Parent Course
What Is a Parent Course?
Parent courses allow instructors to streamline course management by reducing redundancy. When requested, a Parent course will enroll all students, TAs, and instructors from various course sections into a single Canvas course. This setup enables instructors to post materials once and grade all students collectively. Parent courses are especially beneficial for instructors teaching multiple sections or collaborating on a course. They operate like any standard course in Canvas.
Who Can Use Parent Courses?
Parent courses are available to instructors at Montana Tech.
How to Request a Parent Course
To request a Parent course, the instructor must submit a request form. After providing the necessary information, the creation process typically takes about 24 hours to complete.
Cross-Listing and De-Cross-Listing Sections
Important Note: Cross-listing may not be available for all instructors at your institution. If you do not see the "Cross-List this Section" button while viewing a course section, this option has been disabled. Please contact your Canvas Administrator for assistance.
Cross-Listing Sections
Cross-listing allows you to combine enrollments from multiple sections (referred to as child courses) into a single course (referred to as the parent course). This feature is helpful for instructors managing several sections of the same course.
Requirements:
- Cross-listing must be performed while courses are unpublished.
- The child course must contain at least one enrollment.
- If you anticipate needing to de-cross-list the section later, ensure you are enrolled in both the parent and child courses before proceeding.
Steps to Cross-List a Section
Step 1:
Copy the Course ID
- To find the Course ID, navigate to the parent course in Canvas and check the URL.
- Copy the unique number displayed after "/courses/".
Step 2:
Navigate to the Child Course
- Go to the course containing the sections you wish to cross-list into the parent course.
Step 3: Access Course Settings
- In the Course Navigation menu, click on the Settings link.
- Select the Sections tab.
Step 4:
Select the Section to Cross-List
- Click on the name of the section you want to cross-list into the parent course. This action will move the section enrollments from the child course to the parent course.
- Click the Cross-List this Section button.
Step 5:
Enter the Course ID
- Paste the Course ID copied in Step 1 into the field labeled "Enter the Course's ID:" to ensure you are cross-listing to the correct course.
- Click Cross-List This Section. You will receive a notification confirming the action was successful
Note: A section can only belong to one parent course at a time. Content and grades from the child course will not be transferred to the parent course during cross-listing.
Step 6:
Verify the Cross-Listed Section
- To view the newly cross-listed section, navigate to the parent course, go to Settings, and select the Sections tab. The cross-listed section will appear here.
De-Cross-Listing Sections
De-cross-listing removes a cross-listed section from the parent course. This action returns student enrollments to the original child course, but grades and student submissions will not be transferred. To transfer grades, you may export the Gradebook and import it into the child course.
Steps to De-Cross-List a Section
Step 1:
Access the Parent Course Settings
- Navigate to the parent course's Settings page and click the Sections tab.
Step 2:
Select the Section to De-Cross-List
- Click the name of the section you wish to de-cross-list and select the De-Cross-List this Section button.
Step 3: Confirm De-Cross-Listing
- To confirm the de-cross-listing, click the De-Cross-List This Section button.
Note: After de-cross-listing, you can view the section in its original child course. If you are unable to de-cross-list a section, please contact your Canvas Administrator for assistance.
