[Import/Export] Undo Course Imports

[bmackenzie]

It seems that users should be able to undo or delete items they have imported into courses. On the Import Content page under the Current Jobs section, it would be very helpful to have an option to remove, delete, or undo each import individually. Currently if a mistake is made when importing to a course the only option seems to be to reset the entire course content. With users importing various resources from other courses and commons regularly, this solution would save a lot of time and heartache when such mistakes are made. To ask users to reset the entire course content, or to go through the entire course content and find every file, page, or assignment that may have been connected to that import and delete them individually seems like unfair punishment for an easily made mistake. It seems this would also possibly encourage more users to embrace the Canvas Community and use amazing resources like Commons, without fear of making such a mistake, or the time consuming steps of importing to a sandbox first then importing to the desired destination.

[cholling]

Hi Tim -- if you import the wrong course, why can't you just reimport the correct course and wipe over the incorrect one?

Just curious.

Cindy.

[cms_hickss]

As an Admin, I get a couple of these requests each semester where a teacher has setup course A (imported content, made changes, added things, etc) and then thinks they have moved to course B (and haven't) and does a second import (generally for a different course number altogether) and then wants us to undo it for them.

[timothy_maw]

Hi Cindy,

In my experience, whenever you import course content it does not overwrite the content that is currently in the course, rather it add to what is already there. There are times I would not want to wipe the material as well because we may have created content we want to use but, brought in the incorrect content at the same time, this option of being to undo an import would be the most beneficial.

[cholling]

Thanks, Tim.

[cms_hickss]

I would also like to see an option that would allow for not "undoing" the import for content that has been modified.

In other words, if a teacher has updated Page 7 of their latest import and then either accidentally selects to undo the import which Page 7 came from or opts to undo import for another reason that content which has been modified is not automatically selected to be unimported/deleted and most be individually selected (checkboxes) to be deleted.

[cjr201]

Nice to see the discussion changes coming back on.

[ronmarx]

Too bad there isn't some feature that keeps track of course versions just like the Canvas feature that keeps track of an infinite number of content page versions.

[Boekenoogen]

This would be a great addition to Canvas. 

[dholton]

Perhaps one way to do this would be for Canvas to automatically backup a course before an import is made (from Commons or elsewhere).  That way if there is a problem after the import, you could simply revert to the previous backup (even though that would be a little bit of a headache because you'd have to download the backup, reset the course, and then import the backup).

Or at least add an option in Commons and in importing - a checkbox that says "Backup your course(s) before importing?"

[amyweimer7]

This would be great. I just did this and imported the wrong content in a course that already had content. I had to delete the items manually from the course.