Import your D2L Brightspace Course Into Canvas Manually

Request a Course Shell

Before building your course in Canvas, you need to obtain a new course shell by completing the Course Shell Request Form. Be sure to choose Canvas Request at the top of the form!

Note: This course shell will not be accessible to students but will be used to develop your course materials before the "live" course is created in Canvas.

Prepare and Export Content From D2L

To minimize the time needed to adjust your course in Canvas, we recommend that you "clean up" it before exporting it. Use the Pre-Migration Checklist to guide you through these adjustments.

Once you've completed the checklist, follow either the Export Content from D2L Video Tutorial or the Export a Course Written Tutorial to export your course from D2L Brightspace. 

Navigate to Your Canvas Course

1. Log in to Canvas at https://montana.instructure.com/login/saml.
2. When you log in, you will be in your Canvas dashboard. 
3. Select the desired course by clicking on the course card.

Note: You may not see all your courses right away, depending on where we are in the migration schedule. All courses migrated for you will appear by July 2025.

Update Your Homepage Template

Each new course shell will feature an MSU-branded Homepage. This default homepage includes a banner and a designated area where instructors can share essential details about themselves and the course. Please refer to the Update Your Homepage Tutorial for guidance on personalizing your homepage.

Import, Review, and Organize Content in Canvas

The time required to import your course content from D2L Brightspace into Canvas will vary depending on the size and features used. The Import Content into Canvas Video Tutorial will guide you through each step to ensure a successful transition. For a full written tutorial, visit the How to Import Content Written Tutorial.

Keep in mind that some content may not transfer exactly as expected. Use the tutorial steps and the Post-Migration Checklist to identify and adjust any areas that need attention before publishing your course.

When you are ready, organize your content.

Create New Content

Some migrated content elements may not transfer well and will require rebuilding. Canvas offers a versatile toolkit for creating new content, including pages, assignments, discussions, quizzes, links, documents, and external tools.

Canvas Content Tutorials

Use the links below to the webpage and video tutorials to learn more about each content item.

Set Up the Gradebook

Each assignment's grades can be calculated as points, percentages, complete or incomplete, pass or fail, GPA scale, and letter grades. Assignments can be organized into groups for weighting. Only graded assignments, discussions, quizzes, and surveys published are shown in the Gradebook. “Not Graded” assignments will not be shown. 

To get started, review the written Gradebook Tutorial or the Gradebook Video. 

Weighting Grades

You can organize your graded Canvas activities into groups such as "quizzes" or "homework." When you select this option, you assign a weight to the assignment group rather than to individual assignments. Canvas calculates the grade by dividing the total points a student has earned by the total possible points for all assignments in that group.

For detailed instructions, refer to the Weight Your Gradebook Tutorial or Video.

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