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Copy Materials from Another Class Site in Courses

What Does It Do? 

The "Import from Site" feature allows you to copy course materials from one course site to another course site.

How You Can Use It

  • Copy content from one section into other sections
  • Import materials from previous class sites into new class sites

Instructions

  1. Click the tab for the course or project site, or click the "Sites" menu at the top right and click the desired site.
    • IMPORTANT: You must be in the new course site.   Do not go to the old course site!
  2. Enable the same tools from your old site in your new site.  You may not see content to copy if you have not added the same tools.
  3. In the new site, click "Site Info" in the left menu.Sakai 12 Site Info Image
  4. Click "Import from Site."Sakai 12 Import from Site Image
  5. Select the best option:
    • "I would like to replace my data." - Be careful!  This will overwrite all information in the current site and replace it with the information from the selected site.  If you want to copy gradebook settings, this is the choice.  However, be sure you are in the correct site!  Also, be sure you haven't added anything to the current site yet since it will be overwritten.  If you overwrite the existing site contents, that action is permanent and cannot be undone.
    • "I would like to merge my data." - RECOMMENDED!  This simply copies information from a previous site into your new site.  It does not overwrite any content you have already added to your new site. This choice is recommended in most cases.
    • "I would like to merge my user(s)." - Be careful!  This option only copies users and only those users that have been manually added to a previous class site.  NOTE: This is a one-time process and will not copy roster-provided users. For official class sites, see how to merge or combine course sections into your site.
  6. Choose a past course site to copy materials from and click "Continue."
  7. Select the desired tools that contain the content you wish to copy.  If you do not see a tool, look at your left tool menu.  Remember, you must first enable the tool in your new site before you can import materials into it.
    • Important Note: When choosing to import assignments, please do not choose the option to "Publish content." This is not recommended.
  8. Click "Finish."

Common Fixes

  • Importing Tests & Quizzes Assessments: Only "draft" versions of Tests & Quizzes assessments will import to a new site. It is very important to keep the drafts of your key tests. If you accidentally removed them, you can easily restore them. You must restore any draft versions of desired assessments in order to import them to a new class site.
    • Go to the old class site with the assessments that you want to import.
    • Select the Tests & Quizzes tool.
    • Select the "Trash" tab.
    • Select each of the "draft" versions of the assessments that you want to import to future class sites.
    • Select the "Restore" button.
    • Now that the drafts are restored, go to the new class site.
    • Select "Site Info."
    • Select "Import from Site."
    • Import again from the old site with just the Tests & Quizzes tool selected (refer to import instructions earlier on this page).
  • Activity-created Announcements Don't Import: Correct! The automated or "on-the-fly" announcements within a specific tool (e.g. Assignments, Tests & Quizzes) will not import. This is a good thing because the announcements are tied to a specific due date and activity from a past class site and would not be relevant to the new semester. Simply edit the newly imported activities and choose the settings to send a new announcement, etc., for the new site.
  • Bulk Edit Dates After Import with the Date Manager: After you have imported content from a past class, you can use the Date Manager to bulk update dates on one screen. In the new site, go to "Site Info" and select the "Date Manager" tab. Adjust the dates and save your changes. To modify other settings, go to the specific activities in the specific tools and edit items individually. Learn more about using the Date Manager.

 

See Also

 

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