Home » Get Support » Webcourses@UCF Support » Webcourses@UCF Guides » Webcourses@UCF Course Retention and Deletion Guide Webcourses@UCF Course Retention and Deletion Guide Overview To support system performance, reduce data risk, and align with university data management practices, the Center for Distributed Learning (CDL) is implementing a course retention and deletion process in Webcourses@UCF. Courses will be retained for six (6) years and then removed from the system unless action is taken. Please note: Non-academic, development, and professional development courses will be governed under separate guidelines. What You Need to Know Academic courses are retained for six (6) years after the semester they were last offered. At the end of each semester, courses older than six years will be scheduled for deletion. You will receive multiple notifications before any course is deleted. You are responsible for saving any instructional materials and grade data you wish to retain. If no action is taken, courses will be deleted as scheduled. The university does not maintain archived copies of deleted courses. Once a course is permanently deleted, it cannot be recovered. Non-academic, development, and professional development courses will be governed under separate guidelines. Key Dates Faculty Notifications Summer 2026 and Fall 2026 Notifications will be sent to faculty during the Summer 2026 and Fall 2026 semesters to help identify affected courses and prepare before deletion. Initial Course Deletion After the Fall 2026 semester The first deletion cycle will include courses taught between Summer 2012 and Fall 2020. Ongoing Deletions Beginning Spring 2027 Courses older than six years will be removed on a rolling, semester-based schedule. View Courses Scheduled for Deletion Use the searchable spreadsheet to review courses currently scheduled for deletion and determine whether any action is needed. Open Course List Access to the spreadsheet requires login with your UCF NID and NID password. How Should You Prepare for Course Deletion Before a course is deleted from Webcourses@UCF, you should save any materials and data you may need in the future. The steps below outline how to export instructional content, student submissions, and gradebook data before the scheduled deletion date. Step 1 Export Instructional Content i.e., pages, files, modules, quizzes, assignments, etc. Export instructional content Step 2 Export Student Submissions i.e., assignment submissions, uploaded files, discussion attachments, and other student-submitted work. How do I download all student submissions for an assignment? Step 3 Export Gradebook Data i.e., the Canvas gradebook, assignment scores, and related grading data. How do I export grades in the Gradebook? Requesting Course Retention If a course needs to remain available beyond the standard retention period, you may submit a course retention request through Webcourses@UCF Support. Requests should be submitted at least 1 month before the scheduled deletion date. When should you request retention? Retention requests are intended for courses that must remain accessible for academic, administrative, or legal reasons. In many cases, this applies when a course supports an ongoing review, documentation need, or official university process. Examples of when retention may be appropriate Grade disputes or academic integrity cases Accreditation or audit requirements Legal holds Official departmental or institutional requests Important details Requests are submitted to Webcourses@UCF Support using the retention request form. Approved requests are valid for one year and do not automatically renew. Requests must be submitted again annually if continued access is needed. What happens if a request is approved? Courses with student work will be retained in place. Courses with content only may be moved to a development shell. Access the Course Retention Request Form Notifications Faculty will receive multiple notifications before any course is deleted. These reminders are intended to give you time to review affected courses, export needed materials, and take action before the scheduled deletion date. Multiple notifications will be sent as reminders to faculty. Each notification will include a way to search for affected courses. Each notification will include instructions for exporting course materials. Each notification will include a link to submit a retention request. Need Assistance? The Webcourses@UCF Support team is available to help you prepare for course deletion and retain any materials you may need. Support is available for exporting course content, locating helpful resources, and answering questions about the course retention and deletion process. Step-by-step export guides Knowledge base resources One-on-one faculty support Workshops and training sessions Contact Webcourses@UCF Support FAQs Below are answers to common questions about course retention, deletion, exporting materials, and requesting course retention. General Questions What is changing? Webcourses@UCF will begin removing academic courses that are more than six years old to support system performance, reduce data risk, and align with university data management practices. Why is this happening? This process helps improve system performance and reduce long-term data exposure while aligning with university data management practices. Which courses are affected? Academic courses are affected once they are more than six years past the semester in which they were last offered. When will this start? The initial deletion cycle will occur after the Fall 2026 semester and will include courses taught between Summer 2012 and Fall 2020. Beginning in Spring 2027, older courses will be removed on a rolling, semester-based schedule. Preparing for Deletion What should I do before a course is deleted? Before deletion, you should export any instructional content, student submissions, and gradebook data you may need in the future. How do I save my course materials? You can export instructional content such as pages, files, modules, quizzes, and assignments, as well as student submissions and gradebook data. Step-by-step guides and support resources are available through Webcourses@UCF Support. What happens if I do nothing? If no action is taken, the course will be deleted according to the scheduled timeline. The university does not maintain archived copies of deleted courses, and permanently deleted courses cannot be recovered. Retention Requests When should I submit a retention request? Retention requests should be submitted at least one month before the scheduled deletion date. What qualifies for retention? Common reasons include accreditation or audit requirements, research or grant documentation, grade disputes or academic integrity cases, legal holds, program review or assessment, and official departmental or institutional requests. How long does retention last? Approved requests are valid for one year and do not automatically renew. If continued access is needed, a new request must be submitted. What happens if my retention request is approved? Courses with student work will generally be retained in place. Courses with content only may be moved to a development shell. Deletion and Recovery How can I see which courses are affected? Notification messages will include a way to search for affected courses before deletion. Can I recover a deleted course? No. Once a course is permanently deleted, it cannot be recovered. Does the university keep backups of deleted courses? No. The university does not maintain archived copies of deleted courses. Special Situations What if a faculty member is no longer at UCF? Departments may submit retention requests on behalf of courses when needed. Support Where can I get help? Webcourses@UCF Support provides step-by-step export guides, knowledge base articles, one-on-one assistance, and workshops or training opportunities.
