Why back up your course
Backing up your Nexus course is recommended at the end of each term for safekeeping. Courses are removed from Nexus after a period of 5 years, so a backup will be needed if you see the possibility of needing course files after the course has been deleted.
What is and isn’t included in the backup
Included:
- Resources (Files, Folders, Pages, etc.)
- Activities (Assignments, Quizzes and Quiz questions, Questionnaires)
- Settings (Course Format, Theme, Course Completion settings, and settings for Assignments and Quizzes)
- Groups and groupings
NOT included:
- Student enrollment information
- Student grades
- Submissions to assignments (Files and Text submissions)
- Group members
- Guest Access settings
- Contributions to collaborative activities made by course members or the instructor (Wiki, Forum, Glossary, Database, etc.)
What can be done with the backup
The backup will come in the form of a “.mbz” file. This is a proprietary format that can only be read by Nexus. This means that the only way to retrieve information from the file is to restore it to Nexus, then access what is needed.
How to create a Nexus course backup
1. Login to Nexus and open the course that you would like to back up.
2. Click the Gear icon in the top right corner
3. Click on [Backup].
4. The Backup Settings screen will allow you to chose what parts of the course to back up. Notice there are many options that are locked or unavailable. This is because some user information is protected and can only be backed up by Nexus admins.
5. Choose what you would like to be included, then click [Next] at the bottom of the page.
6. The Include page will allow you to choose with finer detail what you would like to include in your backup. Use the check boxes to remove or add content to the backup.
7. Once you are done, click [Next] at the bottom of the page.
8. The next page shows an overview of what will be included in the backup and what will not be. Take a moment to look over what has been chosen and make sure it is correct. If you find something that needs changing, click the [Previous] button at the bottom of the page to find what needs to be changed.
9. When you are ready, click [Perform backup] at the bottom of the page.
10. Once the backup completes and looks like the screen below, click [Continue].
11. You will now be taken to the restore window. From here, you can see all backups made of your course. Backups you create will show up under User private backup area. Find the backup you have just made using the time column and click the [download] button.
12. Keep the downloaded file in a safe place on your computer where it won’t be accidentally deleted! Don’t leave the file only on the server as well.
If you are having difficulty or you have unanswered questions, please contact the Help Desk through the ITS Service Catalog or call (518) 388-6400.