Faculty Technology Center Canvas Course Retention

Reference article

Course Master setup and use

What gets created, how it's named, and how you'll use it each semester. This is a reference for what the FTC sets up on your behalf.

Course creation is handled by the FTC

Creating new course shells in Canvas requires elevated permissions that aren't typically granted to instructors. That means the FTC sets up your Course Master for you.

Use this page to understand what's being created. When you're ready, join the waitlist and the FTC will handle the setup.

What a Course Master is

A Course Master is your persistent course shell. The FTC creates it once, then you maintain it over time. Each semester you'll copy content from your Course Master into the section you teach from. The semester sections are cleared after one year (per BYU-Idaho's academic data retention policy), but your Course Master stays in place. Everything you put into it travels with you across terms.

What gets created

When you request a Course Master, the FTC sets up a new course in Canvas using the convention below.

Course Name
{Course Title} (Course Master - {username})
Example: Intro to Course Masters (Course Master - cmoore4)
Reference Code
{Course Code} (CM.{username})
Example: Test 101 (CM.cmoore4)
SIS ID
{Course Code}.{username}.master
Example: Test 101.cmoore4.master
Subaccount
Your department's Course Masters subaccount
Enrollment Term
Master Courses (a non-term assignment so retention does not apply)
Course Dates
None (not term-bound)
Visibility
Private. Only you and people you choose to add can access the master.

If you have an existing course shell with content you want to bring over, the FTC will copy modules, assignments, pages, files, and settings into your new Course Master as part of the setup.

Each semester: using your Course Master

Once your Course Master is in place, preparing a new semester is a short copy step. This part you can do yourself.

Step 1

Open the new semester's teaching shell

  1. When a new semester's course shell appears in your Canvas account, open it.
  2. Confirm it's the correct course and term.
Step 2

Import content from your Course Master

  1. In the left sidebar, click Settings.
  2. On the right side, click Import Course Content.
  3. Set Content Type to Copy a Canvas Course.
  4. Search for your Course Master by name (look for the (Course Master - {username}) suffix).
  5. Choose All Content.
  6. Optional: check Adjust events and due dates and pick the term's start and end dates. Canvas will shift dates automatically.
  7. Click Import. Large courses may take a few minutes.
Screenshot placeholder: Canvas "Import Course Content" panel

TODO: Add real screenshot from a BYU-Idaho Canvas instance.

Step 3

Review dates and details

  1. Open Assignments. Spot-check due dates to confirm they shifted correctly.
  2. Open Modules. Confirm any unlock dates moved to the new term.
  3. Adjust any items that didn't shift cleanly.
Step 4

Teach

That's it. Your section is loaded from your Course Master and is ready for students.

Bringing improvements back to your master

When you make a clearer assignment description, fix a broken link, or add a new resource during the semester, those changes only live in that semester's section by default. To preserve them, bring them back into your Course Master at the end of the term:

  1. Open your Course Master.
  2. Go to Settings › Import Course Content.
  3. Select Copy a Canvas Course and pick the semester section you just taught.
  4. Select only the items you changed (or import all and let Canvas overwrite with the newer versions).
  5. Click Import.

Tip: The FTC can help you set up a "best of" workflow at the end of each term. Some instructors maintain a quick checklist of changes made during the semester so the end-of-term sync is fast.

What to expect after you join the waitlist

  • The FTC creates your Course Master shell using the convention above
  • The FTC copies content from your existing course shell (if applicable)
  • The FTC notifies you when your master is ready
  • You verify content imported correctly
  • You're ready to copy from your master into each new teaching section

Ready to get started?

Join the FTC waitlist and we'll set up your Course Master. If you have a question, email ftc@byui.edu, call (208) 496-7230, or stop by Manwaring 384 (Monday to Friday, 7 AM to 7 PM).

Join the waitlist Back to the main page