How do I copy material from an existing Canvas course into a new one?

Copying course material from a past Canvas site can make setting up new semesters much easier. Assignments, resources, and files that you use over and over can be moved from Canvas site to Canvas site without having to upload and create everything over again. You can choose to copy an entire course or only selected materials. Canvas also has the ability to automatically assign due dates during a course copy, or to remove due dates entirely, with the Adjust events and due dates option.

Copying a Whole Canvas Course to a New Semester

This process will copy an entire Canvas course into a new Canvas site. This includes all assignments, quizzes, discussion boards, events, and due dates. Student data and submissions will not be copied.

To copy materials from a past Canvas site into a current one you will want to start in the new course site:

1. In the left-hand menu, click Settings
2. In the right-hand menu, click Import Course Content
3. From the dropdown menu, choose Copy a Canvas Course
   A search bar will appear where you can search for the course you want to import.
4. Click Import

Copying Selected Materials From a Previous Canvas Course Into a New Canvas Course

This process will copy only the materials you select from a Canvas course into a new Canvas site. Materials imported will retain all of their original settings, including general due dates. Student data and submissions, including specialized assign to dates, will not be copied.

To copy selected materials from a previous Canvas course:

1. Access the Import Course Content page by following the previous instructions
2. After choosing the course you want to import from, click Select specific content
3. Click Import
4. After the initial import completes, next to the completed import under Current Jobs, click Select content
   The content from the previous course will appear grouped by type.
5. Check the boxes to choose which items to import
6. When you are finished selecting, click Select content

Automatically Assigning New Due Dates When Copying Materials

If you have a course structure that has the same assignments due at the same points in the semester, you can have Canvas adjust the due dates of your quizzes and assignments based on the new semester's dates. You will do this by telling Canvas what the first and last days of class were in the original class, and what they are in the new semester. You can also use this option to remove all due dates from the imported materials. This functionality will work if you import an entire course or only selected materials; you will complete the reassigning of new due dates before choosing which materials to import.  

To automatically assign new due dates when copying materials:

1. Access the Import Course Content page by following the previous instructions
2. After choosing the course you want to import from, check the Adjust events and due dates
3. Do one of the following:

• If you wish to remove all due dates from the materials you are importing, click Remove Dates
• If you wish to automatically assign new due dates, enter the Beginning date and Ending date for both Canvas sites
• To change the days of the week on which your materials are due - for example, to change a Monday-Wednesday class to a Tuesday-Thursday one, click the +Substitution button and enter that change with the dropdowns

4. Click Import

More information can be found at the Canvas Community Instructor Guide.

Need additional help? Contact the HWS IT Services Digital Learning Team.