D2L Course Cleanup

University of Wisconsin System D2L Course Cleanup

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Why is there a D2L Course Cleanup?

The D2L Course Cleanup is an ongoing University of Wisconsin (UWS) system-wide initiative.

Desire2Learn (D2L) has been the learning management system for all campuses in the University of Wisconsin System (UWS) since Summer, 2003. Due to widespread adoption of D2L for online, blended, and web-enhanced courses, the UWS D2L servers now contain thousands of obsolete course sites and terabytes of redundant and outdated files.

This vast quantity of data has already impacted costs for storage, backups, upgrades, and support resources. Still, the amount of data in the learning management system -- and the costs associated with maintaining it -- continue to steadily increase.

In 2009, the University of Wisconsin System developed guidelines and implemented an ongoing "D2L Course Cleanup" plan, wherein obsolete course sites and data will be completely and permanently removed from the D2L servers each year. This regular D2L Course Cleanup is imperative to our continued smooth operation, both to contain costs and to maintain our current standard of system performance and user experience.

The University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee (UWM) experienced its first annual D2L Course Cleanup in Summer, 2010. Other UWS campuses successfully accomplished their first Cleanup in the spring of 2009; those campuses reported positive responses from instructors, who were generally relieved to have their obsolete course sites finally removed from D2L.

Courses Scheduled for Deletion in Summer 2011

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Which D2L course sites will be deleted?

Instructors can view their D2L course sites in the "My UW-Milwaukee Courses" widget of the D2L home page. Course sites are sorted by semester and year. Note that instructors might need to click on the "double arrow" icon to the right of a semester title, to expand and display the list of their course sites in that semester.

The semesters currently scheduled for deletion include:

1060 - Fall 2006

1062 - Winterim 2007

1064 - Spring 2007

1066 - Summer 2007

Instructors should contact the UWM Learning Technology Center (LTC@uwm.edu) if they have any questions about which course sites or which semesters are scheduled to be deleted.

Saving Information from Old Course Sites

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How can instructors save information from old course sites before they are deleted?

There are a number of ways an instructor can create a personal “archive,” to be retained outside of D2L. Please note that the archiving processes must be completed prior to June 14, 2011.

How to export a course site for later use in D2L

Preserves the Content page, course files, News (Announcements), Quizzes and Question Library, Grade book, Discussion Forums and Topics, and Dropbox folders
Creates a .zip file that the instructor can import into another D2L course site at a later date
Does not include student grades and contributions
.zip file could be imported into any IMSCP-compliant learning management system

How to download and save student grades and contributions

Each area containing student grades and contributions must be individually downloaded

When downloading or saving gradebooks or student submissions, it is imperative to maintain the privacy of student records, which should be saved on campus-housed, password-protected network storage rather than on local hard drives or portable storage devices. Questions about how long gradebooks and student records may be retained should be discussed with the appropriate department, school, or college, or with the UWM Records Officer.

Important note: The UWM Records Officer, Brad Houston, states "Student work as described here is a public record under the UW-System general record schedule for academic records ACAD024, which gives a retention time of six months after the end of the semester (see here: http://www.uwsa.edu/gc-off/records/schedules/studentrecsboilerplateUWROC.pdf). ... Per the regulations set down by the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), students may access their own records [not just those in D2L], so long as they are retained by the university. Once the retention period has passed, the records may be destroyed and instructors/departments are under no obligation to produce them. However, if records are retained beyond the 6 month period, they may still be requested and should be produced."

How to download and save course files only

Preserves the files located in D2L "Manage Files" area

How to copy components from an old course site to a more recent D2L course site

Preserves the Content page, course files, News (Announcements), Quizzes and Question Library, Grade book, Discussion Forums and Topics, and Dropbox folders
Copies directly from one D2L course site to another
Does not include student grades and contributions

IMPORTANT: In rare situations, the preservation of a D2L course site in its entirety, including student records and contributions, may be necessary. Please contact the Learning Technology Center immediately for assistance; action must be taken prior to the June 14, 2011 deadline.

Deleted Course Sites Not Recoverable

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What if an instructor needs something from a deleted course site after June 14, 2011?

There will be no way to obtain information from a D2L course after it is deleted. During the D2L Course Cleanup, obsolete course sites will be permanently and completely removed from the D2L servers, including all files and student records/contributions. Restoration of the deleted data is not possible.

