How to overwrite a page or module on purpose

[agatten1]

I often need to make updates to many courses at the same time. I have template versions of the course that then get copied out to the instructors. Sometimes, I need to make a change to one page or one module. There are warnings that importing the same content with the same name will overwrite existing content, but that hasn't happened very consistently when I use the course import or "copy to" functions. It often ends up creating duplicate versions instead, so I end up just going into each instructor's course and making the updates by hand. Is there an easier way to do this or to intentionally trigger that overwriting process?

[Chris_Hofer]

Hello there, @agatten1 ...

Have you considered using Canvas Commons for this?  You could share your template to Commons (you wouldn't have to make it "public to the world"), then you would import that page to each of the courses you are using that template in.  Then, any time you need to update your template, you can do that.  Then, the courses that used that template page can get updated.  Here are a few Guides that explain this better:

• How do I share a resource to Commons? - Instructure Community
• What types of sharing options are available in Com... - Instructure Community (canvaslms.com)
• How do I update a resource I previously shared to ... - Instructure Community (canvaslms.com)
• How do I view updates to resources I previously im... - Instructure Community (canvaslms.com)

Sing out if you have any other questions about this...thanks!

[agatten1]

Hello,

Thanks very much for your response. I hadn't thought about Commons and am not terribly familiar with it, so I'll look into that.

I also don't think I explained myself very well in the original post - I create and design the courses in Canvas in what we call template course shells, which I then import using course migration into instructors' live shells with students, so I'm importing all of the course content at once. Afterwards, though, sometimes there are errors, changes, etc. that need to be made to an assignment or a page, and I have to manually open sometimes 15 live courses and update each page individually. I have admin access to all of the courses but I'm not technically a user in them.

Now that I've looked at Commons, it does look like I will be able to share an entire course and apply updates which is useful, but do I need to be a user in the courses in order to do that? (I couldn't find that on the Canvas resources pages you linked) I try to avoid that since I over see 200+ individual Canvas course shells.

[Chris_Hofer · Accepted solution]

Hello @agatten1 ...

Thanks for the additional information!  If you are copying all that content out to individual course shells, are instructors allowed to make changes to those pages once the content is available in their own courses?  Or, is the content to remain untouched by the instructor, and they are to teach what they are given?  I ask because maybe you might also want to explore Blueprint courses as well?  Here are some other links for you to explore:

• Blueprint Courses Overview
• Tips for Designing and Maintaining Blueprint Courses
• Lessons Learned about Blueprint Courses: Introduction
• Lessons Learned about Blueprint Courses: Getting Buy-In
• Lessons Learned about Blueprint: When Blueprint Wasn't the Solution
• Lessons Learned about Blueprint Courses: Replacing Course Copy Workflows

To answer your question about needing to be enrolled in those courses as an instructor...maybe?  I am not 100% sure, so you'd have to give it a try...both entering the course as an admin and also enrolling yourself as an instructor in the course to see what happens.  My guess is that you may have to enroll yourself as an instructor...but again, not 100% sure.