What are my options? 

Option A) Migrate just your course files from Blackboard:

Choosing to build your Canvas course from the ground up by creating new content items and uploading course files from your computer’s hard drive might be the easiest route for most people. 

If you only need to move files (e.g. Powerpoint, Word, PDF, etc.) between Blackboard and Canvas, we recommend you download the files from your Blackboard course and then upload them into your Canvas course. This can include your course folder hierarchy. 

For more information and instructions please see: Download your Blackboard course files and folders 


Option B) Export your whole Blackboard course:

If you have course material that includes Blackboard files, assignments, tests, discussions, announcements etc., you can select to export your entire course as a Blackboard Export zip file. The zip file will contain your course material, course layout and configuration. The zip file can then be uploaded into a Canvas course. 

Please be prepared to do an extensive clean-up after the upload into Canvas is complete.

For more information and instructions please see: Export my Blackboard course 


What course material in Blackboard can I import into Canvas? 

What course material in Blackboard does not import well (or at all) into Canvas? 

What content can I archive from my Blackboard course sites?

How do I get help?


What course material in Blackboard can I import into Canvas?
Announcements in Blackboard will be moved to the Announcements section in Canvas.
Assignments in Blackboard will be moved to the Assignments section in Canvas.
Discussion Forums in Blackboard will be moved to the Discussions section in Canvas.
Files and Folders in Blackboard will be moved to the Files section in Canvas.
Tests and Test Pools in Blackboard will be moved to the Quizzes section in Canvas.


What course material in Blackboard does not import well (or at all) into Canvas? 

Blogs and Journals in Blackboard will not import to Canvas. 

  • Blogs: Students can create their own Discussions in Canvas, which can provide similar functionality-- see here for instructions.
  • Journals: Creating an Assignment in Canvas can facilitate the private back-and-forth communication between the student and instructor. 

Course Menu and Content Areas in Blackboard will be re-created within the Modules section in Canvas. 

  • Not all course menu items will be re-created. It is best to review the Modules section in Canvas after importing course content and materials-- see here for instructions.

Content Items in Blackboard (these combine a variety of materials to view together, such as text, multimedia, and file attachments) will be moved to the Pages section in Canvas. 

  • If the Content Items contain file attachments or links to webpages, they may break upon import and will need to be reestablish-- see here for instructions.

Discussion Responses in Blackboard will not import to Canvas.   

Groups in Blackboard will be moved to the People--> Groups section in Canvas.

  • Group shells will be created in your Canvas course, but group settings and enrollments will not import. It’s best to create Groups from the ground up in Canvas -- see here for more details.

Grade Weights in Blackboard will not import to Canvas.

Manually created Gradebook columns in Blackboard will not import to Canvas. 

SCORM content in Blackboard can be imported to Canvas.

Student Submissions in Blackboard will not import to Canvas.

  • This includes submissions to assignments, tests, discussions, or third-party tools (e.g. Turnitin, VoiceThread, McGraw-Hill, etc.).

Wikis in Blackboard will be moved to the Pages section in Canvas.

  • By default, a Page in Canvas does not give student's editor rights. For students to contribute and modify their entries on a Page, instructors will need to edit the Page and allow students editor access-- see here for more details and instructions.
What content can I archive from my Blackboard course sites?
Blackboard instructors can download and save their course content as well as student discussion posts, assignment submissions, and grades. For more information see the Georgetown guide on Archiving Blackboard content. 
How do I get help?

For help archiving and migrating your Blackboard content: