In this video, you will learn how to cross-list and de-cross-list sections in a course.
Last updated 2023-06-02
View the script for this video
To view subtitles for this video, click the 
Video overviews reflect current feature functionality in Canvas; they are updated based on workflow changes, not on minor or non-functional interface enhancements. Depending on your institution's Canvas theme, the Canvas interface may display differently than shown in this video, but the functionality is the same.
To learn more about sections and cross-listing, visit the following lessons:
- How do I add a section to a course as an instructor?
- How do I cross-list a section in a course as an instructor?
- How do I de-cross-list a section in a course as an instructor?
Cross-Listing Overview (Instructors) Video Script
In this video, you will learn how to cross-list and de-cross-list sections in a course.
Before we begin, please note that cross-listing may not be available to instructors at your institution. If you do not see the Cross-List this Section button when viewing a section in your course, this permission has been disabled. Please contact your Canvas Admin for assistance with cross-listing.
Cross-listing allows you to move section enrollments from individual courses (we’ll call these child courses) and combine them into one course (we’ll call this the parent course). This feature is helpful for instructors who teach several sections of the same course and want to manage course data in a single course. Cross-listing should be done while courses are unpublished and the child course must contain at least one enrollment. If you think you may want to de-cross-list the section in the future, make sure you are enrolled in both courses before cross-listing.
To get started, you need the course ID for the course into which you are cross-listing (the parent course). The course ID is a unique course number found in the Canvas URL. To find the course ID, go to the “parent course” in Canvas. Click the browser address bar and find the number that displays after slash courses (/courses) in the URL. Highlight only the course id number from the URL and copy it by pressing Command+C or Control+C on your keyboard.
Navigate to the course with sections that you need to cross-list into the parent course. In Course Navigation, click the Settings link, then click the Sections tab. Click the name of the section you want to cross-list into the parent course. When you cross-list, section enrollments from the child course section will be moved into the parent course. Click the Cross-List this Section button to cross-list the section. If you do not see this button, you do not have permission to cross-list sections. Please contact your school’s Canvas Admin for further assistance. You can search for the parent course by course name or enter the course ID you copied earlier. We recommend using the course ID to ensure you are cross-listing into the correct parent course. In the Enter the Course’s ID field, paste the course ID by pressing Command+V or Control+V on your keyboard. Then click outside of the field or press the Return or Enter key to confirm the parent course. The selected parent course displays under the Selected Course heading. Confirm that this is the correct course that you want to cross-list into. Click the Cross-List This Section button to cross-list the child course section into the parent course.
To view the cross-listed section, navigate to the parent course in Canvas. Click the Settings link in Course Navigation, then click the Sections tab. Your newly cross-listed section displays in the Sections list in the parent course. Note that sections can only be in one parent course at a time. Any content or grades from the child course will not be transferred over to the parent course as part of the cross-listing.
If you need to move a child section to a different parent course, navigate to the child course section page and click the Re-Cross-List this Section button. This will allow you to restart the cross-listing process for the child course section.
If you need to remove a cross-listed section from a parent course, you can de-cross-list the section. De-cross-listing returns all student enrollments to the original child course, but will not transfer grades and student submissions. If you need to transfer student grades to the original child course, you can export the Gradebook and import it into the child course. To de-cross-list a section, navigate to the parent course Settings page and click the Sections tab. Then click the name of the section and click the De-Cross-List this Section button. To confirm de-cross-listing, click the De-Cross-List This Section button. You can then view your de-cross-listed section in its original course. If you are unable to de-cross-list a section, contact your Canvas Admin for assistance.
Thanks for watching this cross-listing overview video. To learn more about Canvas, ask questions, or engage with other Canvas users, please visit community.canvaslms.com.
