Some faculty may be wondering if it's possible to directly import content from Blackboard to Canvas.
Canvas does recognize Blackboard course exports and can import them, but in some cases it can be better to copy over content manually.
There are three main issues to consider:
- Do you use lots of folders within folders in Blackboard?
This "nested" approach to course design translates into smeared out content in the "flat" course design of Canvas. You'll probably need to spend some time reorganizing your materials within Canvas after the import. - Do you reference a lot of Blackboard-specific terminology in your instructions?
A common example is referencing named Discussion Boards. You'll need to revise this language, and if it's extensive it might make more sense to do it piecemeal instead of picking through an import. - Do you have lots of embedded images, and links to files (like pdfs)?
These types of files don't get imported from Blackboard. You'll want to pull these down to your desktop and add them to Canvas from there.
IMPORTING BLACKBOARD CONTENT TO CANVAS (WHAT TO CONSIDER)
DIRECT MIGRATION OF COURSES FROM BLACKBOARD TO CANVAS
If you'd still like to see what it looks like to import your Blackboard course into Canvas, below are a couple of links that will help you do it.
- You'll need to export and download a zipped Export file from your Blackboard course.
- After you Export a Course File, you'll want to import the .zip file into Canvas.
- Clean up the results.
If you're unhappy with the results and you'd like to remove ALL the content in your course (excluding enrollments), you can Reset your course (as described in the video above) to wipe things clean—but be careful, this is a one-way trip.