Introduction

This page describes the process for importing a Canvas course template, which you can use as a starting point and guide for building a well-organized course, as well as copying content from an existing course to new course. If you have previously taught the same course, or would like to import specific content from another course, the Import Course Content tool in Canvas will allow you to copy content from one course and add it to another. You may want to complete this process before you get started in order to work with any existing course content you may have.

On This Page:

1. Import a course template
2. Copy content from one course into another using the Import Course Content tool

Import a Course Template

The Office of Digital Education has created two course shell templates to help you start building your online/hybrid course in Canvas. These templates have been designed to account for best practices for designing and structuring online courses.

The Lite Canvas Template is recommended for faculty who have never created a course online before, and the Full Canvas Template is for faculty who are experienced in creating online Canvas Content. You can, of course, still structure your course from scratch or redesign what you have. You can use the recommendations above to get you started.

Note: This template is only a guide to give faculty ideas about how to build their online course with some sample language and content to build a course quickly in Canvas – the template has been made to be very flexible and easy to edit for use.

Here are the resources to help you build your course in Canvas:

These templates provide a minimum course shell with just the essentials for creating a Canvas Course. You can download and save this file to a folder on your computer.

Once you've downloaded the .imscc file, go to your Canvas course via your Dashboard.
Go to Settings (normally at the bottom of the left hand menu in blue).
Click on Import Course Content, which will be on the right.
From the pulldown menu, select Canvas Course Export Package.
Use the Choose File tool to find your .imscc file. (If you don't know where you saved it, check your Downloads folder.)
Select All Content.
Click the Import button to begin the template process. This will take a few moments.

For more detailed step-by-step instructions with illustrations, follow these "How do I import a Canvas Course Export Package?" instructions (link to an external site) to import this file into your Canvas course.

Many colleges/schools at Temple have developed Course Templates for their faculty Please check with your college or department to see if they have a required course template. You can reach out to your department for assistance about where and how to import any required templates.

Import / Copy Course Content from a Previous Course

There are two options for copying content: Copying an entire existing Canvas course, or copying specific content (e.g. files, pages, quizzes, etc.). You may want to copy an entire course if you would like to evaluate and manage all of your course content. From there, you will be able to edit, delete, and add anything you'd like for the new semester. You may want to use the "specific content" option if you would only like to bring over specific items, such as a few select files, or one specific quiz.

Use the following tutorials below to complete this process:

We recommend Select Specific Content when copying material from an older course to your new course. Do not bring over Announcements or Calendar Events as they are time sensitive.

Copying all content in one Canvas course to another

Copying specific content in a Canvas course to another

Important Note

If you have already added due dates to any assignments before copying your course, you will need to update those due dates throughout your live course. You may select the option to "adjust due dates" as part of the course copy process described above, but it is still very important to check the dates throughout your course! The date adjust tool does not apply changes to ungraded assignments/quizzes or announcements, and it does not account for spring or fall breaks. You can choose to use Batch Edit Due Dates. See directions below.

Edit/Update Multiple Assignment Due Dates/Availability Dates at Once (Batch Edit)

If you have imported assignments from a previous semester into your course, you can easily edit all of their due dates and availability dates at once. The following resource explains this process:

How do I bulk update due dates and availability dates as an Instructor?

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