quickly see what type of questions each item bank has stored in them. Instructors can share item banks with other instructors. Item banks that are shared give all instructors the same read/write privileges so be careful about editing or deleting item banks that are shared with you.
3. Questions are linked to the Bank, not the Quiz
   It’s important to note how questions are linked in banks in classic quizzes vs. new quizzes.

• Classic Quizzes Question Banks
  With the classic quizzes tool, when questions are added to a quiz using the “Find Questions” option, copies of the questions in question banks are added to the quiz and there is no direct link. Once a question is edited in a quiz, the same question in the question bank is not updated until you go to the question bank and update the question manually.
• New Quizzes Item Bank
  In the new quiz tool, the opposite is true. In a new quiz when a question is added from an item bank, this creates a link to the question in the item bank. The question content must be edited in the item bank. If you attempt to delete a linked item bank question that has student submissions, you will see a warning that deleting the question in the item bank will affect quiz statistics. If quiz statistics are important to you, then you mustn't delete questions, instead edit a copy of the question which will be seen by students that have not taken the quiz.