How do I copy my Visible Body course for a new term?

This guide walks you through the complete process of duplicating a Visible Body course, linking it to your new Canvas shell, and publishing assignments to your gradebook.

Before You Start: Preparation Checklist

• You have Teacher or Admin access to both Visible Body Courseware and Canvas
• Your new Canvas course shell has been created for the upcoming term (this is your student-bearing “real” course)
• You know your course ID and term code (e.g., FA27, SP28, SU28)
• You have a Visible Body course from your previous term
• You have identified which VB assignments need to be updated with new due dates

Naming Conventions for Organization

Consistent naming conventions make it easy to identify which course belongs to which term and match it with your Canvas shell. Follow this format for all your Visible Body courses:

“CourseID + Title + (Term)”:

• Canvas Term Shell:
  • Title: Anatomy & Physiology I (FA28)
  • Course ID: 2028-FA-BSD10320-01
• Visible Body Courseware:
  • BSD10320 Anatomy & Physiology I (Fall 2028)

Steps for Copying Your Visible Body Course

STEP 1: Access Your Visible Body Courseware Account

1. Log in to your account at Visible Body Courseware: courseware.visiblebody.com
2. Note the Canvas course name and ID for reference during this process

STEP 2: Create a Copy of Your Course

1. From your Visible Body dashboard, find the course you want to copy (typically your “TEMPLATE” or most recent term’s version)
2. Click on the arrow on the right to open “Course Options”
3. Select the “Make a Copy” option
4. A dialog box will appear asking you to name the new course
5. Enter the new course name using the naming convention above (e.g., “BSD10320 Anatomy & Physiology I (Fall 2028)”)
6. Click “Save” to create a new copy
7. Wait for the system to complete the copy process (this may take several minutes depending on course size)
8. You will receive a confirmation message when the copy is complete
9. The new course will appear in your dashboard

STEP 3: Verify the Course Copy

1. Navigate to your newly created course copy
2. Confirm that all content, assignments, and course structure have been copied correctly
3. Check that all assignment types are present (interactive activities, quizzes, etc.)
4. Note: Due dates and release dates from the original course will carry over and will need to be updated (covered in Step 6)

STEP 4: Ensure Canvas Course has Visible Body Courseware Navigation

1. Go to your new Canvas course shell for this term
2. Click on “Settings” in the left navigation menu
3. Select “Navigation”
4. Locate “Visible Body LTI 1.3” in the left sidebar
5. If it is not visible, click the eye icon to make it visible
6. Drag “Visible Body LTI 1.3” to position it where you want it in the course navigation (typically near the top)
7. Click “Save” at the bottom

STEP 5: Link Your Canvas Course to the Visible Body Copy

1. In Canvas, click on “Visible Body LTI 1.3” in the left navigation menu
2. You should see a card that says “Go to Courseware”
3. Select the appropriate Visible Body course copy from the dropdown menu (the one you just created)
4. The system will establish the connection between your Canvas course and the Visible Body copy
5. You should see a confirmation message

STEP 6: Update Assignment Due Dates and Release Dates in Visible Body

IMPORTANT: Due dates and release dates from the previous term will carry over with the course copy. You MUST update these to reflect your new term’s schedule.

1. In Visible Body, open your newly copied course
2. Click “Edit Course” or navigate to the Assignments section
3. For each assignment, review and update:
   • Release Date (when students can first see the assignment)
   • Due Date (when the assignment is due)
   • All dates must fall within the current term
4. Click “Save” after updating each assignment
5. Double-check that dates do not conflict with holidays, breaks, or other course events

Pro Tip: Create a course calendar with all your term dates before starting this process. This will help you quickly and accurately set all due dates.

STEP 7: Publish Assignments to Canvas

1. In Visible Body, navigate to Bulk Editing > Publication
2. Review the list of all assignments in your course copy
3. Select the assignments you are ready to make available to students
4. Click “Publish” to publish the selected assignments
5. Click “Deploy to Canvas” to push assignments to your Canvas gradebook
6. Wait for confirmation that deployment is complete
7. You should see a checkmark or similar symbol next to published assignments
8. Unpublished assignments (those not yet ready) will not appear in Canvas

STEP 8: Verify Assignments in Canvas

1. Go to your Canvas course
2. Click on “Assignments” in the left navigation menu
3. Verify that all published Visible Body assignments appear in the list
4. Check that assignments show the correct due dates
5. Confirm that assignments are placed in the correct assignment group (if you use groups)
6. Click on one assignment to verify it links correctly to the Visible Body courseware activity
7. Test the link by clicking the assignment name; it should open the Visible Body activity in a new tab

STEP 9: Update Cross-Course Links

After copying your course, you may have links in various locations that still point to the old Visible Body course. Update the following locations:

1. Course Orientation
2. Course Schedule
3. Syllabus
4. Module Overviews
5. Assignments
6. Weekly announcements
7. Any other course pages that link to Visible Body assignments

