How do I reset course content?

on Oct 7, 2017•Last modified by Canvas Doc Team

on Oct 6, 2018

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If you have permission as an instructor, you can reset course content with your course settings in Canvas. However, resetting course content permanently removes all content and it cannot be recovered.

When you reset course content, you reset all content in the course including:

Course ID—external URLs will no longer direct back to the course unless they are manually changed
LTI tools added at the course level

Course details and enrollments will remain intact within your course. Following the reset, your course will be unpublished and will not be visible to students. If you added the course to the Dashboard, it will still appear in the Dashboard after a reset.

Note: Course content cannot be reset in Blueprint Courses.

Open Settings

In Course Navigation, click the Settings link.

Reset Course Content

In the sidebar, click the Reset Course Content link.

Confirm Course Reset

Click the Reset Course Content button.

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Matthew Eric Lit Sep 12, 2018 11:34 AM

I don't understand. I reset my course content - after Canvas duplicated all the content and I found it impossible to weed through the duplications - and the entire shell was deleted!

There is NO warning this will happen. Any mention is that only content will be reset to its initial state. I lost three hours of work yesterday and had to start my course with no Canvas shell for my students. Admin reset my sandbox and it, too, is full of duplicated content.

I began - AGAIN - deleting the duplicates. When I went back to it all the duplicates were there again!

Canvas...I need your help and don't want to (nor have time) to deal with forums and communities. Is it possible to get help more directly???

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jivedocs@instructure.com

@ Matthew Eric Lit on Sep 12, 2018 2:46 PM

Matthew,

We understand your frustration, especially after losing several hours of work. The confirmation message that appears before course content is reset states that all content will be completely removed from the course, but if you think it requires some clarification, you're welcome to submit a new feature idea in the Canvas Studio. However, that doesn't resolve the fact that you're still experiencing difficulties with duplicate content.

You can reach out to our Canvas Support team How do I get help with Canvas as an instructor? through several channels of communication (email, phone, chat) to receive assistance with this issue and with any future problems or questions you encounter in the future. We hope that you can reach a resolution and have a smoother experience with Canvas going forward. Please don't hesitate to reach out here or to Canvas Support with any other questions you may have.

Thanks,

- Nathan

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Matthew Eric Lit @ jivedocs@instructure.com on Sep 14, 2018 12:02 PM

Yes. It absolutely demands clarification. Removing all content is completely different from Entire Course Will Be Deleted. It should reset the course to its previous state.

I would be more than happy to offer new feature ideas to Canvas LMS. My rates are $80 per hour billable in 15-minute increments. If Canvas would like to engage my experience I'm happy to provide this as a contracted service.

From Summit...

Matt Lit<mailto:mlit@coloradomtn.edu> | Colorado Mountain College

adjunct faculty | photography

Breckenridge Campus & Online for Isaacson School for New Media

Adobe Campus Leader

cell: 970/390-6225

web: mattlitphoto.com<http://www.mattlitphoto.com/colorado-mountain-college.html>

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jivedocs@instructure.com

@ Matthew Eric Lit on Sep 14, 2018 12:38 PM

Matthew,

We understand your frustration with having duplicate content in your course and then having everything reset in your course. However, the notification that displays before you reset course content is pretty clear about what will take place if your proceed with resetting course content, stating that "Resetting course content will permanently delete all course content". When you say it should "reset the course to its previous state" what exactly do you expect to happen to your course content? Much like resetting a phone to its factory settings, a "reset" refers to resetting the course back to its original state, which means it will contain student enrollments and a blank slate, with zero course content.

Creating feature ideas is a great way to provide feedback to our product teams and helps them build out portions of their priorities when updating functionality. If you feel the need to provide feedback directly to our team, that is one of the best places to do it. This is, of course, completely optional. But if you'd like to make your voice heard by our product teams, I still suggest it.

You may also want to reach out to your Canvas administrator to learn about using the Test and Beta environments in Canvas, where you can test things out (like importing and duplicating content) without an impact to your actual course that students will see. You can learn more about the Test and Beta environments at these links: How do I access the Canvas test environment as an instructor? and How do I access the Canvas beta environment as an instructor?.

