Last updated on October 19, 2021
Many courses at the university have several sections, taught by several different instructors. Still, we want to create a consistent experience across sections of a course so students all receive a similarly excellent learning experience. There are several ways a department chair or course facilitator can share their lead course, or the relevant content within, with those instructors teaching different sections of the course.
Note: Any of the following methods can be used to deploy a lead course to other courses once they are ready. These methods typically require familiarity with the CTLD Ready Website self-help tutorials.
Directions

Terminology
- Lead Course – A course developed specifically to be distributed to multiple instructors. (Previously called template, master, etc.)
- Recipient Course – A course that will receive content from a lead course. (Previously called child course, templated course, etc.)
Method 1: Send an Export (.imscc) of the Lead Course
Lead Course Instructor Steps
- Go to MSU Denver’s Faculty and Staff Hub.
- Click Canvas in the Teaching & Learning section.
- Log in to your Canvas Account.
- Select the Lead Course you’d like to export.
- Click on Settings from the Course Navigation Menu on the left.
- Click Export Course Content from the menu on the right.
- Navigate to the Export Type section.
- Click the radio button labeled Course.
- Click Create Export.
- Note: This process may take some time. You can leave the page without interrupting the export. You will receive an email when the course export is complete.
- Navigate to the Content Exports section by clicking on Export Course Content again from the menu on the right.
- Click the Newly Created Link to download the exported .imscc file.
- Save the .imscc file to your computer
- Note: An .imscc file is a Canvas Common Cartridge file and is not something that can or should be opened on your computer. It is native to Canvas and should be imported directly into a course shell, as is.
- Send the .imscc file to recipient instructors by attaching it to an email or sharing via OneDrive.
Recipient Instructor Steps
- Download the .imscc File sent by the lead instructor.
- Go to MSU Denver’s Faculty and Staff Hub.
- Click Canvas in the Teaching & Learning section.
- Log in to your Canvas Account.
- Select the Course Shell you’d like to import content to.
- Click Import Existing Content from the menu on the right.
- Click the Content Type drop-down menu.
- Select Canvas Course Export Package.
- Click the Choose File button.
- Select the .imscc File you previously downloaded.
- Click the radio button next to Select Specific Content.
- Select Options, such as Adjust Due Dates, as desired.
- Click Import.
- Navigate to the Current Jobs section.
- Click Select Content next to the course you just imported.
- Check Boxes for the following course elements:
- Modules
- If listed, deselect the Course Information Module and Sample Module to avoid importing duplicates. If you put information in these modules, copy and paste them to your new course post-import
- Assignments
- Quizzes
- Question Banks
- Discussion Topics
- Announcements
- Modules
- Click Select Content in the lower right to begin running the import.
Method 2: Enroll Recipient Instructor in Sandbox Version of the Lead Course
Lead Course Instructor Steps
- Go to MSU Denver’s Faculty and Staff Hub.
- Click Canvas in the Teaching & Learning section.
- Log in to your Canvas Account.
- Select one of your Sandbox Courses to copy content into.
- Click Import Existing Content from the menu on the right.
- Click the Content Type dropdown.
- Select Copy a Canvas Course.
- Search for your Lead Course in the input box labeled Course Name.
- Click the radio button next to Select Specific Content.
- Select Options, such as Adjust due dates, as desired.
- Click Import.
- Navigate to the Current Jobs section.
- Click Select Content next to the course you just imported.
- Check Boxes for the following course elements:
- Modules
- If listed, deselect the Course Information Module and Sample Module to avoid importing duplicates. If you put information in these modules, copy and paste them to your new course post-import
- Assignments
- Quizzes
- Question Banks
- Discussion Topics
- Announcements
- Modules
- Click Select Content in the lower right to begin running the import.
- Enter the Sandbox Course you just imported content to.
- Click People in the course navigation menu on the left.
- Click the + People button on the top right.
- Search Users for the recipient instructor by email address.
- Click the Role drop-down menu.
- Select Teacher role.
- Click Next.
- Click Add Users.
- Send instructors a link to the Course Copy Guide tutorial.
Recipient Instructor Steps
- Go to MSU Denver’s Faculty and Staff Hub.
- Click Canvas in the Teaching & Learning section.
- Log in to your Canvas Account.
- Select the Course Shell you will be teaching from.
- Click Import Existing Content from the menu on the right.
- Click the Content Type drop-down.
- Select Copy a Canvas Course.
- Search for the Sandbox Course you were just added to in the input box labeled Course Name.
- Click the radio button next to Select Specific Content.
- Select Options, such as Adjust due dates, as desired.
- Click Import.
- Navigate to the Current Jobs section.
- Click Select Content next to the course you just imported.
- Check Boxes for the following course elements:
- Modules
- If listed, deselect the Course Information Module and Sample Module to avoid importing duplicates. If you put information in these modules, copy and paste them to your new course post-import
- Assignments
- Quizzes
- Question Banks
- Discussion Topics
- Announcements
- Modules
- Click Select Content in the lower right to begin running the import.
Method 3: Recipient Instructors Enroll the Lead Course Instructor in their Recipient Course
Lead Course Instructor Steps
- Email recipient instructor and request to be added to the Recipient Course as a teacher.
- Go to MSU Denver’s Faculty and Staff Hub once the recipient instructor has added you to the course.
- Click Canvas in the Teaching & Learning section.
- Log in to your Canvas Account.
- Select the Recipient Course you will be transferring content to.
- Click Import Existing Content from the menu on the right.
- Click the Content Type drop-down.
- Select Copy a Canvas Course.
- Search for your Lead Course in the input box labeled Course Name.
- Click the radio button next to Select Specific Content.
- Select Options, such as Adjust due dates, as desired.
- Click Import.
- Navigate to the Current Jobs section.
- Click Select Content next to the course you just imported.
- Check Boxes for the following course elements:
- Modules
- If listed, deselect the Course Information Module and Sample Module to avoid importing duplicates. If you put information in these modules, copy and paste them to your new course post-import
- Assignments
- Quizzes
- Question Banks
- Discussion Topics
- Announcements
- Modules
- Click Select Content in the lower right to begin running the import.
- Recipient instructors may now teach from this course.
Recipient Instructor Steps
- Go to MSU Denver’s Faculty and Staff Hub.
- Click Canvas in the Teaching & Learning section.
- Log in to your Canvas Account.
- Select the recipient course you will be teaching from.
- Click People in the course navigation menu on the left.
- Click the + People button on the top right.
- Search for the Course Facilitator by email address.
- Click the Role drop-down menu.
- Select Teacher role.
- Click Next.
- Click Add Users.
- The lead course instructor may now copy content to your course shell.