diff --git a/availability/classes/info_section.php b/availability/classes/info_section.php
index d65729ae38d..6ef4fc96ddb 100644
--- a/availability/classes/info_section.php
+++ b/availability/classes/info_section.php
@@ -62,8 +62,12 @@ class info_section extends info {
 
     protected function set_in_database($availability) {
         global $DB;
-        $DB->set_field('course_sections', 'availability', $availability,
-                array('id' => $this->section->id));
+
+        $section = new \stdClass();
+        $section->id = $this->section->id;
+        $section->availability = $availability;
+        $section->timemodified = time();
+        $DB->update_record('course_sections', $section);
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/availability/condition/date/classes/condition.php b/availability/condition/date/classes/condition.php
index 722b0247be2..63b61b4ebce 100644
--- a/availability/condition/date/classes/condition.php
+++ b/availability/condition/date/classes/condition.php
@@ -287,8 +287,12 @@ class condition extends \core_availability\condition {
 
             // Save the updated course module.
             if ($changed) {
-                $DB->set_field('course_sections', 'availability', json_encode($tree->save()),
-                        array('id' => $section->id));
+                $updatesection = new \stdClass();
+                $updatesection->id = $section->id;
+                $updatesection->availability = json_encode($tree->save());
+                $updatesection->timemodified = time();
+                $DB->update_record('course_sections', $updatesection);
+
                 $anychanged = true;
             }
         }
diff --git a/backup/moodle2/backup_stepslib.php b/backup/moodle2/backup_stepslib.php
index 3303963d477..2ea524856bd 100644
--- a/backup/moodle2/backup_stepslib.php
+++ b/backup/moodle2/backup_stepslib.php
@@ -267,7 +267,7 @@ class backup_module_structure_step extends backup_structure_step {
             'added', 'score', 'indent', 'visible', 'visibleoncoursepage',
             'visibleold', 'groupmode', 'groupingid',
             'completion', 'completiongradeitemnumber', 'completionview', 'completionexpected',
-            'availability', 'showdescription', 'timemodified'));
+            'availability', 'showdescription'));
 
         $tags = new backup_nested_element('tags');
         $tag = new backup_nested_element('tag', array('id'), array('name', 'rawname'));
@@ -291,8 +291,7 @@ class backup_module_structure_step extends backup_structure_step {
         // Set the sources
         $concat = $DB->sql_concat("'mod_'", 'm.name');
         $module->set_source_sql("
-            SELECT cm.*, cp.value AS version, m.name AS modulename, s.id AS sectionid, s.section AS sectionnumber,
-            s.timemodified AS timemodified
+            SELECT cm.*, cp.value AS version, m.name AS modulename, s.id AS sectionid, s.section AS sectionnumber
               FROM {course_modules} cm
               JOIN {modules} m ON m.id = cm.module
               JOIN {config_plugins} cp ON cp.plugin = $concat AND cp.name = 'version'
diff --git a/backup/moodle2/restore_stepslib.php b/backup/moodle2/restore_stepslib.php
index 6ef247820ec..c788ac11c82 100644
--- a/backup/moodle2/restore_stepslib.php
+++ b/backup/moodle2/restore_stepslib.php
@@ -796,7 +796,7 @@ class restore_rebuild_course_cache extends restore_execution_step {
                 $sectionrec = array(
                     'course' => $this->get_courseid(),
                     'section' => $i,
-                    'timemodified' => 0);
+                    'timemodified' => time());
                 $DB->insert_record('course_sections', $sectionrec); // missing section created
             }
         }
@@ -1576,8 +1576,9 @@ class restore_section_structure_step extends restore_structure_step {
         $section = new stdclass();
         $section->course  = $this->get_courseid();
         $section->section = $data->number;
+        $section->timemodified = isset($data->timemodified) ? $this->apply_date_offset($data->timemodified) : 0;
         // Section doesn't exist, create it with all the info from backup
-        if (!$secrec = $DB->get_record('course_sections', (array)$section)) {
+        if (!$secrec = $DB->get_record('course_sections', ['course' => $this->get_courseid(), 'section' => $data->number])) {
             $section->name = $data->name;
             $section->summary = $data->summary;
             $section->summaryformat = $data->summaryformat;
@@ -1593,8 +1594,6 @@ class restore_section_structure_step extends restore_structure_step {
                             $data, true);
                 }
             }
-
-            $section->timemodified = !isset($data->timemodified) ? 0 : $this->apply_date_offset($data->timemodified);
             $newitemid = $DB->insert_record('course_sections', $section);
             $section->id = $newitemid;
 
@@ -1614,7 +1613,6 @@ class restore_section_structure_step extends restore_structure_step {
                 $restorefiles = true;
             }
 
-            $section->timemodified = !isset($data->timemodified) ? 0 : $this->apply_date_offset($data->timemodified);
             // Don't update availability (I didn't see a useful way to define
             // whether existing or new one should take precedence).
 
@@ -1725,8 +1723,12 @@ class restore_section_structure_step extends restore_structure_step {
                     array('id' => $availfield->coursesectionid), MUST_EXIST);
             $newvalue = \core_availability\info::add_legacy_availability_field_condition(
                     $currentvalue, $availfield, $show);
-            $DB->set_field('course_sections', 'availability', $newvalue,
-                    array('id' => $availfield->coursesectionid));
+
+            $section = new stdClass();
+            $section->id = $availfield->coursesectionid;
+            $section->availability = $newvalue;
+            $section->timemodified = time();
+            $DB->update_record('course_sections', $section);
         }
     }
 
@@ -4018,8 +4020,6 @@ class restore_module_structure_step extends restore_structure_step {
         $oldid = $data->id;
         $this->task->set_old_moduleversion($data->version);
 
-        $timemodified = !isset($data->timemodified) ? 0 : $this->apply_date_offset($data->timemodified);
-
         $data->course = $this->task->get_courseid();
         $data->module = $DB->get_field('modules', 'id', array('name' => $data->modulename));
         // Map section (first try by course_section mapping match. Useful in course and section restores)
@@ -4039,12 +4039,12 @@ class restore_module_structure_step extends restore_structure_step {
             $sectionrec = array(
                 'course' => $this->get_courseid(),
                 'section' => 0,
-                'timemodified' => $timemodified);
+                'timemodified' => time());
             $DB->insert_record('course_sections', $sectionrec); // section 0
             $sectionrec = array(
                 'course' => $this->get_courseid(),
                 'section' => 1,
-                'timemodified' => $timemodified);
+                'timemodified' => time());
             $data->section = $DB->insert_record('course_sections', $sectionrec); // section 1
         }
         $data->groupingid= $this->get_mappingid('grouping', $data->groupingid);      // grouping
@@ -4098,7 +4098,12 @@ class restore_module_structure_step extends restore_structure_step {
         } else {
             $sequence = $newitemid;
         }
-        $DB->set_field('course_sections', 'sequence', $sequence, array('id' => $data->section));
+
+        $updatesection = new \stdClass();
+        $updatesection->id = $data->section;
+        $updatesection->sequence = $sequence;
+        $updatesection->timemodified = time();
+        $DB->update_record('course_sections', $updatesection);
 
         // If there is the legacy showavailability data, store this for later use.
         // (This data is not present when restoring 'new' backups.)