Canvas: Copy (import) content from one Canvas course into another

Overview

Canvas is Oregon State University's Learning Management System. To copy (import) content from one Canvas course (source course) into a different Canvas course (destination course), you need to have 'Edit' permissions in both courses, i.e. you need to be a leader, teacher, TA, or designer in both courses.

Full or Partial Course Import

Once you have the correct access to each course, import all or selected parts of a course using the following instructions:

1. Navigate to the Destination Course in Canvas
2. Click Settings in the course menu
3. Click Import Course Content in the menu on the right side of the page. This menu may be located at the bottom of the page if your screen size is small
4. Select Copy a Canvas Course from the "Content Type" drop-down menu
5. Check the box next to "Include completed courses" if you want to import from a past term course
6. Search for your Source Course in the "Search for a course" field
7. Select whether you want to import "All content" or "Select specific content"
   • If you choose "Select specific content", you will be prompted in step 8 below to select the content
8. Select whether you want to have Canvas automatically adjust events and due dates (not recommended)
   • If you choose to use this option, we recommend you select Monday of Week 1 and Friday of Finals Week for each term as your beginning and ending dates, respectively. Your source course will become 'read-only' on the End Date you've selected
9. Click Import. If you chose "All content" in step 7, the import process will begin immediately
   1. If you chose "Select specific content" in step 7, click Select Content located at the left end of the new Current Job that appears
      • Select entire content groups by checking the box next to the desired content group(s)
      • Expand content groups by clicking the arrow to the right of the desired content group(s). This will allow you to select subgroups or individual items from each content group
   2. After selecting the specific content, click Select Content at the bottom of the content selection pop-out box. The import process will begin immediately
10. Wait for the import process to finish, then refresh your browser or click Home to refresh your course and view your imported content

Canvas Guide: How do I copy content from another Canvas course?

Copy individual content items

Canvas also provides a way to copy individual pieces of content between courses. Use the links below for instructions to copy individual content items.

• How do I copy a page to another course?
• How do I copy an assignment to another course?
• How do I copy a quiz to another course?
• How do I copy a module to another course?

Additional Resources

• Copy (Import) All Content (video - 3:04)
• Copy (Import) Specific Content (video - 5:14)

Still have questions?

If you questions about this topic or related topics, please use one of the following methods to contact the Canvas team at Oregon State:

• Add a comment/question to this article using the tools below the article
• Send an email to Canvas@oregonstate.edu