Canvas Course Backup Reminder Feature

Introduction

Canvas will now give you a friendly nudge when it's time to back up your course content or gradebook. Look for a small alert icon on your Dashboard course card. It tells you if you've never exported, or how many days it's been since your last backup of your course and your gradebook. One click takes you straight to the right place in Canvas to export your course content or your grades. 

Not a good time? Dismiss it, and Canvas will remind you again in 7 days.

Contents

Where is the Course Backup Reminder? 

How to Download Your Course

How to Download your Gradebook

Important Notes

Where is the Course Backup Reminder? 

1. Inside Canvas, select Dashboard in the Global Navigation (1) and then click the Course Backup Reminder icon in one of your courses (2). It is an exclamation point inside a circle. 
   
2. When you select the icon, a window opens showing when you last backed up your course content and gradebook, or letting you know you haven’t backed them up yet. In this image, there is a link to download the course (1), a link to download the gradebook (2) or links to dismiss either notification for 7 days (3). 
   

How to Download Your Course

1. After clicking on the Canvas Course Backup icon (1), click Download this course (2). 
   
2. After the Content Exports screen opens, select the Course option, and then select the Create Export button.
   
3. You'll see a note that says "Processing. This may take a bit..." as well as a progress bar. You can leave the page if you'd like and you'll get an email notification when the export is complete. 
   
4. Once your export is ready, you'll see two hyperlinks under Content Exports. 
   1. Click the first link to download your export (1, in this screenshot the text reads "Course Export from 9 minutes ago"). 
   2. Click the second link, titled "New Export," to download another export in the future (2). 
      
      Note: You may need to refresh your page to see the download links. 
5. Download the Course Export. We recommend downloading it directly to your OneDrive, since course exports are large files and can tie up your hard drive. Your options may not look identical to the screenshot, but regardless of your folder setup, your OneDrive folder is typically labeled with a cloud icon. In this screenshot, I've selected my OneDrive folder (1), made a descriptive filename (2), and then clicked Save (3). 
   

How to Download Your Gradebook

1. After clicking on the Canvas Course Backup icon (1), click Download student grades (2). 
   
2. In Course Navigation, click Grades.
3. In the Grades area, click Export.
   
4. Select Export Entire Gradebook.
   
5. Canvas will automatically download a CSV file.
   
   By default, the filename will be Year-Month-DateHourMinute, followed by the coursename. This is so you can put all of your exports in the same place, and easily see when they were exported. 
   We recommend downloading it directly to your OneDrive, since course exports are large files and can tie up your hard drive. Your OneDrive folder is labeled with a cloud icon. 

Important Notes

• The exported gradebook file includes student grades and should be treated as confidential educational data.
• You can also adjust your view in Canvas and download just the current gradebook view. However, we recommend a full backup regularly, which is why this guide instructs you to select Export Entire Gradebook.
• Hidden or unposted grades may appear in separate read-only columns.
• You won't be able to open up and view the course content export file. It's designed to be imported directly back into Canvas. 

Have Questions? Contact the Academic Technology Support Team

 Phone at 727-341-3500

Academic Technology Support Team Hours: (Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. EST).

Want to Schedule a One-on-One or Group Session on Canvas or other instructional technology issues or opportunities?

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