Moodle course deletion procedures and deadlines

Previously, Moodle courses could only be deleted by email upon request, i.e. by instructors sending an email to moodle@rub.de. However, not everyone was aware of this possibility or regularly deleted their courses. Over the years, this has led to a high number of courses in RUB Moodle, many of them probably no longer needed. In the case of courses that have not been used for a long time, there is probably also an obligation to delete or at least deactivate them for legal reasons.

This initial situation and an upcoming major system update for the winter semester 2023/24 are the reasons why we introduce a maximum duration of courses of 6 semesters beginning with the summer semester 2023. This maximum duration can, however, be extended. This means that even courses that are designed to last permanently will have to be extended on a regular basis. In detail, the procedure is as follows:

1. Automatical Deletion: Deletion of courses after 6 semesters / Possibility of extension for another 12 months

After six semesters, a course is automatically identified as deletable. The following steps will take place:

Information on reaching the max. course age / on potential deletion by e-mail
First of all, reaching the maximum course age does not mean the course gets deleted immediately. First an e-mail will be sent to all course instructors and teaching assistants informing them of the pending deletion due to the course age.

Continuation of a course after reaching the max. course age
You can object to the deletion within 30 days. This is done directly from within Moodle. The courses that are scheduled for deletion are listed there. Courses can be extended in Moodle with one click. Once a course has been extended, it can remain for another 12 months. After expiration of the renewal period of 12 months course instructors and teaching assistants will be informed again about pending deletion.

Course deletion after reaching the max. course age
If there is no extension of the course, the course will be deleted. Deleting a course means that it is no longer available in RUB Moodle and therefore cannot be accessed by teachers and students. Before deletion, course content can be saved, both just the materials and the entire course. We have instructions for this for teachers and students:

Guide to backing up a course (for instructors): https://moodle.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/mod/data/view.php?d=7762&rid=88500

Guide to backing up materials (for students): https://moodle.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/mod/data/view.php?d=7762&rid=87861 

If you have your course deleted, it is best to also inform the participants of the course through an announcement and point out the possibility of saving materials.

Backup before deletion of a course
Before the course is permanently deleted, i.e. can no longer be found in RUB Moodle, an automatic backup of the course is created. This backup is kept for another 6 months. If necessary, for example if a course has been accidentally deleted, the course can be restored from this backup.

Multiple course instructors/teaching assistants
If there are multiple course instructors or teaching assistants, they should communicate with each other. It is sufficient that one person objects to the deletion so that a course is not deleted. If the course should be deleted, it is possible to delete the course manually at any time.


2. Automatic deletion: Deletion of courses without instructors/teaching assistants

Courses in which there are no longer any course instructors or teaching assistants, i.e. when there is no longer a person responsible for the course, are also scheduled for deletion. These requirements are checked every 2 semesters.

3. Manual deletion of courses

In addition, instructors and teaching assistants can delete courses themselves at any time. This is done directly from within Moodle. After the deletion process has been initiated, there is a period of 30 days within which the deletion can be reversed, just as with automatic deletion.

-> Guide to manual deletion of courses (for instructors): https://moodle.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/mod/data/view.php?d=7762&rid=88445

Last modified: Friday, 28 April 2023, 4:34 PM