Copying Content between Courses or Duplicating Content within a Course in Canvas

Description

Canvas offers multiple ways for instructors to save effort by reusing content once it has been created. Instructors may copy multiple items or the contents of an entire course using the Course Import tool. Instructors may also copy individual items, such as a module or an assignment, using either the Duplicate or Copy To features. Note that while the terms "copy" and "duplicate" are sometimes used interchangeably, the corresponding Canvas features are not the same and each should be used for different circumstances. The Duplicate feature is meant to be used to copy an item within the same course, whereas the Copy To feature is best used to copy an item from one course to another course, such as from a development course to a live course or across multiple sections of a course. This article provides instruction to use each of these three features.

Environment

Canvas in your web browser

Solution 

Duplicating an Individual Item within the Same Course

  1. Locate the item you wish to duplicate within the same course
  2. Select the options icon (three dots) to the right of the item name
  3. Select the Duplicate option
  4. The duplicated item will appear below the original and have the same name appended with "Copy"

Copying an Individual Item to Another Course

  1. Locate the item you wish to copy to another Canvas course
  2. Select the options icon (three dots) to the right of the item name
  3. Select the Copy To... option
  4. Enter the name of a course, SIS ID, or course code in the "Select a Course" field
  5. Select the course into which you want to copy the item
    • NOTE: The "Select a Course" drop-down menu only displays courses in which you have an active or future enrollment. Content cannot be copied to a concluded course.
  6. You may also select a particular location in the course, such as at the top of a specific module
    • NOTE: When copying content, a message displays explaining that importing the same course content more than once overwrites any existing content in the course.
  7. Select the Copy button
  8. Confirm the presence of a success message
  9. Select the Close button

Copying Multiple Course Content Items to Another Course

  1. Log in to Canvas at canvas.ohio.edu and navigate to the course you wish to receive the content (the destination course). 

  2. Follow the instructions provided in the “How do I copy content from another Canvas course using the Course Import Tool?” help article from Canvas or follow the instructions in this video: 

Connecting or Pairing Third-Party Content 

If the content you copy from the source course includes links to third-party integrations, such as publisher content, Panopto, Top Hat, Turnitin, VoiceThread, etc., you may need to take some additional steps to ensure that those links work in your new course. This process will vary slightly between tools, but these steps should help to initiate the process. 

  1. If the tool has an option in the course navigation menu on the left (Proctortrack, Panopto, OneDrive, Teams, Top Hat, etc.), start by selecting that option. 

  • This should prompt you to sign into that third-party provider, which will verify your identity and create a new connection between that tool and this course. 

  • It may prompt you to select the corresponding content from the third-party vendor to associate with this new course. 

  1. If the tool does not have a link in the course navigation menu, find one of the links to the tool content within your course and select it. For example, select a corresponding assignment from the Assignments section. 

  • This should prompt you to sign into that third-party provider which will verify your identity and create a new connection between that tool and this course. 

  • It may prompt you to select the corresponding content from the third-party tool to associate with this new course. 

  1. If additional assistance is needed, please select the appropriate support link from our Using Third-Party Integrations in Canvas (Publisher Content and Add-on Tools) help article. 

Get Help from Canvas

  • Live chat with Canvas support (Faculty) 
  • Get 24-hours/7-days a week Canvas support  
    • Dial the Canvas Support Hotline number located under "Get Help" in the Canvas Global Navigation Menu 
    • Contact OIT at 740-593-1222 for questions related to logging in, test courses/manually-created courses, or third-party tools (Panopto, VoiceThread, Inclusive Access, etc.) 

Get Help from OIT

Additional Resources 

Create Ticket Print Article

Related Services / Offerings (1)

Canvas Learning Management System (LMS)
Canvas is an online Learning Management System designed to facilitate communication and the sharing of course content between instructors, teaching assistants, students, and guests.