Deleting class website

[MProust]

Last semester, I created a WordPress class website to which my students contributed many of their own writings. Before I delete the website altogether, is there any reason to maintain it in any form?

[jerseyjay]

The site might be useful save if you are teaching the class again and you want to showcase the students' writings, or if you need to document your work for a tenure/promotion application, or for a new job search. The students also might just like to have it up there to document their work. Or they may want it taken down quickly.

Assuming neither of these is enough to keep it up, here are some things to consider before deleting it:

Do both you and the students have copies of their work?

You should have copies in case there is some dispute over a grade, or a student wants a letter of recommendation, or just decides to ask you for copies of their work because they want it for a portfolio, etc.

The students should have copies of their work for any of the following reasons and perhaps because they just want to save their work.

If you could keep an electronic version of the site, I would suggest that you do so. Before taking it down, I would send an email to your students informing them that you are going to do so and suggesting they copy their own material.

[nescafe]

Before I delete the website altogether, is there any reason to maintain it in any form?

I've done this and my students have included it on their resumes, cover letters, and showcasing it as part of a broader portfolio after graduation. I'd recommend leaving it up or, if you must delete, contacting the class beforehand to give students ample time to respond/download their materials.