Canvas enables you to import content from one Canvas course to another when you want to use or repurpose previously created content, including:
- Course Settings
- Syllabus
- Assignments
- Modules
- Files
- Pages
- Discussions.
| Note: Draft State settings are retained in course imports. If an assignment is unpublished in a course, the assignment will also be unpublished in the content import. |
Make Course Updates and Revisions After Import
Once the content has been copied to the new course, there are a number updates/revisions that need to be made. Refer back to this list after you import your content.
- Revise course syllabus
- Update due dates and availability dates on assignments, discussions and quizzes
- Revise course announcements
- Any dates listed on pages, modules, titles or anywhere else in the course.
- Review Canvas Files to make sure all files including images you are using are in the Canvas site and delete any files you are not using.
Import Process
- Select the course you would like to import the content into (i.e. a new course site)
- Click Settings on the Course Navigation menu
- Click Import Course Content on the right side of the page
- In the "Content Type" menu, select Copy a Canvas Course.
- Locate the course you want to copy content from by typing the name of the course
- Click to select the desired course
- Choose what you want to copy.
| Note: We recommend copying all content and then clean up material you don’t need rather than copying multiple times from the same course. |
- Select All content if you want to import everything from the previous course
- Choose Select specific content if you only want select elements from a previous course
- Canvas gives you the option to manually shift events and due dates or have the system shift the dates. We recommend manually updating the dates after you import the content.
- Click Import.
Import Progress - View Current Jobs
After you have clicked Import, the Current Jobs menu displays courses that are being imported. Statuses include pre-processing, queued, running, completed, and failed.
The "Running" status bar displays the time remaining on your Import.
- If you selected "All Content" you should see this status, followed by Completed, soon after.
- If you chose the "Select specific content" option, Canvas will ask you to select the content you want to Import. Click Select Content to the right of "Waiting for Selection" in the Current Jobs section.
- When you click Select Content, a window will appear with a list of Canvas tools
- Select the box next to the tool to import all the elements of that tool or click the arrow to expose the individual elements of that tool for selection
- Click Select Content after you have made your selections
- When your import is complete, you will see the Completed status.