Canvas: Importing Content from Past Course [Faculty & Staff]

Before the beginning of each semester, the university will generate course shells for every course taught in the upcoming semester. The Course Import Tool in Canvas can copy course content, assignments, and quizzes from previously taught courses and quickly imports them into existing courses.

Importing course content

Navigate to canvas.wfu.edu and click the Login button or launch Canvas from the Google App Launcher.
Select the destination course (i.e. empty course shell or My Sandbox Course) from the Dashboard or the Courses pop-out menu.
There are two options to import content into the destination course,
1. From the Home page, click Import Existing Content.
  
  -OR-
2. Click Settings from the Course Navigation bar (left navigation bar) and then click Import Course Content from the right menu.
From the Import Content page, select Copy a Canvas Course from Content type and enter part of the course name from the Search for a course drop-down list.
Select from the following:
- All content
- Select specific content [RECOMMENDED]
  If you use the Zoom Tool in Canvas for your previous course, make sure you choose "Select specific content" and then uncheck "Calendar Events" so that the old Zoom calendar items are not imported into your course.
If you would like Canvas to adjust the course dates for events & due dates for the new course, select Adjust events and due dates. Canvas will use the Beginning date and Ending date to adjust your events and due dates. Alternatively, you can select Remove dates to remove all event and due dates so that you can manually enter them.

Please Note: You should double check the dates that Canvas selects for each assignment to ensure it aligns with your teaching plan.
Click Import.
Once you have started an import, the Current Jobs menu displays the job status of any imports in process, as well as any prior import history.
- If you selected Select specific content in the previous step, you will need to select which content to import. Click on the Select Content button.
- Use the check boxes to select the content you wish to import and click Select Content.
  If you use the Zoom Tool in Canvas for your previous course, make sure you uncheck "Calendar Events" so that the old Zoom calendar items are not imported into your course.