I'll also encourage you again to reach out to our Canvas Support team who can assist you with setting up your course, recovering lost data, and importing any needed content: How do I get help with Canvas as an instructor?

Thanks,

- Nathan

Actions

4 Comments

Matthew Eric Lit Sep 12, 2018 11:34 AM
I don't understand. I reset my course content - after Canvas duplicated all the content and I found it impossible to weed through the duplications - and the entire shell was deleted!

There is NO warning this will happen. Any mention is that only content will be reset to its initial state. I lost three hours of work yesterday and had to start my course with no Canvas shell for my students. Admin reset my sandbox and it, too, is full of duplicated content.

I began - AGAIN - deleting the duplicates. When I went back to it all the duplicates were there again!

Canvas...I need your help and don't want to (nor have time) to deal with forums and communities. Is it possible to get help more directly???
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- jivedocs@instructure.com @ Matthew Eric Lit on Sep 12, 2018 2:46 PM
  Matthew,
  We understand your frustration, especially after losing several hours of work. The confirmation message that appears before course content is reset states that all content will be completely removed from the course, but if you think it requires some clarification, you're welcome to submit a new feature idea in the Canvas Studio. However, that doesn't resolve the fact that you're still experiencing difficulties with duplicate content.
  
  You can reach out to our Canvas Support team How do I get help with Canvas as an instructor? through several channels of communication (email, phone, chat) to receive assistance with this issue and with any future problems or questions you encounter in the future. We hope that you can reach a resolution and have a smoother experience with Canvas going forward. Please don't hesitate to reach out here or to Canvas Support with any other questions you may have.
  
  Thanks,
  - Nathan
  Like • Show 0 Likes0
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  - Matthew Eric Lit @ jivedocs@instructure.com on Sep 14, 2018 12:02 PM
    Yes. It absolutely demands clarification. Removing all content is completely different from Entire Course Will Be Deleted. It should reset the course to its previous state.
    
    I would be more than happy to offer new feature ideas to Canvas LMS. My rates are $80 per hour billable in 15-minute increments. If Canvas would like to engage my experience I'm happy to provide this as a contracted service.
    
    From Summit...
    
    Matt Lit<mailto:mlit@coloradomtn.edu> | Colorado Mountain College
    adjunct faculty | photography
    Breckenridge Campus & Online for Isaacson School for New Media
    
    Adobe Campus Leader
    
    cell: 970/390-6225
    web: mattlitphoto.com<http://www.mattlitphoto.com/colorado-mountain-college.html>
    Like • Show 0 Likes0
    Actions
    - jivedocs@instructure.com @ Matthew Eric Lit on Sep 14, 2018 12:38 PM
      Matthew,
      We understand your frustration with having duplicate content in your course and then having everything reset in your course. However, the notification that displays before you reset course content is pretty clear about what will take place if your proceed with resetting course content, stating that "Resetting course content will permanently delete all course content". When you say it should "reset the course to its previous state" what exactly do you expect to happen to your course content? Much like resetting a phone to its factory settings, a "reset" refers to resetting the course back to its original state, which means it will contain student enrollments and a blank slate, with zero course content.
      Creating feature ideas is a great way to provide feedback to our product teams and helps them build out portions of their priorities when updating functionality. If you feel the need to provide feedback directly to our team, that is one of the best places to do it. This is, of course, completely optional. But if you'd like to make your voice heard by our product teams, I still suggest it.
      You may also want to reach out to your Canvas administrator to learn about using the Test and Beta environments in Canvas, where you can test things out (like importing and duplicating content) without an impact to your actual course that students will see. You can learn more about the Test and Beta environments at these links: How do I access the Canvas test environment as an instructor? and How do I access the Canvas beta environment as an instructor?.
      I'll also encourage you again to reach out to our Canvas Support team who can assist you with setting up your course, recovering lost data, and importing any needed content: How do I get help with Canvas as an instructor?
      
      Thanks,
      - Nathan
      Like • Show 0 Likes0
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How do I reset course content?

Open Settings

Reset Course Content

Confirm Course Reset

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