Before copying #

Check the name of your sandbox course #

Within the “Course Details” section of the settings page, please checkthe name of your sandbox course.  Name –Please name your sandbox courses “Sandbox – Course Name – Instructor Name” to make it easier for our support staff to find the course if you call us for help. Course code – Course code should be similar to the Name but use the Listing code (Biol_101 instead of “Introduction to Biology”).  

Add a course image #

You can, and should, add an image to your course.  This image will appear on the tile for the course on the dashboard and will help you and your students identify the course more easily.

Click on the image icon at the top of the “Course Details” section of the settings page.

Check your links #

Within the “Course Details” section of the settings page, choose “Validate Links in Content.” This will examine all links in the course that lead to external sites to validate whether the link is good.  Canvas will indicate to you if any of your links are broken.

Crosslist your sections #

You can crosslist sections, so all of the sections for a course are contained in a single Canvas course shell.

Please review the article “Instructions and FERPA concern mitigation strategies” and address  FERPA concerns that may arise from combining course sections.

*Crosslist BEFORE copying content into second section/course and begin crosslisting  in an empty course

Performing the course copy #

Go to your LIVE course #

Ensure you are in your LIVE course before you import from your sandbox course to your live.

Once in your live course, either click on “Add Existing Content” on the home page go to Settings (bottom choice on left navigation screen) to begin import.

Import the Course from the Sandbox into the live course #

The “Import Course Content” tool is on the Course settings page in the right side bar. Click on this to start the process. In the dropdown menu for “Content Type” choose “Copy a Canvas Course.”

Search for your course #

In the “Search for a course” box start typing the name of the course. A list of courses will appear. When you see the one you want to copy, click on it.

Choose which content you want to copy #

Choose “All Content”

Adjust Dates #

Canvas can adjust the dates of your assignments, events, and To-Do items to a new semester automatically. Enter the Beginning and End dates for the Sandbox Course and the semester you are copying to.

If your dates in your Sandbox Course are correct, do not check “Adjust events and due dates.” Checking this box will remove the dates from your course.

Choose “Import” and check the status #

Click on the Purple import button towards the bottom of this screen. The process will start, and a status indicator will display. When this is done, it will indicate “completed” or display an error status. Canvas will tell you where the errors occurred within your course.

Verify content copied #

Check home page to verify content from sandbox copied into live course

After Copying #

Add TAs, other instructors Etc #

Instructors can add TAs and other instructors themselves. To do so, go to the “People” tool in the course navigation. Choose the “+People” button at the top right of this page. Enter the email addresses of the People that you want to add to the course, select their role and section, and click next. You can find descriptions of what each of the roles does here.

Check your Roster #

Check the class roster under the People tool to ensure it matches what you see in AccessPoint. If it doesn’t, please contact the Canvas team by email at canvas@uwsp.edu.

Check your course navigation settings #

Access the navigation tab under course settings to disable any navigation items that you don’t want students to see. Drag items from the top section to the bottom to disable them. We recommend enabling only these navigation items: • Home • Syllabus • Announcements • Office 365 • Grades

Publish the content and modules of the course #

Ensure that all of the content that you want students to be able to see is published. Content that is published is demarked with a green circle with a check mark inside of it at the right side of the module item. You can publish the contents of an entire module by clicking on the publish icon at the top of the module.

Publish the Course #

Students can’t see your course until you have published it. From the home page of the course, locate the “Course Status” buttons at the top right of the page. Click on “Publish” to publish the course.

Optional Steps #

Modify the start date #

Within the “Course Details” section/tab of the Settings page, please check the start date of your course.  Courses come in from PeopleSoft with the exact start date of the course.  If you want the course to open earlier for your students, you can change this to an earlier date. You’ll also need to check the “Students can only participate…” box below the date settings.

Modify the end date #

Within the “Course Details” section of the Settings page, please check the end date of your course. 

You’ll also need to check the “Students can only participate…” box below the date settings. *Click Update Course Details button to save

Set up a grading scheme #

If you want to show your students letter grades instead of points or percentages, you’ll need to create a course grading scheme. You can do this under course settings. From here you can view and edit the default scheme to match your grading rules.

Remove your sandbox courses and unused courses from your dashboard #

Your sandbox courses will appear along side your regular semester courses in the dashboard until you change some settings. Hide your sandbox courses from the dashboard by accessing the “courses” menu and selecting “all courses.” Click on the star next to the courses you want to show in the dashboard. Once you have starred one course, only starred courses will appear on the dashboard.

Download and setup the “Canvas Teacher” App on your tablet and phone. #

The Canvas Teacher App is a great way to stay connected to your courses.  You can find it by searching “Canvas Teacher” in the Apple Store or the Google Play Store. Once the application has been downloaded, open it and tap “Find Your School or District.” Enter “uws” and select University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, which should appear at the top of the list. Select the arrow to continue. Log in with your UWSP credentials.