Cross-Listing: Combine Multiple Canvas Courses

Important: Cross-listing is only recommended before students begin working on a course. Due to the risk of lost data, this action cannot be reversed by the instructor; however, you can request the course be de-cross-listed by the Canvas administrator.

Cross-listing combines multiple Canvas courses into one by moving section enrollments from individual courses. It is recommended when teaching similar materials and learning experiences across different sections of the same course, as it allows you to differentiate access dates, communications, assignments, and modules per section. You also retain the ability to sort the gradebook by section. If you teach more than one Canvas course each term, cross-listing can streamline your teaching by reducing the number of courses you manage.

Key Benefits of Cross-listing

Manage course content in one location
Set different due dates and access times per section
Sort gradebook by section
Choose whether students can view users from other sections
Retain original section names

Prerequisites and Requirements

You must be enrolled in both courses to cross-list a section
Cross-listing should be done while courses are unpublished
Perform cross-listing before copying content or building your courses

Important Course Considerations

Any content in a section that is not designated as the parent course will be hidden from both you and your students, and student activity data and assignments will become inaccessible. Coursework is retained with the course, not with the section enrollments, so if a published course is cross-listed, all cross-listed enrollments will lose any associated assignment submissions and grades.

Understanding Parent and Child Courses

Before beginning the cross-listing process, it's important to understand the terminology:

Parent Course: The main course that will contain all cross-listed sections. This is the course you'll use to manage content, grades, and communications for all sections. Choose the course that already has the most content or the one you prefer to work in.
Child Course: The course(s) whose sections will be moved into the parent course. After cross-listing, these courses will appear empty to you, and their content will be hidden (though the sections remain visible as read-only).

Before You Begin: Important Preparation Steps

If there's a chance you want to de-cross-list a section later, consult with canvas@uiwtx.edu to consider the cross-list
Make note of the original course structure in case you need to reference it later
Ensure all instructors who need access are enrolled in the parent course

How to Cross-list a Course

To cross-list a Canvas course:

Log in to Cardinal Apps and open Canvas LMS.
Open the "parent" course and copy the Course ID from the Settings page or from the browser URL (e.g., account.instructure.com/courses/XXXXXX).
Open the "child" course to be cross-listed and navigate to Settings.
Select the Sections tab.
Select the name of the section to open it — this step is critical and commonly skipped!
Click the Cross-List This Section button.
In the dialogue box that appears, paste the parent course ID from Step 2 into the "Or Enter the Course's ID" field, or search by course name in the "Search for Course" field, and press Enter.
Confirm the parent course is correct and select Cross-List This Section.
A confirmation message will appear, and the breadcrumbs will display the new course code.
Refresh your dashboard view. You will now see one combined course, and all students from both sections will be enrolled in that single course.

Repeat steps 3-10 for each child course you want to cross-list within the parent course. There is no limit to the number of sections you can cross-list.

Note: Sections can only be in one course at a time. Once a section is cross-listed, you can re-cross-list the section into another course if necessary using the "Re-Cross-List this Section" button.

After Cross-listing: What to Expect

The original section remains visible but is set to read-only in the original course
You can view a cross-listed course's originating course information
Section names do not change - they are simply moved to 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:

Cross-listing FAQ

Can each section have a different participation start date?

Yes. Instructors can set different start dates and times 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 use the Manage Assign To options to set different due dates by section. Add as many assignments as needed to customize the experience. Note: removing an "Assign To" variable after entering grades will make those grades disappear from the gradebook. Always add new ones instead of deleting existing ones.

Can students from different sections see each other?

Instructors can choose whether to allow students to view users in other sections or limit them to only view users in the same section. It is highly recommended this setting is configured in the course settings after cross-listing is complete.

Can I undo my decision to cross-list my courses?

You cannot undo cross-listing on your own, but the Canvas administrator can reverse it. Email canvas@uiwtx.edu to request de-cross-listing.

Important: Once a course is de-cross-listed, all student submissions and grades are removed from the course. If you need to retain grades, export the Gradebook before de-cross-listing and import it into the original course afterward.

Can I cross-list two different courses, and not just two sections of the same course?

Cross-listing is typically used to combine two or more sections of the same course at UIW. If you are teaching different courses with separate course numbers, consult the Office of the Registrar to determine whether cross-listing through Banner is more appropriate