Moodle Data Retention
Visibility of Standard Course Sites
To comply with copyright requirements and to help keep course lists in Moodle manageable for faculty and students, standard Moodle course sites will be made unavailable to students approximately two weeks after the course concludes.
- Faculty access: Faculty retain full access to their course sites at all times and may make a course visible to students again if needed.
- Course content and enrollment: No course content will be deleted, and enrolled students will remain listed as participants. Students will simply be unable to access the course unless it is made visible again by the instructor.
- Timing: This change will be implemented approximately two weeks after the end of each semester.
- Exceptions: This policy does not apply to non-standard course sites, such as those created for departments, programs, committees, or other special purposes.
Retention of Course Sites
Moodle course sites are retained for five prior academic years plus the current year. Each year, course sites that are six years old are permanently removed from the system.
Faculty who wish to retain older course materials may create backup files of their course sites. These backups can be restored into new Moodle sites as needed. NOTE: these backup files are not readable outside of the Moodle platform. Instructions for creating a backup and restoring the content can be found on our Moodle Resource Center
Retention of Activity Logs
Moodle activity logs are retained for six months, which supports instructional review and troubleshooting needs for the most recent semester.
Access to Kaltura Streaming Content
Streaming video course reserves provided through Kaltura within Moodle are available only for the duration of the semester in which they are assigned. To comply with copyright restrictions, video reserves are removed from Moodle course sites at the end of each semester.
Guiding Principles
- This policy is guided by the following principles:
- Retaining courses and content for a period of time that faculty and students find adequate and useful
- Optimizing the performance and reliability of the learning management system
- Using storage space efficiently and minimizing the financial impact of expanding system storage
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
General Questions
Why are Moodle courses hidden after the semester ends?
Courses are made unavailable to students after the semester to support copyright compliance, reduce confusion in course lists, and help keep the learning management system running efficiently. Faculty retain full access to their courses at all times.
Does this mean my course content is deleted?
No. Course content is not deleted when a course is made unavailable to students. All materials, activities, and enrollments remain intact unless the course reaches the end of its retention period.
Who can still access a course after it is hidden?
Faculty retain full access to their courses. Students cannot access the course unless the instructor makes it visible again.
Student Access to Past Courses
Can students access a course after the semester ends?
By default, no. Courses are hidden from students approximately two weeks after the semester ends. However, instructors may make a course visible again if they choose.
Can a student request access to a past course?
Yes. Students should contact the course instructor directly. Instructors may re-enable access at their discretion.
Will students still appear as enrolled in past courses?
Yes. Student enrollments are retained even when a course is unavailable.
Faculty Questions
Can I make my course visible to students again later?
Yes. Faculty can make a course visible to students at any time.
How long will my Moodle courses remain available?
Courses are retained for five prior academic years plus the current year. Courses older than six years are removed annually.
What if I want to keep a course longer than the retention period?
Faculty are encouraged to create a backup of any course they wish to retain. Backup files can be restored into new Moodle sites as needed.
Will courses used for accreditation, assessment, or teaching portfolios be removed?
Such courses follow the same retention timeline. Faculty should create backups of any courses needed for long-term documentation or review.
Kaltura and Streaming Media
Why are streaming videos removed at the end of the semester?
Streaming videos provided through Kaltura are governed by copyright and licensing agreements. To comply with these requirements, video course reserves are removed at the end of each semester.
Can I reuse streaming videos in a future course?
In many cases, yes—but videos need to be re-requested or re-linked for the new semester.
Activity Logs and Data
What are Moodle activity logs?
Activity logs record actions within Moodle, such as logins and interactions with course materials. They are used primarily for troubleshooting and instructional review.
How long are activity logs retained?
Activity logs are retained for six months, which typically covers the most recent semester.
Can faculty access activity logs from older courses?
No. Once logs exceed the retention period, they are automatically deleted and cannot be recovered.
Special and Non-Standard Courses
Does this policy apply to departmental or program sites?
No. Non-standard sites—such as those created for departments, programs, committees, or special projects—are not subject to automatic course visibility changes. Retention practices for these sites may vary.
Who should I contact about a non-standard site?
Faculty and staff should contact the instructional technology or digital learning team for guidance.
