> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.timelygrader.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.timelygrader.ai/canvas-support-articles/tutorials-oral-assessments-canvas/oral-overview.md).
# Oral Quiz or Oral Defense: getting started
The two oral types, importing from your LMS, the setup steps, and what happens after you publish.
Oral Assessments holds two types of activity:
* An **Oral Quiz** asks each student questions from a bank you write.
* An **Oral Defense** asks each student AI-generated questions about the work they already submitted in your LMS.
You import both types from an LMS assignment, set them up in a few short steps, and grade them in the same grading view.
{% hint style="info" %}
An Oral Defense uses two assignments. The **source** assignment holds the work being defended, and the **destination** assignment receives the oral grade. They can be the same assignment or two different ones.
{% endhint %}
## Before you start
* Create the assignment in your LMS first. Oral activities are imported from an LMS assignment, not created from scratch.
* For an Oral Defense, the source must be an assignment students upload files to, and students should already have submitted to it.
* Decide which type you need before you import. Each type has its own tab, and the tab you import from sets the type.
## Which type to use
* **Oral Quiz:** checks understanding of course material. You write a bank of questions, each with its own rubric, and choose how many each student answers.
* **Oral Defense:** asks students to explain and justify work they’ve already submitted. You guide how the questions are written (how many, which Bloom’s levels, what to focus on), and one rubric grades every answer.
## Importing and setting up
{% stepper %}
{% step %}
### Pick the tab
Go to **Oral Assessments** in the sidebar and choose the **Oral Quiz** or **Oral Defense** tab. Each tab shows how many activities it holds. Use **Search** to find one by name.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
### Click Import
Click **Import**, search for the assignment and select it, then click **Import**.
* **Oral Quiz:** the dialog is **Import an LMS assignment**. The assignment you pick receives the oral grade, and the oral quiz takes its name.
* **Oral Defense:** the dialog is **Import a source assignment**. Pick the assignment students submitted their work to. The defense is named **Oral Defense:** followed by the assignment name.
{% hint style="info" %}
If an activity with the same name already exists on that tab, Import opens the existing activity instead of creating a second one.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
### Work through the setup steps
The activity is created as a **Draft** and opens in step-by-step setup:
* **Oral Quiz:** **General Setup**, **Questions & Rubric**, **Student experience**, **Grading**, **Review & publish**.
* **Oral Defense:** **General Setup**, **Questions**, **Rubric**, **Student experience**, **Grading**, **Review & publish**.
Click **Next** to move on, or click any step in the list on the left. If a step isn’t complete, **Next** is disabled and a message beside it says what’s missing. Changes save as you go. Use **Save and exit** to leave and come back later.
{% hint style="success" %} **Hugo’s tip:** Set up something similar before? Under **General Setup**, **Import settings from another oral quiz** (or **oral defense**) copies its questions, rubric, student experience and grading. The assignments the activity is linked to aren’t copied.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
### Review and publish
On **Review & publish**, each row sums up one step and has an **Edit** link back to it. Anything that still needs fixing is listed under **Finish these before publishing**. Click an item to go to the step that fixes it. **Publish** stays disabled until that list is empty, and publishing opens the activity page.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}
## After you publish
Click a published activity in the list to open its activity page. A draft opens setup again. The activity page shows the questions and rubric, a summary of every setting, and the **Oral Grading & Feedback** panel on the right.
* **Oral Quiz:** students can start as soon as it’s published. The panel shows **Submission Status** with **Start Reviewing**, **Manage Submissions** and **Try as Student**.
* **Oral Defense:** publishing isn’t the last step. You still import the student work, let each student’s questions generate, and release them before students can start. See [Generating and releasing Oral Defense questions](/canvas-support-articles/tutorials-oral-assessments-canvas/oral-defense-release.md).
Along the top of the activity page:
* **Edit** opens the full settings in five tabs: **Questions & Rubric**, **Grading Settings**, **Response Settings**, **Feedback Settings** and **Passback Settings**. A dot on a tab means something there needs attention. Changes save automatically.
* **Publish** or **Unpublish** shows or hides the activity for students.
* **Duplicate** makes a copy of the activity.
The editor has its own **Publish**/**Unpublish** button. If anything required is missing when you publish from there, **Finish setup before publishing** lists it with a link to the right tab. To remove an activity, click **Edit**, then **Delete** at the top of the editor.
{% hint style="danger" %}
Deleting an oral activity can’t be undone.
{% endhint %}
## FAQ
Students can’t see or start the activity.
If it’s still a **Draft**, publish it. If it’s an Oral Defense, check the **Oral Grading & Feedback** panel. Students can’t start until you’ve released their questions.
I imported into the wrong tab.
The type is set by the tab you import from and can’t be changed. Delete the activity (**Edit**, then **Delete**) and import the assignment again from the other tab.
The assignment I want isn’t in the Oral Defense source list.
Only LMS assignments that take file uploads can be a source, because questions are written from the files students submitted.
Can students upload different work for an Oral Defense?
No. Questions come only from what they submitted to the source assignment in your LMS. Students can’t upload or swap files inside the defense.
Where does the oral grade go?
To the destination assignment. For an Oral Quiz it starts as the assignment you imported. For an Oral Defense you choose it in **General Setup**. You can change it later on the **Passback Settings** tab. See [Sending oral grades to your LMS](/canvas-support-articles/tutorials-oral-assessments-canvas/oral-passback.md).
## Related articles
* [Building an Oral Quiz question bank](/canvas-support-articles/tutorials-oral-assessments-canvas/oral-setup.md)
* [Setting up an Oral Defense: source, questions and rubric](/canvas-support-articles/tutorials-oral-assessments-canvas/oral-defense-setup.md)
* [Generating and releasing Oral Defense questions](/canvas-support-articles/tutorials-oral-assessments-canvas/oral-defense-release.md)
**Hugo’s tip:** Set up something similar before? Under **General Setup**, **Import settings from another oral quiz** (or **oral defense**) copies its questions, rubric, student experience and grading. The assignments the activity is linked to aren’t copied.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
### Review and publish
On **Review & publish**, each row sums up one step and has an **Edit** link back to it. Anything that still needs fixing is listed under **Finish these before publishing**. Click an item to go to the step that fixes it. **Publish** stays disabled until that list is empty, and publishing opens the activity page.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}
## After you publish
Click a published activity in the list to open its activity page. A draft opens setup again. The activity page shows the questions and rubric, a summary of every setting, and the **Oral Grading & Feedback** panel on the right.
* **Oral Quiz:** students can start as soon as it’s published. The panel shows **Submission Status** with **Start Reviewing**, **Manage Submissions** and **Try as Student**.
* **Oral Defense:** publishing isn’t the last step. You still import the student work, let each student’s questions generate, and release them before students can start. See [Generating and releasing Oral Defense questions](/canvas-support-articles/tutorials-oral-assessments-canvas/oral-defense-release.md).
Along the top of the activity page:
* **Edit** opens the full settings in five tabs: **Questions & Rubric**, **Grading Settings**, **Response Settings**, **Feedback Settings** and **Passback Settings**. A dot on a tab means something there needs attention. Changes save automatically.
* **Publish** or **Unpublish** shows or hides the activity for students.
* **Duplicate** makes a copy of the activity.
The editor has its own **Publish**/**Unpublish** button. If anything required is missing when you publish from there, **Finish setup before publishing** lists it with a link to the right tab. To remove an activity, click **Edit**, then **Delete** at the top of the editor.
{% hint style="danger" %}
Deleting an oral activity can’t be undone.
{% endhint %}
## FAQ