Content Migration
Quick Access: Migration Guide | Feature Comparison | Feature Exceptions | Using External Tools |
Finished up your Spring Cleaning? Congratulations - you're ready to move into the next phase...moving your content out of Blackboard and into Canvas. Below we have compiled several resources and guides which will take you through this process.
This migration guide will walk you through the full process of assessing the content remaining in your course after cleanup. While most artifacts in Blackboard translate directly to Canvas, some will be converted into new items and some will need to be manually recreated. This breaks down each in detail, and provides guidance and recommendations on how best to translate Blackboard elements into Canvas when the import is not directly comparable.
Alternatively, view the Guide For Migrating Content From Blackboard To Canvas document.
This video demonstrates a very straightforward example of the actual process of exporting/importing:
Blackboard - Canvas Feature Comparison
If you used Blackboard... | You'll love this in Canvas! |
Course Content Areas & Folders | Canvas Modules |
Items | Canvas Pages |
Assignments | Canvas Assignments |
Discussions | Canvas Discussions |
Tests | Canvas Quizzes and New Quizzes |
Blackboard Annotate | Canvas SpeedGrader |
Gradebook | Canvas Gradebook |
Tasks | Canvas Calendar and To-Do |
Announcements | Canvas Announcements |
Open Content and OER | Canvas Commons |
3rd Party Tools & Publisher Content | Canvas External Tools |
What doesn't translate?
As we mentioned above, not everything has an Canvas counterpart. The three worth mentioning specifically are Blogs, Journals and Wikis. In Blackboard these act similarly to Discussions, but have shades of difference in their intended delivery. Canvas does not distinguish between them. You can use Discussions as a replacement, or utilize one of the suggestions below.
Blogs: You may consider replacing your blogs with Canvas discussions. Or you can use use a third party blogging application and have your students share the web address in an assignment.
Journals: You may allow students to keep journals in Canvas assignments or a third party tool.
Wikis: Wikis do not exist in Canvas as they do in Blackboard. However, in Canvas you can create pages and give students the ability to edit them. This would essentially be a single page wiki. If you'd like to assess students on their work, then you can create a separate assignment for grade entry.
Glossaries: You may use a page to emulate a glossary.
Using External Tools
An External Tool enables Canvas users with LTI learning resources and activities originating from other websites and academic technologies. There are also Canvas specific features that are available to link to courses as external tools. An External URL is a web link that we can add to Canvas to direct Canvas users to outside web sources.
COCC External Tools Guide and List
Canvas Guides
- What are External Apps/Tools?
- Using an External Tool in a Course
- Using an External Tool as a Module Item
- Adding an Assignment using an External App?