[ARCHIVED] Commons files in copied courses

[a_p_g_robinson]

Is there any way to create a course that includes a commons page or two, and then export or copy that course to a second course, and maintain the link to the commons file in the second course (so that both courses can now be updated)?

Usage case - create a template that has some commons pages (eg editing guide, wellbeing info) that we want to be able to edit in a single location, and some normal pages, and then use that course as a template to create a whole load of other courses.

At the moment it seems that when you move course content from one course to another, either via an .imscc export file, or using the copy file function, then the link to commons is broken and the shared pages just become normal pages and therefore no longer update-able.

[Chris_Hofer]

Hello @a_p_g_robinson ...

It sounds like you are wanting a way to "update once, distribute to many".  This is entirely possible using Canvas Commons.  Here's what to do:

1. Design your template pages in one course.
2. Share the entire course or individual content to Canvas Commons.
   • How do I share a course to Commons?
   • How do I share a resource to Commons?
3. In the other courses that will use those templates, import that content from Canvas Commons to those courses.  How do I import and view a Commons resource in Canvas?
4. Update the template course as needed, and then use Commons to update that resource.  How do I update a resource I previously shared to Commons?
5. Apply the updated resource to the other courses.  How do I view updates to resources I previously imported from Commons?

I hope this will be of some help to you.  Sing out if you have any other questions...thanks!  Take care, stay safe, and be well.

[a_p_g_robinson]

Hi Chofer,

Thanks for the answer. The hope was not to need to import the commons resource to each course individually as there are a lot of courses (>100 I think).

We did find a different solution which was to host the general information on a course specifically for that information, ensuring that all of the users are added to that particular course, and then linked to the page in that course from the template. Sort of a poor-man's version of commons, but it worked for this usage case.