Digital Content Retention

Beginning January 2027, WCU will implement digital content retention procedures for content stored in Zoom, Panopto, and D2L. These procedures define how long Zoom and Panopto recordings and D2L courses are saved in WCU systems and when this content will be removed.

Why It Matters

  • Reduces long-term storage costs and environmental impact
  • Aligns with higher education data-retention best practices 
  • Strengthens accessibility by encouraging regular review and upkeep of older content while preserving actively used content 

Retention Timeframes by System

System Retention Timeframe Start Date
Zoom (Recordings)
  • Deletions occur on a rolling basis throughout the year 
  • Recordings older than 6 months will be moved to the Zoom Trash
  • After 30 days in Trash, recordings will be permanently deleted
 January 13, 2027
Panopto (Recordings)
  • Archiving and deletions occur once per year in July
  • Recordings not viewed for 2 years will be moved to archive storage
  • Archived recordings that are not restored within 1 year will be permanently deleted
 July 1, 2027
D2L (Courses)
  • Deletions occur once per year in July
  • Courses older than 6 years will be permanently deleted

Because courses going back more than a decade are currently in the system, this phases in over three summers rather than deleting everything at once: 

July 2027: Courses taught summer 2020 or earlier deleted 
July 2028: Courses taught summer 2022 or earlier deleted 
2028 onward: Steady 6-year cycle 

 July 1, 2027

Personalized Support

IS&T Help Desk / D2L Services: Submit a ServiceNow ticket or call 610-436-3350 for technical support.

FAQs

How long will my course content be saved in D2L?

Academic courses are moving to a 6-year retention procedure. Once fully in effect, courses will remain accessible to instructors for six years after they were taught, then be permanently deleted each July. For example, a course taught in Fall 2026 would be deleted in July 2033. 

 For this procedure, the academic year is Fall through Summer — so Fall 2026, Winter 2026-27, Spring 2027, and Summer 2027 are all part of the same year.

Because courses going back more than a decade are currently in the system, this phases in over three summers rather than deleting everything at once: 

July 2027: Courses taught summer 2020 or earlier deleted 
July 2028: Courses taught summer 2022 or earlier deleted 
2028 onward: Steady 6-year cycle 

Diagram of D2L storage lifecycle

How can I save my D2L course content longer than 6 years?

All academic, semester-based D2L courses will be deleted 6 years after their end date. There are two main options to preserve content from these courses:

My former students can no longer see their old D2L course. How can I make it visible to them again?

Two years after a course's end date, the course is set to inactive which makes it invisible to students. Instructors can reactivate an inactive course to make it visible again to students until the course reaches its deletion date 6 years after it has ended.

Does this apply to my D2L department site, development shell, organization site, etc.?

No. At this time, the retention policy only applies to semester-based academic courses. If you have a question about your specific D2L site, please Submit a ServiceNow ticket or call 610-436-3350.

How long will my recordings be saved in Zoom and Panopto?

Zoom cloud recordings older than 6 months will be moved to the Zoom Trash, then permanently deleted 30 days later.

Panopto recordings not viewed in 2 years will be moved to archive. Archived Panopto recordings not accessed within 1 year after that will be permanently deleted (3 years total from last view).

Diagram of Zoom and Panopto Storage Lifecycle

How can I save my Zoom recordings longer than 6 months?

How can I save my Panopto recordings longer than 3 years?

If you or anyone else views your Panopto recordings regularly, they will not be archived or deleted. A Panopto recording is considered “viewed” if it plays for approximately 3 seconds.

If a Panopto recording has not been viewed for at least 2 years, it will be archived. If the recording has not been restored from the archive within 1 year, it will be permanently deleted.

How can I restore my Panopto recordings from archive?

Archived recordings can be restored at any time by the owner. After restoring a recording from archive, please view the recording for at least 3 seconds to ensure it will not be archived again in the next retention event. 

Will I be notified when my Zoom recordings are deleted?

You will receive an automated email from Zoom 7 days in advance of permanent deletion of any recording.

Will I be notified when my Panopto recordings are archived or deleted?

You will be notified by email in advance of the July deletion of any recording.

Will I be notified when my D2L courses are deleted?

Instructors who taught D2L courses in semesters that will be deleted, will receive email reminders throughout the Spring semester leading up to their courses' July deletion.

Who do I contact for support?

For questions or support, please Submit a ServiceNow ticket or call 610-436-3350.