For each location:

1. Edit the page/document
2. Find links to the old Visible Body course
3. Replace with links to the new course copy
4. Save changes

STEP 10: Final Review and Testing

1. Navigate to assignments and attempt to launch a Visible Body activity
2. Verify that the activity opens correctly and is fully functional
3. Check that completion data is being recorded in Canvas gradebook
4. Confirm that assignment due dates are displaying correctly to students
5. Review all links throughout the course to ensure they point to the new course copy

Integrating with Canvas LMS (LTI 1.3)

Visible Body Courseware integrates with Canvas using Learning Tools Interoperability 1.3 (LTI 1.3), the current industry standard for learning platform integration. This allows grades to sync automatically between Visible Body and Canvas.

For detailed information on LMS integration with Visible Body Courseware, including troubleshooting and advanced configuration options, refer to: Visible Body LMS Integration Guide.

Key Integration Features:

• Single sign-on through Canvas
• Automatic grade synchronization to Canvas gradebook
• Deep linking to specific Visible Body activities
• No additional login required for students
• Real-time completion tracking

If you experience issues with grade sync or assignment linking, consult the integration guide or contact the TLC Team.

Best Practices for Copying Courses

Organization and Naming

• Always use a consistent naming convention, such as the one outlined above; consistency makes course management much easier
• Keep a master spreadsheet tracking which VB courses correspond to which Canvas shells and terms
• Archive old course copies in a separate folder rather than deleting them (for reference and compliance)

Timing and Planning

• Copy your course at least one week before the term begins, allowing time for testing and troubleshooting
• Update all due dates and release dates before publishing assignments to Canvas
• Test the entire student experience (login, assignment launch, grade sync) before students access the course

Assignment Management

• Review each assignment before publishing to ensure it is appropriate for the new term
• Consider whether assignments need updating (new content, new due dates, removal of outdated material)
• Publish assignments in stages rather than all at once; this helps you catch issues early
• Keep detailed notes on which assignments are published and when

Quality Assurance

• Verify that links to external resources (readings, videos, etc.) still work
• Check that all graphics, diagrams, and multimedia in assignments display correctly
• Confirm that the assignment descriptions and instructions are clear and current for the new term

Communication

• Let students know where to find Visible Body assignments (clearly label them in Canvas)
• Provide clear instructions on how to launch Visible Body activities
• Include due dates and grading expectations in assignment descriptions
• Give students time to familiarize themselves with the platform before the first graded assignment

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Issue: The new Visible Body course copy does not appear in the Canvas dropdown menu when linking

Solution:

1. Verify that the course copy was successfully created in Visible Body
2. Try logging out of both Visible Body and Canvas, then logging back in
3. Refresh your Canvas browser page
4. Clear your browser cache if issues persist
5. Contact your Visible Body administrator if the course still does not appear

Issue: Assignment due dates are incorrect or not updating in Canvas

Solution:

1. Verify that you updated the due dates in Visible Body before publishing
2. Republish the assignment to push the updated date to Canvas
3. In Canvas, check that the assignment is showing the correct due date in the details pane
4. If dates still do not match, manually set the due date in Canvas as a backup

Issue: Students see “Assignment not available” or cannot access the Visible Body activity

Solution:

1. Check the assignment’s release date in Visible Body; it should be on or before the current date
2. Verify that the assignment is published in Visible Body and deployed to Canvas
3. Confirm that students have access to the course in Canvas
4. Test the assignment link yourself to ensure it is working
5. Check browser compatibility (Visible Body works best in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge)
6. Contact your Visible Body support team if the issue persists

Issue: Grades are not syncing from Visible Body to Canvas

Solution:

1. Verify that LTI 1.3 integration is properly configured (see Integration Guide)
2. Check that the Canvas course is correctly linked to the Visible Body course copy
3. Wait 15-30 minutes for grade sync to complete; syncing is not instantaneous
4. Manually refresh the Canvas gradebook page
5. Check that students have actually completed the Visible Body assignment
6. Contact HelpDesk@neco.edu or Visible Body support if grades continue not to sync

Issue: Links in course pages are pointing to the old Visible Body course

Solution:

1. Use the “Updating HTML Links” section of this guide to identify and replace old links
2. Search your course pages for the old course ID and systematically replace it
3. Test all links after updating to confirm they work
4. Update related pages (syllabus, schedules, announcements) that may contain outdated links

Additional Resources

• Visible Body: Copying Your Courseware Course for a New Term
• Visible Body: LMS Integration Guide (Canvas and other platforms)
• Visible Body Support Portal
• Visible Body Courseware Support Documentation

Need Extra Support?

We are here to partner with you as you enhance your courses. If you run into technical issues or want a collaborative consultation on designing custom interactive modules, please reach out to our team: