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Faculty Course Migration Process

Course migration is a service provided as part of MSU's Canvas implementation to help instructors move course materials from Blackboard into Canvas. Existing course content, such as pages, assignments, discussions, quizzes, and files, can be copied into Canvas, reducing the need to manually rebuild courses.

Migration moves course content but does not produce a finished, teaching-ready Canvas course. After migration, instructors must review and organize their content to ensure it functions correctly and is ready for students.

Migration options

Faculty have two options for moving Blackboard course content into Canvas:

A limited number of Instructure-assisted course migrations are available. Requests are processed on a first-come, first-served basis, so faculty are encouraged to submit requests as early as possible. Once MSU's allocation of assisted migrations has been exhausted, faculty will need to migrate their courses manually.

Migration requests for courses being prepared for Winter 2026 and Spring 2027 will receive priority.

View Transition Timeline

Instructure-assisted migration

Faculty who would like assistance migrating a course should complete the Canvas Course Migration Request Form.

Instructure-assisted migrations are copied into a Canvas sandbox rather than directly into an official teaching course. This allows instructors to review, organize, and test migrated content before using it with students.

Once a request is submitted, please allow a minimum of four weeks for the course to be copied.

Manual course migration

Faculty may migrate their own Blackboard courses without submitting a migration request.

If you already have a Canvas sandbox or an official Canvas course shell you want to use, you can import the Blackboard course directly into that course. If you do not already have a sandbox, or if you prefer not to import content directly into an official teaching course, create a Canvas sandbox first.

Using a sandbox is recommended because it provides a place to review, organize, and test migrated content before copying it into an official teaching course.

Before exporting your Blackboard course, decide where you want to import the content in Canvas.

You may:

  • Use an existing Canvas sandbox.
  • Create a new Canvas sandbox for the migration.
  • Import directly into an official Canvas course shell if you are ready to build the course there.

To create a sandbox:

  1. Log in to Canvas.
  2. From the Canvas Dashboard, select Start a New Course.
  3. Enter a name for your sandbox that clearly identifies the course you are migrating.
  4. Create the course.

  1. Log in to Blackboard and open the course you want to migrate.
  2. Open the course export options.
  3. Create an export package for the course.
  4. When the export is complete, download the resulting course package to your computer.

Do not open, extract, or modify the Blackboard export package.

  1. Log in to Canvas.
  2. Open the Canvas sandbox or official course shell where you want to import the Blackboard content.
  3. Select Settings from the course navigation menu.
  4. Select Import Course Content.
  5. For Content Type, select Blackboard 6/7/8/9 export .zip file.
  6. Select the Blackboard export package you downloaded.
  7. Choose whether to import all content or select specific content.
  8. Start the import.
  9. After the import finishes, review the import results for any warnings or errors.

After the Blackboard content has been imported, review the Canvas course carefully. Migration does not produce a finished, teaching-ready course.

Check:

  • Links
  • Files and media
  • Assignments
  • Quizzes and question types
  • Due dates and availability dates
  • Grade settings
  • Discussions
  • Third-party tools
  • Publisher integrations
  • Respondus LockDown Browser settings
  • Course navigation
  • Student visibility

Some Blackboard content and settings may require adjustment in Canvas.

If you imported the Blackboard course into a sandbox, complete your review and cleanup there first.

Once the course is ready:

  1. Open the official Canvas course shell you will use for teaching.
  2. Select Settings.
  3. Select Import Course Content.
  4. For Content Type, select Copy a Canvas Course.
  5. Select your completed sandbox course.
  6. Choose whether to copy all content or select specific content.
  7. Start the import.
  8. Review the official course after the copy is complete.

Before publishing the official course, verify that content, dates, navigation, integrations, and student visibility settings are correct.

Publisher content

Courses that include publisher content may be migrated for Winter 2026 and future Canvas terms. However, publisher integrations and associated content may not transfer automatically from Blackboard to Canvas and may need to be reconfigured in Canvas. Faculty should review and test all publisher content before making the course available to students.

Fall 2026 courses may have additional limitations because Blackboard and Canvas are operating concurrently during the dual-LMS transition.

Review your course after migration

Whether a course is migrated by Instructure or manually imported, instructors must review it before using it for teaching. Some Blackboard content and settings may not transfer directly into Canvas or may function differently after migration.

Review the following:

  • Links
  • Files and media
  • Assignments
  • Quizzes and question types
  • Due dates and availability dates
  • Grade settings
  • Discussions
  • Third-party tools
  • Publisher integrations
  • Respondus LockDown Browser settings
  • Course navigation
  • Student visibility

Faculty are responsible for ensuring that migrated course content is complete, functional, and ready for students before teaching.

Request an Instructure-assisted migration

If you would like to request an Instructure-assisted course migration, please complete the Canvas Course Migration Request Form.

Need help with an online program?

Instructional Design & Online Learning

Ginger Hall 901
Morehead, KY 40351

EMAIL: blackboard@moreheadstate.edu 
canvas@moreheadstate.edu 

PHONE: 606-783-2140

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