Import Outcomes - it just doesn't work

[govreacl]

does anyone have a way to upload outcomes to a subaccount - no matter what I do I get an error - I download the report and updated it - still getting an error - does anyone have any suggestions as to why I can't just download, make changes and then import - I have been working in Canvas for 10 years and have NEVER been able to import outcomes

[gaudreac]

This is a version of what I use: 

The most annoying part that I've found is that the mastery_points, ratings and description columns just expand out. There's no header after ratings, so a row can go "4, 4, detail, 3, detail, 2, detail, 1, detail, 0, detail" and nothing after the second 4 will have a header. 

Could you show an example of the CSV file you're using?

[govreacl]

Thanks for the quick reply. I have tried a spreadsheet format just like yours. I have 5 levels of ratings not 4 - will that make it fail?

[gaudreac]

It definitely shouldn't; we use much wider ranges in some of our Outcomes! Could it be the encoding? Try saving the file as specifically CSV UTF-8 instead of just a CSV. 

[govreacl]

Also, what do I need to change in the file if I already have all the outcomes set up for a specific course in the subaccount and I want to use those same outcomes for another course? Here is the error message and the file. Thanks for the support.

Your outcomes were successfully imported, but with the following issues (up to the first 100 warnings):

Row 3: Outcome with canvas id "" not found
Row 4: Outcome with canvas id "" not found
Row 5: Outcome with canvas id "" not found
Row 6: Outcome with canvas id "" not found
Row 7: Outcome with canvas id "" not found
Row 8: Outcome with canvas id "" not found
Row 9: Outcome with canvas id "" not found
Row 10: Outcome with canvas id "" not found
Row 11: Outcome with canvas id "" not found
Row 12: Outcome with canvas id "" not found
Row 13: Outcome with canvas id "" not found
Row 14: Outcome with canvas id "" not found
Row 15: Outcome with canvas id "" not found
Row 16: Outcome with canvas id "" not found
Row 17: Outcome with canvas id "" not found
Row 18: Outcome with canvas id "" not found
Row 19: Outcome with canvas id "" not found
Row 20: Outcome with canvas id "" not found
Row 21: Outcome with canvas id "" not found
Row 22: Outcome with canvas id "" not found
Row 23: Outcome with canvas id "" not found
Row 24: Outcome with canvas id "" not found
Row 25: Outcome with canvas id "" not found
Row 26: Outcome with canvas id "" not found
Row 27: Outcome with canvas id "" not found
Row 28: Outcome with canvas id "" not found
Row 29: Outcome with canvas id "" not found

[gaudreac]

When you use these in the vendor_guid column

canvas_outcome_group:181271

canvas_outcome:682001

are they already in existence and you're updating them, or are you attempting to create them? The "canvas_outcome_group:" and "canvas_outcome:" prefixes are reserved for use by Canvas when an outcome or group is created through the GUI; they can't be created through a CSV. 

For reusing Outcomes, there's a trick to the hierarchy. If you need Outcomes to report, you might want to create them in the lowest possible Sub-Account to get the results you want. They'll only create a Report where they've been loaded, even though Sub-Accounts below that can use them. (So, if you create an Outcome in the root account, and then have a course in the Sub-Account below it, the course can use the Outcome, but the Report will have to be run in the Root account.) 

Any course in a Sub-Account with that Outcome can access it, though! Instructors can add them by using the Find option in Outcomes on the Course Navigation Menu. If you're using the "older" view for Rubrics and Outcomes, they can also be added directly to a Rubric with the Find Outcome button. Or you can do as we do and create pre-fab Rubrics for less-experienced users. They can add them directly to an assignment, which also imports the Outcomes (still only available in the older version of Outcomes, alas). 

Anything less hands-on requires Templates or Blueprints, best I can tell. 

[govreacl]

What does column A look like?

[gaudreac]

Our format is a bit of a mess; I designed it to make sense primarily to me. The good ol' classics of "test" and "test1" also exist somewhere in the depths of our instance. In my experience it works very similarly to any standard SIS ID you might have for a User, Section or Course. Alphanumeric with limited special characters seems acceptable. 

[govreacl]

Awesome - thanks for sharing - I will try it again later this week. 

[gaudreac]

Good luck!

[govreacl]

Hi,

Thank you for your response - I have set up the groups manually and then exported the report where I just wanted to reuse instead of retyping everything. I think I just have to give up I am just wasting too much time trying to get this to work. Very frustrating.