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Instructor Help: Backing Up a Course Web Page
You can download backup copies of the files on your Ecampus course page using either of two procedures.
- What are the two methods of backing up Ecampus files and how are they different?
- How do I create a backup of the entire Ecampus course web page?
- How do I restore my backup to a new Ecampus course web page?
- How do I use the Manage Files control panel to make a backup of all the course files?
1. What are the two methods of backing up Ecampus files and how are they different?
The WebCT tools include a Create Backup tool that will automatically create a backup of the entire course as a zip file. You can also use the Manage Files tool to zip the files manually. Although these two tools will both create a zipped archive of all the files associated with the course web page, how you access the created archive differs.
The zip file generated by the Create Backup tool cannot be unzipped using conventional software such as WinZip or StuffIt. In fact, this backup file is purposely made inaccessible so that the files cannot be changed. The only way to access the files is to use the Restore Course tool built into WebCT. This tool will recreate your class web page in WebCT as it was when you created the backup file. This is useful for courses that are taught every year using the same materials. When the course is restored, not only are all the files added to the course web page, but all the icons and organization of the files will also be recreated. However, please be aware that the Create Backup option will only unpack in the WebCT Campus Edition 4 environment we are currently running. Should the Ecampus environmnet be upgraded in the future, you will no longer have any means to read archived files created with the Create Backup tool.
If you would like a backup of course materials that will allow you to access the files and edit them, you should probably use the Manage Files tool. This tool also creates a zipped archive of the files on your course web page. However, you can decompress the zip file using standard software such as WinZip or StuffIt. Once the archive has been expanded you should be able to open any of the files on your computer. Creating a backup using this method is probably more useful for instructors who change the content of their courses on a regular basis or would like to adapt the content for a new course.
2. How do I create a backup of the entire Ecampus course web page?
Login to your class web page and follow these steps:
- Click the Control Panel button in the top left corner of the page.
- Under the Basic Control Panel, click Manage Course.
- Under Manage Course > Backup Course , click Create backup.
- Type a brief description of the course in the textbox; e.g. "Chinese 200: Research Methods (Fall 2006)". This description will appear following the name of the backup file that is created. The descriptive text is optional, but you must click on the Create button to make the backup file.
- Click the Continue button after the backup has been successfully created.
- Click on the circle to the left of the Backup Filename.
- Under Actions > Options: Backup Files to the right of the page, click Download to download the backup file to your own computer.
IMPORTANT: After clicking on Download, your web browser might prompt you to Save or Open the file. Choose Save. If you choose Open, your computer will try to decompress the zip file, but this file cannot be unzipped. Moreover, the file will only be expandable in the current version of WebCT. It will no longer be accessible should WebCT be upgraded; therefore, for long-term backup, we recommend using the steps outlined in question three.
3. How do I restore my backup to a new Ecampus course web page?
Login to the class web page in which you would like to restore the backup and follow these steps:
- Click the Control Panel button in the top left corner of the page.
- Under the Basic Control Panel, click Manage Course.
- Under Manage Course > Backup Course , click Upload backup.
- Use the Browse button to locate the backup file on your computer. Once you have located the file, double click on it so that its name appears in the text box next to Filename and then click on the Upload button.
- The name of your backup file will appear in a list after it has been uploaded. Click on the circle to the left of the Backup Filename.
- Under Actions > Options: Restore to the right of the page, click Keep users to restore the backup file in the new class page. It is important to use the Keep users option, especially if you are restoring a backup file of a previous term's class into the page for the current term. This option ensures that those students enrolled in the new class will not lose access to the site.
IMPORTANT: Sometimes faculty would like to begin designing an Ecampus page before CDH has actually created the page. If you want to model a course page on that of a previous course, you can always work on the Ecampus page of the original course, save a backup file of it, and finally restore the backup file in the new course once access has been granted to the page.
4. How do I use the Manage Files control panel to make a backup of all the course files?
- Click the Control Panel button in the top left corner of the page.
- Under the Basic Control Panel, click Manage Files.
- In the Folders and Files screen, there are two ways to save items. You can archive either selected files or selected folders.
- Zipping Files: In the My-Files folder, one-by-one check all the files you wish to save. Only files can be zipped using this procedure. If you have created subdirectories in the My-Files folder, you will have to open the other folders and check the individual files. If you want to preserve the organization of folders, you should use the procedure for zipping a folder.
- Zipping a Folder: You can only zip one folder at a time, so if you want to save all files and subdirectories, check the box to the left of the My-Files folder. In the example below, the subdirectories student_pres and ITC Class will be saved along with all their files and the files in the My-Files folder.
- Once you have selected the files or folder to be saved, click on the appropriate Zip button.
- For zipping individual files, choose the Zip button under Actions > Options: Files.
- To zip a folder, click the Zip button under Actions > Options: Folders.
- Under Select Destination File and Folder, choose the location where you want the archive to be saved from the pull-down menu. The default location, My-Files, is usually fine. Also enter the name you wish to give the zipped file in the textbox next to Filename. After entering a file name, click on the Zip button.
- The newly created zip file should appear in the My-Files folder. Check the box next to the name of the file.
- Under Actions > Options: Files, click on the Download button to download the zip file to your own computer.
- WebCT will alert you of your chosen action. Click on the Download button again to complete your command.
- If your web browser prompts you to Open or Save the file, you may choose either option. The former command should automatically expand the zip file in a new folder on your desktop.