Copy a course by using the course clone feature in the Courses tool
To copy a course in Brightspace, open the course you want to duplicate, select the Course Admin menu, find Copy Course, and follow the prompts to name the new course and choose which content to include. The entire process takes about five minutes. The cloned course appears in your course list as a new, separate course with its own enrolment and grade records.
Copying is faster than rebuilding from scratch because it preserves your folder structure, content files, assessments, and discussion forums. You can copy a course before the term starts to set up multiple sections, or copy a completed course to reuse it in a future term with updated dates and content.
Key Takeaways
- The Copy Course option is in Course Admin, and you must have instructor or admin permissions to use it.
- You can choose to copy all content or only specific items like assessments, modules, or discussion forums.
- The copied course is blank of enrolments and grades, so you will need to add students separately.
- Copying takes a few minutes, and Brightspace sends you a notification when the new course is ready to use.
Step-by-step: copying your course
Start by opening the course you want to copy. In the top navigation, click Course Admin. This menu appears only if you have instructor or admin rights in that course.
In the Course Admin menu, look for the Copy Course option. Click it. Brightspace opens a dialog box asking you to name the new course. Enter a title that identifies it clearly — for example, "Biology 101 Fall 2024" or "Marketing Basics Section B". The name you enter becomes the course code and title in your course list.
Next, Brightspace asks which content you want to copy. You can select Copy all content to duplicate everything, or you can uncheck specific items. Common options include Modules, Assessments, Discussions, Dropbox folders, and Grades. If you are reusing a course and want to keep old grades separate, uncheck Grades. If you want to update assessments before the term starts, uncheck Assessments and add them fresh.
Click Copy to start the process. Brightspace displays a confirmation message and begins cloning the course in the background. Depending on the size of your course, this can take anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes. You will receive a notification in your Brightspace inbox when the new course is ready.
What gets copied and what does not
Content that copies includes lesson modules, files, documents, images, discussion forums, quizzes, assignments, rubrics, and any embedded links. Your folder structure and organization carry over exactly, so if you organized content into units or weeks, that layout appears in the new course.
Enrolments and grades do not copy. The new course starts with no students and no grade records. You must add students to the copied course separately through your institution's enrolment system or by inviting them manually. This is intentional — it prevents grade data from one term bleeding into another.
Some items may not copy perfectly if they rely on external tools or integrations. For example, if your original course links to a third-party LTI tool, the link may not work in the copied course until you reconfigure it. Check any external integrations after copying and update them if needed.
Copying only part of a course
If you want to copy just a few modules or assessments instead of the whole course, you have two options. The first is to use the full Copy Course feature and then delete the items you do not need from the new course. The second is to copy individual items within the course itself.
To copy a single module or assessment, open it, look for a menu icon (usually three dots or a dropdown arrow), and select Copy. Brightspace then asks where you want to paste it — in the same course or in a different course. This method is useful if you are building a new course and want to reuse one strong assignment from an old course without copying everything.
Renaming and organizing the copied course
After the copy is complete, you can rename the course if needed. Go to Course Admin in the new course, select Course Information, and edit the course name and code. This is helpful if you want to standardize naming across multiple sections or terms.
You can also move the copied course into a course folder or collection to keep your course list organized. In your Courses tool, right-click the course name and select Move, then choose a folder. This does not affect the course content — it only changes where it appears in your list.
Troubleshooting common copy issues
If the copy process fails or takes longer than expected, check your internet connection and try again. Very large courses with thousands of files may take several minutes. If you receive an error message, note the exact text and contact your institution's Brightspace support team — they can check the server logs and restart the copy if it stalled.
If content appears in the new course but looks broken or incomplete, check for external links, embedded media, or third-party integrations. Some content may reference files or tools that do not exist in the new course environment. Update those references manually or re-upload the files.
If you cannot find the Copy Course option, you may not have the right permissions. Only instructors and course admins can copy courses. Contact your department chair or Brightspace administrator to confirm your role.
When to copy versus when to build fresh
Copy a course when you are teaching the same subject again and the content is still current. Copying saves time and preserves a structure you know works. It is also useful when you are creating multiple sections of the same course — copy once, then customize each section with different meeting times or assignments.
Build a course from scratch if the subject matter has changed significantly, if you want to redesign the layout, or if you are teaching something entirely new. Copying an outdated course and then deleting most of it takes longer than starting fresh.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I copy a course that someone else created?
Only if you have instructor or admin permissions in that course. If you want to use another instructor's course as a template, ask them to copy it and share the new course with you, or ask your Brightspace administrator to copy it on your behalf.
Will copying a course affect the original course?
No. Copying creates a completely separate course. Changes you make to the new course do not touch the original, and vice versa. You can edit one without worrying about the other.
Can I copy a course after students are already enrolled?
Yes. You can copy a course at any time. The new course will be empty of students, so you will need to add them separately. The original course and all its enrolments remain unchanged.
What if I only want to copy the structure but not the content?
When you copy the course, uncheck all content types except Modules (if you want to keep folder names). Then delete the module files and rebuild with new content. Alternatively, create a new course from scratch and manually recreate the folder structure.
How long does it take to copy a large course?
Most courses copy in under five minutes. Very large courses with thousands of files or many discussion posts may take ten to fifteen minutes. Brightspace notifies you when the copy is complete, so you do not have to watch the progress.