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Course Copy in Canvas
- Click the Course you want to Import Content Into
It is important that you start with the course you want to import content into first. This is different from Blackboard.
- Click “Import Existing Content” in the menu on the right (or at the bottom of the screen on smaller displays)
- Click to expand the “Select Content Type” dropdown box
- Click “Copy a Canvas Course”
- Click to expand the “Search for a course” dropdown box
- Type the name of the course you want to copy content from
In the Search for a course field, type the course name or course code. Check the box for “Include completed courses” if the source course is from a past semester.
- and select it in the list
Optionally: Adjust Due dates
- Optionally: Adjust events and due dates
- Select “Remove dates”
Check Adjust events and due dates if you want Canvas to systematically update calendar dates:
- Shift dates: Set the original start/end dates and the target semester’s start/end dates to automatically calculate a calendar shift. You can also define day-of-the-week substitutions.
- Use Substitution when your course structure relies on specific class meeting patterns that do not align between semesters
- Remove dates: Clears all assignment due dates and availability windows, allowing you to set them manually later.
When to Use Substitution
Schedule Pattern Changes: If your class met on Monday/Wednesday in the fall, but moves to a Tuesday/Thursday schedule in the spring, adding substitutions (Monday → Tuesday and Wednesday → Thursday) ensures assignments and module availability shift to your actual lecture days rather than off days.
Weekend to Weekday Due Dates: If an online course previously set assignments to close on Sundays and you want deadlines to fall on Friday evenings instead, map Sunday → Friday.
Holiday Offsets: If a major holiday (such as Labor Day or Martin Luther King Jr. Day) alters week 1 meeting patterns between fall and spring terms, substitutions help keep weekly cadences intact.
Important Note: Day substitutions run in addition to the overall calendar date shift. Canvas calculates the proportional calendar shift first, then adjusts assignments matching that day of the week to the substituted day. Always spot-check the Calendar or Syllabus page after the import completes to verify major milestones, exam dates, and fall/spring break adjustments.
Choose what to Copy
- Choose All Content or Specific Content
Before you copy: Avoid duplicate content
Your new course shell already includes the course template, student support information, and an EVA.
If your sandbox also contains any of these items, use one of these options to avoid creating duplicates:
Before copying: Delete those items from your sandbox.
When copying: Choose Select Specific Content and leave those items unselected.
If you copy these items into the new course shell, you will need to delete the duplicates, including the extra EVA, from the live course.
Under Content, choose one of the following:-
All Content: Copies all modules, pages, assignments, quizzes, files, and settings.
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Select Specific Content: Allows you to pick individual modules, question banks, or assignment groups after initiating the import.
Click “+ Add to Import Queue”
- If you selected Select Specific Content
Click the red Select Content button.
- Select Content for Import
Expand the arrows and check the boxes by the specific items (e.g., specific modules, rubrics, or quizzes) you want to copy over, and click Select Content to finalize.
- Status: Completed
Once you see “Status: Completed” listed, you’ll know the process has finished.
Need Help?
If you need assistance, the best way to get support is to submit a ticket or email the HelpDesk at . Additionally, you can call us at (828) 327-7000 ext. 4444.