Working with Multiple Sections of the Same Course
If you are building a course that has multiple sections taught either by you or others, this page is for you. It shows how to copy your own course into other sections, request a space to build a master course, and share your course with other instructors so that they can import all or parts of your course. It also gives you the lowdown on merging courses—when you can, when you can't, and FERPA guidelines for merged courses.
Copying Courses into Multiple Sections
If you are scheduled to teach several sections of the same course, you can build one course and then copy that into the other sections. For building purposes, you can either build out the course in one of the sections, or you can ask CDLI to set up a PREP space for you. The advantage of a PREP space is that it is completely under your control; no students are enrolled, and it can act as a master course for your other courses. If you want to request a PREP space, simply email CDLI with the specifics. We can also create a PREP that is preloaded with one of our templates so if you would like that, let us know which template you'd prefer in your email.
Caution: It is best to avoid setting up your Zoom meetings before copying since some of the information gets carried over in the course Calendar and will need to be removed.
Sharing Your Course with Instructors from Other Sections
There may be a number of reasons you would like to share your course with other instructors teaching the same section. You may have built out useful resources that they could import into their own course, or they may need to import your entire course because they were hired at the last minute. Either way, the easiest way to share your course is to temporarily add them as an instructor.
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How to add people to a CURRENT course: Go to People in the left navigation menu; then click on the +People button open the Add People window and add their SU email, then choose the Role of Teacher; click Next and then Add Users.
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How to add people to a PAST course: If you try to add someone to a past course the + People button will be grayed out. You will need to go into the Course Settings and Course Details and temporarily change the End Date to a date in the future. You also need to make sure that you click "Students can only participate between these dates." Once you have finished adding the person you can go back and reset the Course Details.
►How to export you course so that others can import it:
If you cannot add an instructor to your course, you can export your course as an IMSCC file and email it to the other instructor. They can then import it into their course using the instructions found in Import a Course Template into Your Course. This is especially useful in cases where instructors do not yet have their SU IDs, as it allows them to begin building in Canvas Free for Teachers and then export/import into their SU Canvas course when they gain access. Below are the Canvas help guides for exporting and importing courses:
▶︎ How to share a course in Canvas Commons:
Another way to share your course—or even parts of your course—is to do so via Canvas Commons Links to an external site., where you can an share your course, send someone the link and—if they are signed into Canvas—they can import it. Here are the Canvas guides for sharing, viewing and importing via Canvas Commons:
Merging Courses
Course sections may be merged under certain conditions. Due to FERPA regulations, faculty must ensure that students in separate courses do not see or interact with each other in any way inside Canvas. FERPA restrictions do not apply to a merged Canvas course if students physically meet in the same classroom at the same time. If you would like to merge course sections, contact the Canvas Faculty support team at (833)250-2081 or email support@instructure.com.
Officially cross-listed courses are merged into one Canvas site automatically based on records from the Office of the Registrar. Please review your course information on SU Online Links to an external site. to verify that your course is cross-listed.
Note: Merge Canvas course sites before the quarter begins. Student submission data could be lost if merging occurs after students have interacted inside your Canvas course site.
Tip: Please read through the Complying with FERPA in Merged Courses Links to an external site. guide before making the decision to manually merge courses into one Canvas site - even if FERPA restrictions do not apply. This guide contains strategies for distributing content, communicating and facilitating interactions with students in individual course sections inside a merged Canvas course site.