How to Export a Canvas Course
Why do I need to export a course?
Per the Learning Management System and Video Lecture Support Policy approved by faculty governance on May 12, 2022, Canvas content is retained online and accessible by faculty in Canvas for 6 years. Academic course sites* that are older than 6 years are purged from Canvas. If you want a record of this course content, you may want to export it and save a copy. *Non-academic sites (like clubs, departmental, and advising sites), will be kept as long as there has been activity in the past 6 years.
You can also export a Canvas course to give to someone in another Canvas account, to upload to another institution’s account at a later date, or to create a copy as a backup on your local computer anytime. You can import an export file into Canvas at any time.
What kind of file is exported?
Exports are packaged as IMSCC ZIP files, which can only be opened by programs that support Common Cartridge files (like Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, etc.) You can also change the extension from .imscc to .zip and treat it as any other ZIP file.
What does my export include?
File uploads, assignments, quizzes, pages, modules, and general course site structure. Canvas exports do not include backups of student enrollments, interactions, Echo360 Videos, most LTIs/plugins, and grades.
Grades can be exported separately as a comma separated values (CSV) file. (How to export Gradebook)
Notes:
- Some external app LTI tools such as Google Drive, Echo360 Video, and Office 365 do not retain tool configurations in exported courses.
- Download your exported file to your computer immediately. Content exports expire after 30 days and can no longer be downloaded.
If you just want to keep Files that you’ve uploaded into Canvas like PDFs, Powerpoints, and Word documents, follow these instructions to access your Files in a course. Use “shift + click” on your keyboard to select a range of files to download. Click on the first file while pressing the “Shift” key on your keyboard. With the “Shift” key still pressed, click on the last file you want to select. All files between and including you first and last selection will be selected, and then you can download them to your computer in a *.zip file readable by your computer.
What about other non-Canvas content?
Other tools connected into Canvas will have their own backup/archive process. Please reach out to us at atc-ttl@wpi.edu with any concerns.
If you have Echo360 lecture capture content, that is covered under the 6 year retention policy mentioned above and we will have separate instructions to back up your video content.
Where can I store or back up my export files?
WPI grants all users cloud storage space in OneDrive. It is recommended that you store Canvas content there. You may also use personal storage space in DropBox, Google Drive, or a personal hard drive.
How to export a Canvas course
- In Course Navigation, click the Settings link.
- Click the Export Course Content link.
- Click the Course radio button.
- Click the Create Export button.
- The progress bar will appear. Exporting a course may take a few minutes depending on the size. Canvas will send you a notification when the export is complete, or you may wait on this screen.
- When the download is ready, click the New Export link to download the file. Make sure you rename the file after it downloads to your computer something you will remember, or put it in a special folder.
- If you leave the page while the course is exporting, you may return to Settings > Export Course Content to download the export file.
- Content exports listed on this screen expire after 30 days and can no longer be downloaded. Once they are downloaded to your computer, you will retain access.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out anytime to canvashelp@wpi.edu and one of our team would be happy to assist!
