Why You Need to Archive Your Canvas LMS Data

This is a guest post by Instructure partner K-16 Solutions
 

Over the past two decades, over 50 million institutions worldwide have adopted a learning management system (LMS) of some kind. While this has provided a breakthrough in offering learners better access to education, no one ever stopped to think about how much data could pile up over time while using these systems. 

The purpose of the LMS was to better deliver content online and improve learning outcomes...It was never meant to be a data repository. 

As institutions begin to accrue more data and content over time, a better way to manage and organize this information becomes even more important. That’s why Instructure partnered with K16 Solutions–to help Canvas customers get the most out of their LMS –by practicing good data hygiene by using a more sophisticated data archiving solution.

What defines good data hygiene in EdTech?

Good data hygiene in the world of EdTech is defined by a few traits:

1. Data is secure.
2. Data adheres to compliance best practices.
3. Data and content are organized and easy to find.

As the EdTech industry matures, Instructure is looking to stay in front of what Canvas customers   need relative to proper data hygiene in the LMS. This led to an enhanced partnership with K16 Solutions to deliver the perfect archive solution that integrates with Canvas seamlessly: Canvas Archiving powered by K16 Solutions.  

What is Canvas Archiving powered by K16 Solutions?

Canvas Archiving powered by K16 Solutions allows Canvas customers to store course content and student data on an archiving platform that fully integrates with Canvas. Institutions are able to back up their access and retrieve content at any time.

What does Canvas Archiving powered by K16 Solutions provide to institutions?

1. Added security

Old courses, data, and student information need to be stored securely to adhere to privacy laws. Like putting sensitive data into a vault, archiving Canvas data places your information in a secure platform.

2. Data compliance best practices

Data compliance is rapidly becoming a necessity in higher education. Not everyone who has access needs access to all student records. In fact, accidentally giving access to anyone who isn’t authorized to see sensitive data could be considered a compliance issue. 

Failure to adhere to compliance standards can put into question the integrity of your grades as well as your entire institution. Archiving with K16 Solutions ensures that the right users have the correct level of access to sensitive information. 

3. Organized student data and courses

As a best practice, most universities hold onto at least two to three years' worth of historical content, meaning there are tens of millions of courses and data currently floating around within these systems that fall outside of those parameters.

No LMS was built to organize mass amounts of courses or data. Over time, it can easily become cluttered. Faculty and staff waste time looking for their courses or waiting for the system to find information for them. 

Similar to organizing a storage closet, archiving with K16 Solutions allows you to store old courses and data out of the way so that relevant information is easy to find. If it turns out that someone does need to access archived information, it’s not a problem. DataArchiving by K16 Solutions integrates with Canvas, so your old courses and data can easily be accessed with the click of a button. 

Archive your Canvas to stay secure, compliant, and organized

Archive your aging Canvas content in order to remain compliant and secure your sensitive student data in the process. Learn more about the Instructure learning platform and how it offers learning solutions.