D2L Brightspace: Exporting Course Components

Question

How can I export course materials and components? How can I back-up my courses? How do I share courses with colleagues?

Overview

Note: If you wish to copy your course to a new semester or development course, please use copy components instead.

Export your course materials to save outside of D2L Brightspace.
 

Part 1: Export

1. From the course homepage, Click Course Admin.
2. Click Import / Export / Copy Components.
3. Select Export as Brightspace Package. Note other options for export:
   1. Select Export as Common Cartridge if you wish to import the course for use in other learning management systems.
   2. Select Export as Thin Common Cartridge if you wish to import a minimal version of the course with only web links, learning tool interoperability (LIT) links, and metadata.
4. Click Start.
5. Check the box next to Select All Components box to export the entire course.  Otherwise, check next to individual components you wish to export.
6. Click Continue.
7. On the Export Confirmation page, scroll down and check Include course files in the export package.
   
8. Click Export.
9. You will see an Export Components Export summary page that says: "Your export has been started. You will receive a notification in the Update Alerts when it has completed"
10. Click Done.

Part 2: Download and Save File

Note: It is important that you save the original, compressed/zipped (.zip) file package for later import. Do not open the downloaded .zip package. Don’t re-compress or re-zip it the file package. Both opening and re-compressing will make the file package unusable.

1. When the Export is complete, check the Update Alerts icon (looks like a bell in the top right of a web browser page).
2. Click the Update Alerts icon, click the Export Finished link.
3. Click the Click here to download the export Zip package link.
   
4. Save the .zip file to your choice of locations or folders on your local drive or portable storage device.
5. Click Done.

Note: This operation is most reliably performed on a high-speed internet connection and on a computer that has a direct connection to the internet port (not wireless). If you have issues and your course is very large, you may want to try exporting it in smaller chunks. For example, do one export selecting only Content and Course Files. Then do a second export of other components. If the export times out again, break down the export even further