How do I copy my course in Canvas?
You will learn how to copy your course in Canvas using the "Import Existing Content" button.
1. Enter your new course.
This is the course into which you want to import the content.
2. Click on Import Existing Content.
3. Select Copy a Canvas Course from the dropdown menu.
4. Type in the title of the original course until it shows up.
As you type, courses that you have access to will appear in a list. Or, you can use the arrow to view a list of your courses by term.
5. Select the name of the desired course from the list.
6. Tick All content.
Tip: This guide is on how to copy all content from one course to another. To learn about copying select content, view this guide.
7. Tick Adjust events and due dates.
Note: Due dates can be rather tricky if you have the automatic Late policies enabled (default setting for the gradebook). If you don't adjust the due dates for assignments/quizzes/discussions by the course start date, the Late Policies procedure may automatically grade those assignments with a 0.
8. Select Shift dates.
Or, choose to remove dates. Your choice. In either case, you will likely need to change most of them manually anyway.
9. Enter dates to adjust the due dates.
10. Click on Import.
10.1. Click '1 issues' link.
If there are no issues caused when copying the course, then the course has been successfully copied. Be sure to verify all course open/close/due dates.
10.2. There is something wrong with this quiz.
The message stated that a link was missing. You will then need to review this quiz and determine which question and which link has a problem. Canvas doesn't offer any further information on what the issue is.
11. Click on Home to view your course.
Verify that the content has copied correctly. Adjust your assignment dates as needed.
Group Assignments
Note: If you have any group assignments or discussions, then you will need to adjust those assignment settings regarding the Group Set (group names and group membership) before you expect your students to participate in said assignment. If you do not fix the group settings, you may experience some very unexpected grading errors.
Announcements
Note: Announcements from your original course will get copied to the new course using this method. However, your name is no longer associated with those old announcements, and it may be confusing for students to see a bunch of non-relevant announcements in their new course, so it is suggested to delete those old announcements before the start date of the course.
Due Dates
Remember to adjust all due dates before publishing any assignment, quiz, discussion, etc.
Article Summary
You have now learned how to copy your course in Canvas.