PrairieLearn
Summary
PrairieLearn is an online assessment and learning system for instructors creating educational resources, coursework, and tests. Instructors write questions as code, which can generate and grade variants automatically while giving students real-time feedback. Students can try fresh variants until they achieve mastery. Supported answer formats include numerical, multiple-choice, checkbox, dropdown, graphical, code, and ordered-block responses. The system is described for in-class activities, homework, practice, and tests, including proctored and bring-your-own-device tests. It connects to learning management systems through LTI 1.3 for assignment links and grade syncing, with integration primarily designed and documented for Canvas; the importer can bring in QTI 1.2 content. PrairieLearn is open-source and can be run or modified on an institution's or individual's infrastructure. Its free plan covers instructors and courses with up to 20 students in each term. For courses exceeding that threshold, Basic is 8.00 USD per once per student without code autograding, workspaces, or PrairieTest; Premium is 16.00 USD per once per student and includes those features. Support options include documentation, community channels, weekly office hours and workshops, and email, but support is not provided for self-hosted installations.
Who it is for
PrairieLearn suits instructors and institutions creating variant-based assessments, practice, and tests. It can also suit teams seeking open-source software or LMS connections, particularly those using Canvas.
What is good
- Question variants are generated and graded automatically.
- Students can retry variants to reach mastery.
- Supports multiple response formats, including code and graphical.
- Open-source and can run on self-managed infrastructure.
- LTI 1.3 supports assignment links and grade syncing.
What to know first
- Free courses are limited to 20 students per term.
- Self-hosted installations do not receive support.
- Windows local installation requires WSL 2.
- LMS integration is primarily designed and documented for Canvas.
Verdict
PrairieLearn combines coded question variants with several assessment formats and LMS connectivity. Review the per-student course charges and self-hosting support limit when deciding how to deploy it.
PrairieLearn plans and pricing
All plansCompared on automated grading software
- Free plan
- Yesprairielearn.com
- Programming autograding
- Yesprairielearn.com
- Math autograding
- Yesprairielearn.com
- Written-work OCR
- Yesprairielearn.com
- LMS or LTI support
- Yesprairielearn.com
- Question bank
- Yesprairielearn.com
Facts
- Product
- PrairieLearn is an online assessment and learning system that helps instructors create educational resources for students.prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
- Question variants
- Instructors write questions as code that generate and grade variants automatically, with real-time feedback.prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
- Mastery learning
- Students can keep trying new variants of a question until they achieve mastery.prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
- Assessment uses
- The site describes use for in-class activities, homework, practice, and testing, including proctored tests and bring-your-own-device tests.prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
- Answer types
- The platform supports numerical, multiple-choice, checkbox, dropdown, graphical, code, and ordered-block responses.prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
- Open source
- PrairieLearn is open-source software that institutions and individuals can run on their own infrastructure and modify.prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
- LMS integration
- PrairieLearn connects to learning management systems using LTI 1.3 for assignment linking and grade syncing, with integration primarily designed and documented for Canvas.docs.prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
- QTI import
- Its content importer can import quizzes, assessments, question banks, and questions from Canvas or other learning management systems using QTI 1.2 content.docs.prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
- API access
- The pricing comparison lists API access among PrairieLearn plan features.prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
- Security
- PrairieLearn, Inc. states that it has a SOC 2 Type I attestation for Security and encrypts customer data at rest and data in transit using TLS 1.2 or higher.prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
- Support
- Support options include documentation, a Slack community, GitHub Discussions, weekly Zoom office hours and workshops, and email support.prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
- Self-hosted support limit
- PrairieLearn says it does not provide support for self-hosted installations.prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
- Local development platforms
- The documentation supports native execution on macOS, Linux, and Windows inside WSL 2; it says Windows without WSL 2 is not supported for local installation.docs.prairielearn.com · 29 Sept 2026
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Sources
- prairielearn.com· checked 29 Sept 2026
- prairielearn.com/about· checked 29 Sept 2026
- docs.prairielearn.com/en/latest/lmsIntegrationInstructor/· checked 29 Sept 2026
- docs.prairielearn.com/importingContent/· checked 29 Sept 2026
- prairielearn.com/pricing· checked 29 Sept 2026
- prairielearn.com/security· checked 29 Sept 2026
- prairielearn.com/support· checked 29 Sept 2026
- docs.prairielearn.com/dev-guide/installingNative/· checked 29 Sept 2026