D2L Brightspace data retention schedule

Overview

In November 2021, a formal recommendation by the Academic and Student Affairs (ASA) Technology Council was made to, and approved by, the Senior Vice Chancellor of Academic and Student Affairs regarding D2L Brightspace Data Retention and Purging.  Annually, the Minnesota State Learning Technologies team will remove user accounts and courses that have exceeded the data retention schedule.  Prior to removal, communication about upcoming purge activities will be sent to campus staff. 

Retention Schedule

The data removal and purge process will be conducted annually, starting on the first business day of March.  The process is shown below:

1. User account deactivation
   • User accounts must meet the following conditions:
     • created more than 6 years ago
     • not accessed within 2 years (or never accessed)
     • no new enrollments within 4 years
2. Course deactivation
   • Courses must meet the following conditions:
     • created more than 6 years ago
     • is not a credit-based course offered within the past 5 academic years
     • has not been the source of a course copy within 2 years
     • classlist members have not accessed the course within 2 years
3. User account purge
   • User account must meet the following conditions:
     • created more than 8 years ago
     • not accessed within 4 years (or has accessed)
     • no new enrollments within 4 years
4. Course purge
   • Courses must meet the following conditions:
     • created more than 8 years ago
     • is not a credit-based course offered within the past 5 academic years
     • has not been the source of a course copy within 4 years
     • classlist members have not accessed the course within 4 years

Definitions

• Purge – The item is permanently erased.  It cannot be recovered.
• Deactivated – The item is hidden from view and can be restored by an administrator

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Can an institution setup a different retention schedule? 

A: No.  All institutions will use the same retention schedule outlined above.

Q: How long will courses be visible to faculty and students in Brightspace? 

A: Courses will be visible for a minimum of 5 academic years.

Q: Can I save a course from being purged?

A: Yes, do one of the following actions: (1) access the course as long as you are listed in the Classlist, or (2) copy the course to another course using Copy Components.

Q: Will I receive a notification about my course or user being deactivated or purged? 

A: No.  Campuses may communicate the retention process via normal channels, alongside other retention schedules (such as Kaltura).