Creating an assignment or Module for Multiple classes at the same time

[ciresia]

I have seven classes. It takes forever to create an assignment and then import or copy to other courses. Is it possible to create one assignment for all classes at the same time? In my old Focus Portal, I could upload files in one place and every section attached could go and get the assignment or file with ONE upload.

I would also like to be able to blast an announcement to reach every student instead of creating 7 different announcements. Is this possible?

Thanks for any help.

[gnoack · Accepted solution]

Are you copy/pasting assignment text, or using the new Copy assignment tool.  The copy assignment tool has to be turned on by your Canvas Admin.  It works really well and saves a lot of time. 

https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Instructor-Guide/How-do-I-copy-an-assignment-to-another-course/ta...

Also, you might want to check out BluePrint courses. 

https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Video-Guide/Blueprint-Courses-Overview/ta-p/383201

I don't know of any easier way to transfer content and assignments from one course to another. 

The Copy Assignment tool can be used to copy announcements, too.  Once they are copied to the new course, you do have to then edit and publish them for them to be sent out. 

[gcollins1]

Great responses gnoack!

ciresia: If all your seven sections of the course will have all the same content you can also cross-list six of the  sections into the seventh course.

[TANSTAAFL]

I have a similar question. I usually run multiples of a class, with the same content for each section. Generally, I create one class and them import it into another if I can, but often things are built on the fly and so I find myself coding the HTML pages for one class, then simply pasting in the same HTML from my offline editor into the other section. This means though that I have to go in and manually change all the links to images or files stored in Canvas. If I don't, it looks fine to me, but my students in the second section get broken links because the links are specific to the original section.

Is there a way to dump all the files for all of my courses into one place, and have the links resolve correctly for students no matter what section they have? As it is I have to copy files to each section, or upload them again separately. 

Duplicating the actual assignments and content text is easy; it's HTML that I simply paste in. It's the links, images and files, and how they resolve/where they are stored that is the issue. Canvas seems to be prioritized for the instructor's POV, and it works fine that way, but students in different sections might as well be in different universes.

[epulham]

One way that you might be able to do this is by using Blueprints in Canvas. The tool has to be enabled by your Canvas Admin at your school. When you create a Blueprint course, you make it the way you want it (with no students in it), then you associate your sections to the blueprint course. You sync your changes to each course as needed during the semester, but I'm pretty sure that when there's a course copy or blueprint association that the HTML links contain api endpoints that change when you copy it over so that the link is live within the actual course you're working in. We have had success with blueprints at our school, but you need to work with the Admin at your institution to get it running.

[TANSTAAFL]

Great idea. We do have Blueprints for some of the courses I've worked with, though I will have to check whether my specific account is set up for them. That might be a solution, certainly better than lumping both sections into one Canvas shell.