I believe the csv method can upload a .mbz backup file into a course -- the docs state:
backupfile An absolute path to a backup file (.mbz) to import in the course.(This means the full path to your course, for example /home/yourmoodle/public_html/moodle27/transfert/backup.mbz . If you are unsure of this, look at include_path in Site administration>Server>PHP info.)
I haven't tried this because I have a hosted Moodle, so I use the 'templatecourse' feature instead:templatecourse The short name of a course to import the content from
However, the CSV method is not ideal for creating many courses or large courses. Ken, thanks for sharing the info about file system repo -- I'll have to look into that (if possible with a hosted Moodle).