Combine sections (for organizational purposes)

[lxb41]

I have been assigned a second section for an online course that has only ever had a single section. The setup for this course is complicated. For example, there are many hyperlinks that have to be created after the contents of the master course are transferred into the courses. I would prefer not to have to do all of that work twice and so am seeking a way to combine the two sections into one. This will also help with grading assignments. 

I have seen posts about cross-listing sections, but that seems to be only for grading purposes. I want to combine the two sections into one Canvas folder. Any help is welcomed.

[Chris_Hofer]

Hi there, @lxb41 ...

Cross-listing two or more courses together is generally something I would only recommend doing before the start of a semester.  Essentially what it does is it moves enrollments from one course into another, yet it still keeps the students separated by section.  Cross-listing two or more courses together does NOT move course content.  It only moves enrollments.  So, after courses have been cross-listed together, one of the easiest places to see your students in each section is via the "People" page, and you should be able to see a column identifying the section that each student is in.  You can also see your students via the course "Grades" page as well as the SpeedGrader.

As far as wanting content copied into the course, I'd recommend using the Course Import Tool.  You could either import (copy) an entire course into another course, or you could select specific content.

• How do I copy content from another Canvas course using the Course Import tool?
• How do I select specific content as part of a course import?

The above two options are probably the quickest ways to import (copy) content if you are looking at multiple content pages in your course(s).

You could also use the "Copy to" function found in most areas of Canvas to copy individual content pages from one course to another.  For example:

• How do I copy a module to another course?
• How do I copy a module item to another course?
• How do I copy a page to another course?
• How do I copy a discussion to another course?
• How do I copy an assignment to another course?
• How do I copy a quiz to another course?
• How do I copy a quiz to another course in New Quizzes?

Do you think that any of these options would work for your needs?  Please keep us posted here in the Community.  Thanks!

[lxb41]

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my query. Unfortunately, it does not describe the solution that I am seeking. What I want (need) is one Canvas folder that all of the students from two sections access for their syllabus, quizzes, readings, links to resources, etc.  If cross-listing will do that, then great, but all of the descriptions of cross-listing that I see only talk about pulling the names of students from one section into the Canvas folder of a second section. They do not clarify if the added students will then have access to all of the content of that folder. So, for example, if the enrollment from section 2 is moved into the Canvas folder for section 1, will all of the students from both sections take their online quizzes and complete online assignments within that one Canvas folder?  

I am very familiar with copying content as I use a master course to create and organize all of my courses. However, not everything can be copied over and that is why I am seeking a way to combine the sections. For example, if I create a page with content that includes hyperlinks to readings and quizzes within the Canvas course, those hyperlinks have to be added after the everything is copied from the master course into the course folders, which means that I have to then go into each section and set up the links, duplicating the work. 

[Chris_Hofer]

Hi @lxb41 ...

I am a little confused by your "folder" terminology, but I think I know what you are getting at (Canvas doesn't call courses "folders").  Let's say that you have two courses for the Fall 2025 semester in Canvas (Course A and Course B).  Both of these courses have the same content, but the only real difference is the student enrollments.  Assuming that we cross-list these two courses together, let's say that Course A is our "parent" course and Course B is the "child" course.  We'll cross-list the "child" course into the "parent" course so that all enrollments (both students and instructors) from Course B get added into Course A.

All students/instructors from Course A and Course B would only see Course A when they log in to Canvas, and this is the course they would access (even though some originally enrolled in Course B).  You, as the instructor, would also only see Course A, and you would not see Course B.  You would only make updates to your course content in Course A.

As I had mentioned in my initial reply, you would be able to see the enrollments for both courses in your "People" page of Course A.  As far as content is concerned, yes, since students are now cross-listed together in Course A, they will see any of the content that you load into the course.  This would include things that you've mentioned like the Syllabus, Quizzes, Readings, Links to Resources, etc.

I'm hoping I covered everything you asked about, but if you still have questions/concerns, please reply back.  Thanks!

[dbrace]

Hi @lxb41,

I agree with what @Chris_Hofer said when it comes to crosslisting (or moving) one Canvas section in one Canvas course into another already existing Canvas course with another Canvas section.

With that said, depending on the Canvas settings/permissions at your institution (and general policies and precedures, directly and indirectly related to Canvas), this is something that you probably cannot do on your own.

Have you contacted your institution's Canvas team to discuss this with them? They would be able go over the possibilities with you and (depending on how you all direct to proceed) do the tasks for you.

Would you still like help?

-Doug