Import a Past Course
- Adam Dinnes
Importing a backup file into a new course shell allows an instructor to reuse past materials while discarding the old student data (assignment submissions, grades, etc.). The import function only allows an instructor to restore a previous course already stored from the current Moodle site. If you have a Moodle Backup file (.mbz) from a previous Moodle course, you will instead need to use the Restore function to reuse that course data.
In order to search for and import a course, you must have a Teacher role in both courses. If you need to import course content from a course in which you are not a Teacher, please contact LITS staff (support@beloit.edu) for assistance. Permission from the previous course instructor may be required.
Follow the steps provided below to restore a course backup from a previous Moodle site.
From the main course page, click on the Course Management dropdown in the top right corner.
Under the Course Settings column on the far right, select Import.
In the Find a course to import data from section, type the course number you want to import from into the Search field.
Search using the following format [Course Category] [Course Number] [Section Number]_[SemesterYear]. The more accurate and specific the search terms, the more successful the search returns will be.
E.g. RUSS 100 01_FA2021
Select the course from the list and click Continue.
If the course number you are looking for does not appear, you may need to refine your search and try again.
Select which types of items you want to include in the import. If you want to include everything, use the default checkbox selections.
If you want to import all course materials for the previous course, click the Jump to Final Step button.
If you want to only import certain materials from the previous course, click the Next button. You’ll then be taken to a selection screen where you can uncheck any materials you’d like to exclude.
A progress bar will appear depicting the status of the import.
Depending upon the size of the course, it could take several minutes for the import to complete.
Do not navigate away from this screen until the import completes successfully, as it could corrupt the import process.
Once the Import Complete message appears, you can click the Continue button to be taken to the course page.
