Publish & Copy Courses
Introduction
This page describes the process for copying content from a master course shell to a live course shell. It will also help you take the final step necessary to make your course available to students. Students will not be able to access your course until it is published, so don't forget this important part of the process!
On This Page:
- Copy your course
- Publish your course
Copy your course
You will want to build your course in a master course shell. After you have finished building your course in your master course shell, you will need to copy it into one or more "live" course shells (courses with students) using the tutorial below:
- Adding and Importing Content to a Master Course in Canvas Links to an external site. (PSU resource)
- Copy and Share Content from course to course in Canvas Links to an external site. (External resource)
Throughout the semester, if you make changes to your live course, make the same changes to your master course (e.g. adding or removing an assignment). At the start of the next term, repeat the steps above for your new live course.
Due Dates
- If you have already added due dates to any assignments in your Master Course before copying, 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 in the above link, 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.
- When using the Adjust Due Dates feature, you need to enter a start date in both the Master and live courses.
- The Adjust Due Dates feature also adjusts availability dates, Module dates, and start dates on Announcements.
- The drag-drop feature on the Calendar allows users to use the smaller calendar in the upper right to drop items into a different month.
Groups
- If you create a group set in your Master Course, it will be copied into the new course if you follow the steps above. However, individual student groups within a group set will not be copied and will need to be recreated in the new course.
Publish your course
When you are ready, follow the steps in this tutorial to publish your course, making it available to students:
- How do I publish my course? Links to an external site. (External resource)
NOTE: If you have not published your course, you will not be able to email students in the course using the Inbox function of Canvas. The All Students menu choice will not appear in the To field of the Compose a New Message menu box.