.svg)
How does UDOIT handle course copies and blueprints?
Many instructors and instructional designers copy courses from semester to semester or use blueprint courses. When you copy a course or blueprint content, UDOIT automatically carries over your accessibility work and data to help you maintain progress without starting over.
UDOIT Advantage is required for this feature to work. It is not available for Essentials customers.
How does it work?
This process happens when a course is scanned for the very first time by checking the Files area for a udoit.json file. This is true for newly created courses or copied courses. This initial scan can be initiated either at the course level through UDOIT or at the admin level through Cidiscape.
UDOIT will use this file to identify the original course using the Course ID and copy its data. This file is small (~20 bytes), only contains information pertinent to determining if a course is a copy, and will not impact your course content.
Please do not delete or modify this file.
Accidentally removed or changed it? No damage is done. The file will be automatically repaired on the next UDOIT scan!
Which course does this functionality apply to?
Courses scanned after December 16th, 2025 will have the udoit.json file added to the course Files area. UDOIT relies on this file to determine whether a course is new or copied.
Are there any limitations to the data that is copied over?
Yes. Due to limitations in the Canvas API, accessibility remediation data cannot be copied when two or more content types share the same name.
This limitation applies to:
- Announcements
- Assignments
- Classic Quizzes
- Discussion Topics
- Pages
Note: At this time, New Quizzes are not scanned with UDOIT.
All fixes remain intact in the original course.
Example:
If your Introduction to Physics course contains two pages both titled “Newton’s First Law: Inertia,” and one of those pages has three fixed issues, UDOIT cannot reliably determine which page the fixes belong to in the copied course. To avoid applying fixes incorrectly, the remediation data is not copied in this situation.
Recommendation:
Before copying a course, we recommend reviewing your content and ensuring there are no duplicated items (such as files, pages, or assignments) that you want UDOIT remediation data to be copied for. Removing or renaming duplicate content helps ensure that accessibility fixes are transferred correctly to the new course and prevents unexpected gaps in copied remediation data.
A great way to streamline your courses and prevent hiccups is to remove any duplicated content you aren’t using.
Looking for a quick way to clear out content? Check out TidyUP!
How does this affect Admin analytics?
Because accessibility data is copied along with the course, it may result in inflated totals in UDOIT Admin reports at the root or sub-account level. This happens because the same improvement now exists in more than one course.
Example:
- You fix a “Link has nondescript text” error in your Introduction to Physics course for the Spring 2026 term.
- That fix improves the course score and appears in admin reports.
- You copy the course for the Fall 2026 term, and the fix is copied to document continued accessibility efforts.
- The improvement is now counted again as reportable data.
When running reports, admins should filter by term and / or sub-account to ensure the most accurate view of fixed issues, resolved issues, and file remediation activity displays.
Does Cidiscape or ReadyGO automatically add my copied courses to Batches?
No. If you copy a course that belongs to an active batch, the newly copied course will not be added automatically and must be added manually.
Courses are only automatically added if they meet the criteria of an active Dynamic Batch in Cidiscape or ReadyGO.
Additional Resources: