Cross-Listing: Combine Multiple Canvas Courses
If you teach more than one Canvas course each term, cross-listing can streamline your teaching efforts by managing fewer courses.
Cross-listing is the process of combining multiple Canvas courses into one course. While cross-listing is only recommended when teaching the same materials and learning experiences across different sections of students, it does allow instructors to differentiate access dates, communication, and assignment due dates per section.
Cross-list before you copy content or begin building your courses - all content in any section not designated as the parent course is hidden from you and your students.
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Open Canvas from Cardinal Apps.
- Choose a parent course and copy the course number from the Home page URL - the numbers found in the web address after the /.
- Open the child course to be cross-listed and go to Settings.
- Click the Sections tab.
- Click the name of the section to open it - this step is critical and commonly skipped!
- Once inside the section, click the Cross-List This Section button.
- In the dialogue box that opens, paste the parent course number from step 3 into the ID field, and press enter.
- Confirm the parent course is correct and click Cross-List This Section.
- You'll see a confirmation message.
- Refresh your dashboard view and you'll only see one course - all students for both sections will also only see one course.
Repeat for each child course you want to cross-list within the parent course.
Cross-List Demonstration Video
The cross-listing process is easier to accomplish when you can see the steps. Follow along with this 4-minute demonstration:
Direct link: Cross-List Canvas Courses.mp4
Cross-listing FAQ
Can each section have a different participation start date?
Yes. Instructors can control the date and start times differently for each section of students. Learn how to manage course access in six minutes.
Can each section have different assignment due dates?
Yes. Instructors can Manage Assign To options to adjust due dates for different sections. Add as many as needed to customize the experience. Note, removing an Assign To variable after entering grades will make them disappear from your gradebook - always add additional ones instead of deleting them.
Can I undo my decision to cross-list my courses?
While you can't undo the decision yourself, it can be reversed by the Canvas administrator by emailing canvas@uiwtx.edu.
