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Canvas Course Archiving and Retention - Faculty FAQ

  • Updated

This FAQ is updated frequently based on the questions we receive. As a result, entries may not be organized by topic

  1. What is the Digital Course Retention Standard?
    It’s a university-wide initiative designed to ensure all digital course materials meet federal accessibility compliance requirements. Courses created prior to Fall 2024 may not align with current accessibility standards, so they will be archived beginning October 22, 2025.

  2. Which courses will be archived?
    All courses created before Fall 2024 will be archived and removed from the Canvas dashboard on October 22, 2025. This includes any course shells, regardless of whether they were actively taught or used for other purposes.

  3. What does archiving mean for me as a faculty member?
  • Archived courses will no longer appear on your Canvas dashboard.
  • You won’t be able to access course content directly unless you have saved an export file. - Does not apply - Changed on 10/03/2025

  • If you need access later, you must submit an Access Request Form and complete an Accessibility Compliance Disclosure. - Does not apply - Changed on 10/03/2025

    Update as of 10/03/2025

  • Courses will remain visible to you in Canvas under "Past Enrollment" for up to four years, until they are permanently deleted.
  •  Faculty will still be able to: 
    • View and export the gradebook
    • Copy individual assignments, pages, and modules
    • Export the course as an .imscc file

  1. What materials do I need to save before October 22, 2025?
    You should export any courses you want to reuse in future semesters. Does not apply - Changed on 10/03/2025

    Update as of 10/03/2025:

    We encourage instructors to export their course content as a backup or preventative measure

    This includes:

  • Course content (syllabi, assignments, quizzes, modules, pages)
  • Instructor-created resources (documents, media, templates, etc.)
  • Any items you might want to adapt for new courses
  1. How do I export a course?
  • 1st - In Canvas, go to Course Settings > Export Course Content. 
  • 2nd - Select Course > Create Export. 
  • 3rd - Canvas will create a downloadable file in .imscc format. 
  • 4th - You’ll receive an email with a link to download the file. You can also find it under Course Export on the same page. 

  1. Where should I store my exported files?
    We recommend:
  • Your personal computer or external drive
  • Cloud storage (OneDrive, Google Drive, etc.)
  • Departmental shared drives, if appropriate

  1. What happens if I don’t export my courses before the deadline?
    If you do not save a copy, you will not have immediate access to those course materials after October 22, 2025. To retrieve archived courses, you must submit an Access Request Form and sign an Accessibility Compliance Disclosure. Retrieval may take time and is not guaranteed to be immediate. - Does not apply - Changed on 10/03/2025

    Update as of 10/03/2025:

    Courses will remain visible to you in Canvas under "Past Enrollment" for up to four years, until they are permanently deleted. While direct course copies from archived courses will not be available

8. How is this different from what students experience?

  • Faculty are responsible for exporting and saving full course shells and instructional content.
  • Students are asked to download personal work and instructor-provided materials they want to keep.
  • Student submissions (their own uploaded files) remain available in Canvas > Files > Submissions, but course content does not.

  1. Will my exported file keep accessibility improvements I’ve already made?
    Yes. Your exported course content will reflect the state of the course at the time of export. However, if older materials still contain accessibility issues, you will need to update those when reusing the content in future courses.

10. Will my work be deleted?
No. Your course content is not deleted. Archived courses are simply removed from your dashboard, which means you lose immediate access. If you need materials later, you can submit an access request and your work can be retrieved for you. Does not apply - Changed on 10/03/2025

Update as of 10/03/2025:

No. Your course content is not deleted. Archived courses are simply removed from your dashboard, which means you lose editing privileges and you are no longer able to perform a direct course copy.

11. Who can help me if I have questions?
The Instructional Design Team can assist with:

  • Step-by-step help on exporting
  • Deciding which courses to save
  • Reviewing exported content for accessibility improvements
  • Working with each instructor/department to develop a workflow and assist  around and workflow and with the transition 

12. What is the Digital Course Retention Standard?
The Digital Course Retention Standard (effective January 1, 2026) establishes a five-year lifecycle for all Canvas courses at Nebraska Wesleyan University. Its purpose is to ensure accessibility compliance, instructional continuity, and systematic content management.

  • Active Year (Year 1): Courses remain fully editable and accessible for instruction and participation.

  • Concluded Status (Years 2–4): Courses are removed from dashboards but still stored in the system. Faculty can request temporary access for content recovery, remediation, or grading. Does not apply - Changed on 10/03/2025

  • Update as of 10/03/2025: After the active academic year ends, courses are marked “Completed” and Archived. As a result they are removed from instructor and student dashboards; Faculty access: Courses remain visible to instructors under Courses > Past Enrollments. While direct course copies from archived courses are unavailable, instructors can still:
    • View and export the Gradebook
    • Copy individual assignments, pages, and modules into active courses
    • Export the course as an .imscc file for future use
  • Student access: Students no longer have access once the course is concluded.

  • Permanent Purge (Year 5): Courses are permanently deleted and cannot be recovered.

Faculty are expected to copy or export course content they wish to reuse, and all instructional materials must meet ADA and WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards beginning Fall 2025. Legacy materials reused after that point must be remediated, with faculty formally acknowledging their responsibility.

Students are encouraged to save key projects, papers, and other resources before losing access, ideally storing them in their OneNote Archway Portfolio.

Exceptions for temporary access can be requested via the Canvas Course Access Request Form.

Link to access ​pdf iconITS-17 Digital Course Retention Standard.pdf

13. What is an IMSCC file?
An IMSCC file (IMS Common Cartridge) is a standard export package used by Canvas and other learning management systems. It contains course content in a compressed format.
 
 
14. Can I use an IMSCC file to keep teaching my course?
Not directly. IMSCC files are designed for archiving, not for active use. You can store them as a static backup, but they are not meant to be opened or edited like a regular Canvas course. If you want to reuse content, the IMSCC file needs to be imported back into Canvas.
 

15. If I export my course, can I import it back into Canvas later?
Yes. If you export your course as an IMSCC package (via Settings > Export Course Content), you can later import it back into Canvas. This restores your course structure (modules, assignments, quizzes, and pages), though some settings—such as publisher tools or external links—may need to be reconfigured.

If you only download individual files (PDFs, Word documents, videos, etc.), those can be re-uploaded into Canvas, but they will not rebuild your course structure.

16. Student FAQ

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