Deciding if Importing is Right for You
It's time for some spring clean-up!
Before you decide whether to import an existing course from another system into Canvas, it is wise take a careful look at it and evaluate your options first. In most cases, you may be surprised that even though the import process in Canvas quite simple, that your new course will actually turn out much nicer if you rebuild it from scratch. Think of this as an opportunity to do that spring course cleaning you've been dreaming of for the last few years.
The following table illustrates some questions you can ask yourself when deciding whether to import or rebuild. If you still can't decide which is best for you, run a test import of your course and see what happens! You can always delete it and start over.
Condition of My Existing Course |
Import |
Build from Scratch |
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Is my existing course up-to-date, simply structured and well-organized? |
Yes Congratulations, you are one of a few who may be able to import and be ready to teach in a snap! |
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Is my existing course complex with many nested files and a lot of images and/or media? |
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Yes Media rich and content heavy courses can be difficult to bring into a new system. Sometimes the work of reorganizing existing materials is more difficult than simply rebuilding them. |
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Is my existing course in need of updating because the course materials are old and/or inaccurate? |
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Yes If it is time for an overhaul of existing materials, building from scratch rather than playing the "find and replace" game will probably be much faster. |
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Is my existing course messy with excess files that have been accumulating for years and/or does it has many web links that no longer work? |
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Yes If it has been a while since you cleaned out your file manager and/or tested all of your web links, it might be time to start fresh. |
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Does my existing course contain multiple images and/or videos that are not open source or that I do not legally have permission to be using? |
Yes It is probably best to redo some of your content and seek assistance from a librarian for help citing your sources and obtaining copyright permissions. |
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Has my existing course been updated recently? |
Yes If you've updated your course within the last year and you have a fairly simple course structure, you may be able to happily import. |
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Has my textbook recently changed or am I using a new edition which necessitates page numbers and assignments to be updated? |
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Yes If you've recently changed books or upgraded to a newer edition, it is probably time to overhaul your page content and possibly your assignments. |
Learning Resources:
Explore the Guides links below. Each link will open in a new tab. You can return to Canvas by clicking on the Canvas tab in your browser.
Watch
Read
- What does the Course Import tool do? Links to an external site.
- How do I adjust events and due dates in a course import? Links to an external site.
- How do I select specific content as part of a course import? Links to an external site.
- How do I export a Canvas course? Links to an external site.
- How do I copy content from another Canvas course? Links to an external site.
- How do I import a Canvas course export package? Links to an external site.
After exploring the Guides link, return to Canvas and click the "Next" button at the bottom right of the page to move to the next section of the module.