Biggio Center - Canvas: Crosslisting Courses

New for Spring 2025: Faculty-Managed Cross-Listing in Canvas!

Starting in Spring 2025, faculty can now cross-list their courses in Canvas. Faculty are expected to follow the guidelines provided below by the Office of the Registrar and the Biggio Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning to ensure FERPA compliance in all cross-listed courses.

Protecting Student Privacy in Cross-Listed Canvas Courses

At Auburn University, cross-listing allows instructors to combine multiple course sections into a single Canvas course for ease of management. However, it is essential to protect student privacy and comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Faculty members are responsible for ensuring their cross-listed courses meet these privacy standards and remain FERPA-compliant. Only specific types of courses qualify for cross-listing with unrestricted interactions between sections. For courses that do not meet these criteria, cross-section interactions must be restricted to maintain student privacy.

The Office of the Registrar and the Biggio Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning have established default settings to assist in maintaining privacy in cross-listed courses. These settings are monitored throughout the semester, with automated adjustments applied to non-compliant courses.

Approved Cross-Listing Criteria

Courses must meet at least one of the following criteria to enable unrestricted cross-section interactions:

Same Class, Same Time, Same Room: Sections that meet simultaneously in the same physical space.
Mixed-Mode Courses: Courses meeting simultaneously with one section on campus and another via distance.
Piggyback or Honors Courses: Different course numbers but meeting simultaneously.
Equivalent Courses: Courses that are the same but have different subject codes, meeting simultaneously.
Activity/Performance Courses: Studio-based courses (e.g., Music, Theater) that meet at the exact location and time.

Courses outside these criteria may be cross-listed for administrative purposes but require additional steps to limit cross-section interactions.

Default Settings for Privacy Protection

The following tools are disabled in course navigation by default to limit cross-section interaction:

Chat
BigBlueButton (Conferences)
Collaborations
People

These settings are actively monitored, and changes may occur if compliance issues arise. Instructors should reach out to the Biggio Center if adjustments are needed for approved courses.

The following resources offer detailed guidance to assist faculty in managing cross-listed courses while ensuring compliance with student privacy standards. Select an option below for specific instructions on cross-listing, protecting student privacy, or managing courses that do not meet cross-listing criteria.

How to Cross-List in Canvas Protecting Student Privacy Non-Qualifying Courses

For further assistance with cross-listing or if you encounter issues with privacy settings, please email bighelp@auburn.edu or book time with Biggio Tech.

How to Cross-List in Canvas

Important Notice About Student Work and Cross-Listing

Student work is tied to the original course shell and does not transfer to the Parent course when cross-listing.

Recommendation:

Cross-list Early: Complete cross-listing before students submit assignments, ideally at the start of the semester.
Late Cross-Listing: If cross-listing is necessary later in the semester, export the gradebook from the Child course before combining to retain all relevant student data.

To Undo Cross-Listing:

To reverse cross-listing, please submit a ServiceNow Ticket to bighelp@auburn.edu.

Steps to Cross-List Courses in Canvas

Select the Parent Course:
- Click Courses in the Canvas menu to view your course list.
- Select the course you want to be the Cross-List Parent (the main course where all enrollments will appear).
Locate the Parent Course Number:
- In the URL at the top of your browser, find the number after /courses/. This is the Course ID for the Parent course. Copy or write this down, as you’ll need it to complete cross-listing.
Identify a Child Course:
- Return to Courses and select a course that will be a Child (the section that will be cross-listed into the Parent course).
Open Course Settings:
- Inside the Child course, select Settings from the Navigation menu, then click on Sections.
Select the Section Name:
- Under Sections, click the name of the course section (do not click “Add new section”).
Cross-List the Section:
- Click the Cross-List this Section link on the right.
Enter the Parent Course ID:
- Enter the Parent Course ID from Step 2 in the box provided. Press Enter.
Complete the Cross-Listing:
- Click the Cross-List This Section> button to finalize.
Verify Cross-Listing:
- Only the Parent course will be displayed after cross-listing. Repeat the steps above for any additional sections you want to cross-list into the Parent course.

Protecting Student Privacy in Cross-Listed Courses

To prevent students from viewing or interacting with individuals outside their own section, faculty members should configure the following Canvas settings:

Course Settings
- Go to Settings > Course Details > More Options and make the following adjustments:
  - Disable comments on announcements to prevent cross-section interaction.
  - Uncheck "Let students create discussion topics" to limit student-initiated discussions.
  - Uncheck "Let students organize their own groups" to prevent cross-section group formations.
Course Navigation Restrictions
- Ensure the following tools are disabled by default in Settings > Navigation to limit cross-section interactions:
  - Chat
  - BigBlueButton (Conferences)
  - Collaborations
  - People
TA Access Permissions
- When assigning TAs, select Can interact with users in their section only and add them solely to the sections they oversee.
Groups Management
- Student-Created Groups: Student names are visible across sections if students can create their own groups, so this should be disabled.
- Group Assignments: Ensure group members are restricted to the same section when creating groups.
Discussions
- Student names are visible in discussion posts and threads by default. To ensure compliance, follow these guidelines:
  - Graded Discussions: Create separate, section-specific discussion topics.
  - Ungraded Discussions: Use the Post to option to limit topics to individual sections.
  - Group Discussions: Create section-specific groups for discussions.
  - Discussions Redesign: Enable this feature under Settings > Feature Options to provide student anonymity options.
Messages/Inbox
- When messaging multiple students in different sections, select Send an individual message to each recipient to keep recipient names private.

These steps will help protect student privacy and maintain compliance in cross-listed Canvas courses.

Non-Qualifying Courses

If your course does not meet the approved criteria for unrestricted cross-section interaction, adjustments are needed to maintain FERPA compliance. However, there are options if you require student interaction across sections or encounter unexpected changes in your course navigation.

What if I Want Interaction Between Sections in an Unapproved Course?

The Office of the Registrar and the Biggio Center can assist in setting up a workflow for cross-section interaction on a case-by-case basis. Students must sign a FERPA waiver to enable interaction across sections, ensuring compliance with privacy standards. Please contact the Registrar’s Office at (334) 844-2544 or visit Registrar Contact.

Why Is My Navigation Changing on Its Own After Cross-Listing?

An automated monitoring system ("watchdog") is in place to enforce FERPA-compliant navigation settings for non-approved cross-listed courses. The watchdog may automatically adjust course settings and navigation if your course is not on the approved list. For support or if your course qualifies, contact the Biggio Center at bighelp@auburn.edu.