There has been an interesting discussion on the US based list about VLE data retention. The definitive source for UK HE would seem to be http://bcs.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/he/ but the question would be how to interpret that in relation to VLE data, short of going through all the likely function groups has anyone got suggestions for a model VLE retention policy?

-- Peter Harrison

-----Original Message-----
From: blkbrd-l - A list for Blackboard course administrators and faculty [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Lowey, Kevin
Subject: Re: Question about retention policy

Hi,

It is important to understand WHY you need to retain the material, and also WHY you need to remove it at some point. Then build your retention policy around that.

WHY WE NEED TO KEEP
- Review for student appeals
- Availability for supplemental exams
- Availability for course copy (need to have last year's course around in order to copy it into this year's version of the course)
- Some educators recommend students should have access to all the course materials in all their courses as long as they take classes here so they can refer back (so that would mean retaining 4 years ...)
- Blackboard course copy bugs could mean  new courses refer back to content in old courses, so if you remove the old courses without fixing the problem suddenly the new courses break. 

WHY WE NEED TO DELETE
- Reduce the size of a user's course list by removing old courses.
- Optimizing system performance by freeing disk space and limiting the number of courses you need to back up.
- Legal protection. 
- Legal obligation. For example instructors may have licensed material only for one term, so you legally can't make it available or even store it on your system after the license period is up. 


The legal protection is the most interesting. Lets say that someone accuses an instructor of violating copyright law by using some material in his course. IF you remove the course from the system after the complaint is made, then you are breaking the law by destroying evidence.  HOWEVER if you have a documented retention policy of one year and removed the material according to that policy before a complaint was made, then if they come later and say "we need to see a copy of the course" you can say "Sorry, it's already gone" and not be guilty of destroying evidence.  

So as always, the lawyers and the  educators are recommending opposites. Lawyers want you to get rid of the course as soon as possible, educators want you to keep it as long as possible for students to refer to.

In our case, we tell people we keep the course on the system for one year from the END of the course. That covers all the requirements for appeals, etc. and also keeps the course available to roll forward for the next term. (We can also roll the content into a special "development course" if necessary that doesn't have students in it for instructors to edit and develop for the next term). 

- Kevin Lowey 

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