Remove student discussions, but not the discussion topics

[holmant]

Hi Everyone!  I have yet another Canvas question.  When you are using the same course from semester to semester and you have discussions from the students, how do you delete the student discussions from one semester to the other, and NOT delete the discussion boards?

This summer we have 30 students, weekly discussions that the students discuss with each other.  The SAME discussion topics will be used next semester, so I want to keep them intact...how do I get rid of this semester's student discussions?

Thank you for your help.

[Stef_retired · Accepted solution]

 @holmant ‌

I would caution against re-using the course for a new semester, and in any event highly recommend that you check with your district or eLearning department before doing that. Removing students from a course shell also removes all of their participation and grades, which most if not all schools want to preserve for records retention and to be prepared should grade challenges arise.

Rather than removing the students' posts, have you considered copying the course content into a brand-new course shell with the new set of students? That's easy to do and will preserve the integrity of the now-completed course. You can do that by exporting the content ( How do I export a Canvas course?) and then importing the .imscc file into the new blank shell (How do I import a Canvas course export package?) During the import process, you can choose to bring in selected content.

Hope this helps, Theresa. Stay safe, and stay well.  

[holmant]

Thank you! I am new to this and still learning. I just learned today how to export from Blackboard and import into Canvas. This summer course is my first experience with Canvas. ECU exported /imported the course I’m working with from BB earlier last semester.

I have experimented some in my sandbox on creation of a new course. I’m kinda self-teaching so it’s taking a bit longer. I turn to you all for quite a few answers/questions and thankful for the feedback. I’ve learned a lot, but still SO MUCH more to learn.

I will experiment more with my sandbox course.

THANK YOU!

[Stef_retired]

You're welcome, Theresa! That's what we're here for.