Instructors must take the necessary steps before June 14, 2011 to download, export, or copy all files and data they believe they may need in the future. Access to the course sites scheduled for deletion will be removed after that date without further notice.

Please see our post "Saving Information from Old Course Sites" for information and step-by-step instructions for creating personal archives of D2L data.

Scope of 2011 D2L Course Cleanup

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Why were these course sites chosen to be deleted from D2L?

The Course Cleanup is intended to delete the oldest data on the D2L servers. Initially, that included course sites and data that was 4-7 years old.

Each subsequent annual cleanup will address one academic year's obsolete data in D2L. Prior to each D2L Course Cleanup, instructors will receive complete information about the cleanup schedule and the semesters targeted for deletion.

As in the past, more recent D2L course sites will be retained on the D2L servers because:

students need sufficient time to finish incompletes and to challenge grades, and

instructors need sufficient time to reoffer their course. NOTE: If a course's periodicity spans several years, additional steps must be taken to ensure the original course site is not deleted too soon. Instructors in this situation should contact the UWM LTC (LTC@uwm.edu) immediately.

Retaining recent course sites is also consistent with the guidelines and policies of the UW Records Officers Council. For more information, please contact UWM Records Management.

Effect on Current Course Sites

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How will the D2L Course Cleanup affect current D2L course sites?

There should be no effect on current D2L course sites.

In most cases, when a course is reoffered by the same instructor, the instructor copies some or all of the contents, files, gradebook setup and discussion structure from a previous D2L course site into the new D2L course site. Afterward, the earlier D2L course site can be deleted without affecting the new course site.

Annual Cleanup Timeframe

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In the future, how long can instructors expect their course sites to remain in D2L?

Our goal is to keep only course sites that are current, plus the previous 3 academic years.

Although the UW-System guidelines for retention of electronic records specify only a "current + 2 years" window for keeping D2L course sites, UWM intends to keep D2L course sites from the current academic year + the 3 previous academic years, due to our extended schedule for offering certain courses on a 3-year rotation.

Additional Assistance

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Who can instructors talk to if they need more help?

The UW-Milwaukee D2L site administrators are Sharon McCarragher, Matt Russell, and Dylan Barth. They and the rest of the staff at the UWM Learning Technology Center (LTC) are familiar with the D2L Course Cleanup process, and are prepared to answer questions and provide assistance, as needed.

For unusual situations that are not addressed here, instructors must contact the LTC (LTC@uwm.edu) prior to June 14, 2011 so assistance can be provided before the course sites are deleted.

If the instructor does nothing, the old D2L course sites will be deleted on schedule.

What about Students?

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What about Students?

Students have been notified of the Spring / Summer 2011 D2L Course Cleanup through the UWM D2L "My Home" page.

Students should always retain their own copy of all coursework submissions on their own computers, or in Pantherfile.

It has always been true, and will continue to be so, that the instructor who "owns" each D2L site may choose at any time to make the D2L site "inactive," which would prevent student access. For this reason, and because students almost always compose their submissions outside of D2L (for instance, as a Word document or PowerPoint presentation), we believe students are less likely than instructors to think of D2L as a "storage space."

If a student still has access to a D2L course site, they are free to download and retain copies of any and all of their coursework and/or instructor feedback to a location where they will have long-term access: e.g., their own computer or their own portable hard drive.

Students who need assistance with downloading their course work from D2L should contact the UWM Help Desk at 414-229-4040 or via webform at GetTechHelp.uwm.edu/.

Note: In situations where the student no longer has access to the D2L course site, the student will need to contact the instructor or department to request assistance with obtaining copies of the coursework they submitted in D2L.

The UWM Records Officer, Brad Houston, states "Student work as described here is a public record under the UW-System general record schedule for academic records ACAD024, which gives a retention time of six months after the end of the semester (see here: http://www.uwsa.edu/gc-off/records/schedules/studentrecsboilerplateUWROC.pdf). If the student no longer has access to the D2L course site, the student could ask the instructor (or department) to extract the records. Per the regulations set down by the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), students may access their own records [not just those in D2L], so long as they are retained by the university. Once the retention period has passed, the records may be destroyed and instructors/departments are under no obligation to produce them. However, if records are retained beyond the 6 month period, they may still be requested and should be produced."