• Only need to maintain content in one shell.
• Gradebook, People, and Assignments can be filtered by section or not, depending on need.
• Low-enrollment sections are combined for better student collaboration.

• If the two courses have different outcomes, assignments, or due dates, it can be difficult to juggle the necessary settings.
• Cross-listing multiple full-size classes can lead to an unwieldy Gradebook, Speedgrader, Analytics, etc.

• Cross-listing, re-cross-listing, and de-cross-listing should be completed before students begin to work in the course shell. If students are moved out of their native course shell (by cross-listing or any other process such as withdrawal), their work in the class will no longer be accessible.
• If you want to keep students from seeing and/or interacting with other sections, you will need to select the "Limit this user to only see fellow section users" option for each student.
• Certain integrations such as publisher software, end-of-course surveys, and course syllabi may require extra steps to ensure the correct section information is shared with students.

Section - Sections are divisions of students within a course. Sections contain nothing but enrollments. All course sections view the same course content.

Course - Courses are units of instruction in one subject that typically last one term. We also use the term course shell to refer to the unique instance of a course. A course shell is where content is created, and where student participations/submissions are housed.

Enrollment - Enrollments in Canvas include all students registered for the class AND the assigned teacher(s).

Cross-list - Cross-listing allows you to move section enrollments from individual course shells and combine them into one course.

Parent shell - The course shell that you intend to use as the source of course content; the shell that you will be moving sections INTO.

Child shell - The course shell that contains the section to be moved; the shell that you will be moving a section OUT OF. This is where you initiate the cross-listing process.

Re-cross-list - After cross-listing a section, if you decide to move it to another course, you can use the re-cross-listing process to move it again.

De-cross-list - De-cross-listing is the process of moving the section back into the original shell. This process cannot be completed by the instructor, and must be done by an Account Administrator.

Decide which course will be the "parent" shell, where the course content for all sections will be (or already is) housed. Go to that course. 

Copy the course ID from the URL in the browser's address bar. You should only copy the course ID number, not the full web address.

Go to the "child" shell (where the section you will be moving resides).

Go to the course Settings [1]

Click on the Sections tab [2]

Click on the section name [3]

Click on the "Cross-List this Section" button.

In the box labeled "Or Enter the Course's ID:", paste the course ID you copied from the parent shell URL [1]

Hit the enter/return key on your keyboard, and you will see the name of the parent shell under "Selected Course:".

Verify that it is the correct course [2]

Click the "Cross-List This Section" button [3]

You will see a message that the section was successfully cross-listed, and you will notice that you have now been taken automatically to the parent shell.

To double-check everything, go to Settings > Sections, and note that you now have two sections - the section that originally existed in the parent shell, and the section that you just moved from the child shell.

Repeat for any other sections you want to add to the parent shell.

 If you have moved a section to the incorrect shell, you can re-cross-list the section by moving it to a different shell.

Go to the shell that you MEANT to cross-list into. This will be the new parent shell. Copy the course ID from the URL.

Go back to the shell you incorrectly cross-listed your section into.

Go to the course Settings [1]

Click on the Sections tab [2]

Click on the section you want to move [3]

Click on the "Re-Cross-List this section" button.

In the box labeled "Or Enter the Course's ID:", paste the course ID you just copied from the new parent shell [1]

Hit the enter/return key, and verify that the course that displays under "Selected Course:" is the correct one [2]

Click the "Cross-List This Section" button [3]

You will see a message that the section was successfully cross-listed, and you will notice that you have now been taken automatically to the new parent shell.

If you want to move the cross-listed section back to the original shell, you will need to contact a top-level Canvas administrators or Canvas Support (210-485-0555, option 2). Because your "enrollment" was moved out of that shell along with the students, you no longer have permission to access it.

NOTE: You will find Canvas guides for de-cross-listing that make it look like you can perform this step, but those guides are for institutions with manual enrollments. Because our Canvas data comes from Banner, we are unable to change teacher access to this function.

Q. If I have difficulties with the cross-listing process, who can I contact?

A. First, contact your college Instructional Innovation Center. You can also contact Canvas Support at 210-485-0555 (option 2).

Q. If I need to have a section de-cross-listed (moved back to the original shell) who can I contact?

A. Only top-level Canvas administrators can de-cross-list. Contact [email protected].

Q. Can I cross-list/re-cross-list/de-cross-list sections after the semester has started?

A. You should only make cross-listing changes during the semester if students have not submitted any work or participation (in Discussions, etc.). Cross-listing during the term will seriously mess up student data and analytics, and is not recommended.

Q. I accidentally cross-listed a course in progress and I lost all the work the students did in the original shell! How do I fix this?

A. Contact the top-level Canvas administrators listed above. De-cross-listing will restore enrollments AND all submissions/participations/etc. to the original shell.

Q. Can I cross-list sections that are being taught in different semesters?

A. Technically, Canvas will allow you to do this. However, it is not recommended (with the exception of CE/Academic semester pairing).

Q. I cross-listed two sections of ENGL-1301, but they both just say "Composition I" in my Gradebook, roster, and other places. How can I easily tell which is which?

A. You can re-name your sections to make it easier to differentiate between them (for example, make them "Composition I - Monday" and "Composition I - Tuesday").

How do I cross-list a section in a course as an instructor [Official Canvas document]

Cross-listing, De-cross-listing, Re-cross-listing, Oh My! [CanvasLIVE presentation]

Cross-listing Video Tutorials [Use cases from a K-12 institution]

Canvas Support: 210-485-0555 (option 2) or click on "Help" in the Canvas global navigation.

Instructional Innovation Centers: