Creating backups of Blackboard course sections and all data on a server are two very distinct operations.  Even though each may be handled by different individuals, both can be just as important in maintaining the integrity of the educational process when using Blackboard products.  Many schools allow instructors to create backups of their own course sections for archival purposes while others’ IT staffs will perform this action for the course instructors.  Complete server backups are typically the purview of the IT staff on a campus, but in a shared hosting environment, it may be up the responsibility of the host to do the backup.

For example, at Marshall University, archives and removes sections from their production server 18 months after the term’s completion.  Instructors, however, can make a backup of their section and download it for archiving purposes at any time.

The Utah Education Network (UEN), which hosts Vista for most of the higher education institutions in Utah allows institutions to create 2 online of each section.  At the end of each semester, they work with each institution to create batch backups of sections and make them available for download via SFTP.  They also coordinate mass deletion of sections by institutions to not overwhelm database garbage collection.

Because each school/installation offers varying options and policies regarding backups, take some time to share with us your campus’ backup plans/policies.