Instructors can manually migrate courses from Blackboard to Canvas. Please note that compared to the automated migration process, it is possible not everything in Blackboard would be moved to Canvas. Some tools in Blackboard do not exist in Canvas (journals, wikis), and will not carry over. Many integrated tools such as Kaltura will not carry over to the Canvas course unless you use the automated migration process.
Export/Import
In your Blackboard course, under Control Panel (bottom left) go to Packages and Utilities - Export/Archive Course. Choose Export Package. Once ready, download the zip file to your computer.
In Canvas, import the resulting zip file into your course.
Clean Up your Blackboard Course
Before exporting your course, take some time to clean it up using these recommendations:
Blackboard | Clean-Up Recommendations |
Accessibility | ☐ In Blackboard, under course tools, run a Course Accessibility Report. ☐ Where possible, address accessibility issues using Ally prompts. |
Adaptive Release | ☐ Ensure that all adaptive release criteria are up-to-date in the course. We recommend taking notes on where adaptive release is applied and the criteria. In Canvas, these will all need to be recreated as Prerequisites and Requirements. ☐ Remove any outdated Adaptive Release criteria. |
Announcements | ☐ Remove any excess announcements that will not be needed. |
Assignments | ☐ Verify that assignment and prompts, points, and settings are up-to-date. ☐ Save any Group prompts, as Groups and Group Sets do not transfer to Canvas and will need to be recreated. |
Attachments/Files | ☐ Rename any files or attachments so that they are easily identifiable and accessible. |
Blackboard References & Variables | ☐ Remove any references to Blackboard throughout the course, such as in assignment descriptions. New help resources will be provided in Canvas, so any Blackboard guides and tutorials may be removed from the course. ☐ If dynamic variables were utilized in Blackboard, please remove and replace them, as these will not be available in Canvas. |
Blogs, Journals and Wikis | Canvas does not have Blogs, Journals, or Wikis, so these items will not transfer. Please anticipate converting these to assignments or discussions within Canvas. Wikis can be recreated as a collaboration or page. ☐ Save any Blog, Journal, and Wiki prompts in Blackboard to recreate in Canvas. |
Content Collection | ☐ Recycle and delete any outdated files, images, PowerPoints, videos, etc. ☐ Recycle and delete any duplicate content. ☐ Organize content by folders and apply easily identifiable naming conventions. ☐ Rename any files to a name that is an appropriate description of the file. |
Course Content | ☐ Ensure that all content is well organized and clearly named. ☐ Delete any content in the course that is not in use. |
Course Menu | ☐ Go through the Course Menu and determine if anything ought to be renamed, updated, or removed. |
Discussions | ☐ Verify that Discussion prompts, points, and settings are up-to-date. |
Groups | ☐ Verify that group prompts, points, and settings are up-to-date. ☐ Save any Group prompts, as Groups and Group Sets do not transfer to Canvas and will need to be recreated. |
Rubrics | ☐ Capture assigned rubric percentages and point values, so that these rubric values can easily be referenced and rebuilt in the new LMS. Rubric values will not transfer to Canvas and will need to be resubmitted. |
Tests, Surveys, and Pools | ☐ Ensure that descriptions and instructions are accurate and up-to-date. ☐ Confirm that question text and values are accurate and up-to-date. ☐ Ensure that Tests, Surveys, and Pools are all up-to-date and outdated Tests, Surveys, and Pools have been deleted. ☐ If using Hot Spot questions in Blackboard, consider replacing the question or converting to a different question type, as this question type is unavailable in Canvas. |
Videos & Kaltura Media | ☐ For videos that have been loaded directly into Blackboard, please download and upload them to Kaltura instead. ☐ Once uploaded to Kaltura, please delete the original video files from the course. ☐ Check to see that videos are correctly captioned. |
Publisher Content & Integrations | ☐ Contact the publisher representative if you require any assistance with migrating content to Canvas and receiving directions on how best to link to publisher content in the new LMS. ☐ Identify any 3rd party applications that have been integrated into your class (ex. Publishers, Voicethread, iClicker, etc) |
Migrate from Blackboard to Canvas
- Follow the Blackboard to Canvas migration guide.
- Quizzes will migrate as classic quizzes. To convert to new quizzes, follow the New Quiz migration guide.
- Clean up and adjust your course as necessary using the automated migration guidelines and Blackboard-Canvas comparison.