Canvas: Importing Content from Another Course

Canvas makes it easy to reuse content from previous courses, development shells, or sandbox courses. You can either copy an entire course or selectively import specific content, such as modules, assignments, or pages. Importing content can save significant course preparation time while allowing you to update materials for a new semester.

Table of Contents

• Important Considerations
  • Option 1: Import an Entire Course
  • Option 2: Import Specific Content
• Additional Resources

Important Considerations

Before importing content, keep the following in mind:

• Review your source course carefully. Be sure you're copying the correct semester or version of the course.
• Use date shifting when appropriate. Canvas can automatically adjust assignment and event dates to match the new semester.
• Avoid importing into the same course multiple times. Re-importing content may overwrite changes you've already made.
• Review imported due dates and availability dates. Even when using date shifting, verify that important deadlines are transferred correctly.
• Preview your course before publishing. Check links, embedded media, external tools, and assignment settings to ensure everything transferred as expected.
• Remove imported announcements and calendar events. These often contain outdated dates, Zoom links, or semester-specific information that can confuse students. (When using the import specific course content option, these items can be deselected so that they aren't imported at all.)

Import Course Content

Importing all course content is the fastest option when the previous course closely matches the new offering.

1. Open the new Canvas course shell and click Settings in the navigation menu on the left side of the screen.
2. Select Import Course Content (on mobile, this option may be at the bottom of the page)

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3. In the Select Content Type drop-down, select Copy a Canvas Course. This will reveal additional options.
4. Search for and select the source course.
5. You have the option to import either the entire course or specific content

Option 1: Import Entire Course

1. If you want to import all of the content from the source course, choose All Content.
2. (Recommended) Select Adjust events and due dates when importing assignments with due dates.
3. Click Add to Import Queue.

Option 2: Import Specific Content

If you only need certain materials, Canvas allows you to choose exactly what to import.

This option is especially useful when:

• Reusing only a few modules or assignments
• Copying content from multiple source courses
• Avoiding outdated announcements or calendar events
• Gradually rebuilding a course

To import selected content:

1. Choose Select Specific Content.
2. (Recommended) Select Adjust events and due dates when importing assignments with due dates.
3. Click Add to Import Queue.

4. Once the import is queued, click Select Content and choose the items you want to copy.

5. You can choose any items from the previous course that you'd like to copy (Course Settings, Syllabus, Modules, Assignments, Quizzes, etc.) and omit any items that are outdated, redundant, or irrelevant. This is a good opportunity to evaluate the Files section for old media, documents, and other files that are no longer necessary. When you click Select Content in the Import window, it will run the import and display a progress bar.

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Aditional Resources

• TLC Instructor Guide: Teaching with Canvas